Afishionado

Yes, Hiya from me too. Mad Mike

Dead whale poses shipping threat The dead whale is said to be a hazard to shipping Sailors are being warned to be on the look-out for the body of a large dead whale seen floating in the Solent. The 80ft (25m) creature poses a danger to vessels in one of Britain's busiest shipping areas, coastguards say. The mammal has been sighted off Stokes Bay, near Gosport, Hampshire, and about six miles (10km) away at Bembridge, the Isle of Wight's most easterly point. Mad Mike

I believe these days pretty good. I have no direct experiance of them but in the days when the posh yottie shops sold them for hundreds of squid they were only slightly better than useless. Like a lot of 21cent technology todays solars are quite inexpensive and claim quite good charge rates. So it's not as though it's going to cost hundreds of quid to find it don't work. I've seen them advertised at around the

Ah, another good question.......... If the boat was on a mooring and there was a recharge method for the battery (Solar or wind gen') then yes direct might be the thing to do. But for a trailed boat I would always run it via an on/off switch to the float as well as the float switch itself. It might be an ides to have it wired to the feed sie of the battery master switch so it comes on live as soon as you turn the battery on. but I still think a separate switch is best Mad Mike PS when I'm wireing up a boat I draw a schematic and in doing so frequently find it is easier to rub out a pencil line than find I am running wires where I don't need them or visa versa have a bit of equipment and no power source. I might add that drawing schematics, making cock ups, rubbing them out untill the paper has a hole worn through ir, ripping the paper to shreds and screwing it up, and throwing it at one of the dog is very good for the temperment.

Duncan astoundingly admits........ girl clinging on, lovely Duncan!!... Klingons are an alien species , you should be going out with an Earth girl!! Mad Mike

The other answer is to stick it in the car (if it's petrol engined) !00:1 is a very oil light mix anyway but assuming you have a new empty tank for the new engine use half a tank of 100:1 with neat petrol which will give a 200:1 ratio. then get a glass and put one 200th of a litre of oil in it, take a look at it and think "what on earth am I worrying about Mad Mike Jokes apart modern O/B's are made to withstand all sorts of misuse in 3rd world environments. What we are talking about here is so minimal as to not worry.

Hi Tony, jump in and enjoy. Every one here has an opinion about summat, and one or two are even right Mad Mike

I am sooo tempted. Leaving where? When? Backwhen? What would I need to bring? Can you put up with an old nut case for that long? Mad Mike

Adam, someone will tell me they have heard of this before but I, after a loong time in the motor trade, have never heard or experianced friction material detatching it's self from the metal shoes. In normal use brakes are often plunged into cold water (puddles Water filled gutters etc) so they are manufactured to take this. I can only think that yours were what the trade call 'Micky Mouse' parts made and imported cheaply from the far east. Name brands are the safest bet. Mad Mike

Yeh, check 'em for leaks though. Just drop a lighted match in and any flames coming out will show the leaks Mad Mike

I bet he don't leave you standin' up to your knees in cold water holding the boat off from a drying tide whilst he chats away to his mates in the car park either!! Never mind Hels a bit more training and you'll have the dear lad near enough perfect. Mad Mike

Why don't you stand under the cold shower and sen me the

Martin sugested.............Use chocks to stop your boat moving I did but the bloody things melted in the sun shine and left brown marks on the drive. Mad Mike

I am now totally depressed in as much as I have always tried not to think of how much our sport costs in the terms of fuel......... Now I know I think I will just stay at home under a cold shower and tear up

Bournemouth boat jumble first week August I think..... And good ol' ebay mad mike

That'll do it. Also I have an idea that a self powered feed could be fixed up so that the boats speed thro' the water forces sea water up a copper pipe via a stop cock to a hose. I am going to try it (the idea) when I fit out my next project boat. Mad Mike

Oh dont worry Paul, I'm sure Helen will catch at least 2 in the first 15 min' . Mad Mike

I have seen this product on ebay for some time and I must say I've been tempted to try it. Have any of you guys got experiance of it. Or for that matter any comments? It's called 'FISH N STRIP' and this is what the splurge says about it This new product recently featured in major fishing magazine articles and on TV is as tough as nails.It wont get thrown off the hook yet is fish like and easy to use.The shrimp flavoured and scented strips are the technical answer to a sea fishing bait that is tough and really attracts fish.This bait is ideal for surf,bay and estuaries.It is best for coldwater usage below 18C.Its biodegradable composition realeases fish attractants as it slowly breaks down.But when dry these baits can be stored for months.Each new factory sealed pack contains 15 strips. Mad Mike

Nice one Alun. It's so good to hear of someone having a great day out when the last time oneself was out it blew a hoolie and chopped up rough. No no I'm not jealous (gnash gnash) at all mate good luck to you I say The next few days look good for fishing too with Saturday forcast for maybe 30C inland, and gentle breezes at sea. I wonder if there is a bait that is not attractive to doggies yet other fish love? As for rays I have found a strip of Garfish to be the #1 bait. Mad Mike

The answer is yes but there are some 'BUTs'. #1 Swaping a fuel lead at sea is easy but pouring fuel from a reserve can into your main tank at sea is difficult and can lead to spillage. As fuel vapour is heavier than air the explosive mixture can stay in the bilges untill ignited by a cigarette spark or whatever. #2 If one runs out it is ALWAYS at a critical moment So the best/safest option is to have 2 tanks/two leads and rotate the fuel feed from one to the other so that the fuel in the 'reserve tank' is never more than a few weeks old. #3 there is another reason to carry a spare.......... If a boating buddy runs out you can always sell him your spare fuel for a HIGHLY extortionate price Mad Mike

Don't forget to check the bearing its self, there is still a strong possibility that the problem is an overtight bearing. It's an easy peasy job to do, if your not too far from Kinson I'll pop round and do it if you want.. Mad Mike

This is a good point. It's one of those things that no one expects to happen but often does. Also the bearing it self may be over tightened so there is too much preassure on the bearing surfaces. Adjust the brakes to give too much slack (to rule out break binding) have a little run and check the temp one side Vs the other. Obviously they should both be the same and quite cool at that. Try again with the break tension set correctly. If you find one side hotter than the other then my guess would be an over tightened bearing adjustment or break imbalance. Mad Mike

If anyone else fished on Sunday please let me know Oh if I must 8 million dog fish A bream Oh and a dog fish Mad Mike

I dare you to show her this post Go on double dare Mad Mike PS After she has killed you can I have your boat please??