JDP

I have a good fishing buddy who is an advisor on oils to different oil companies and motor industries around the world. When I asked him if I needed to stick with Yamaha's own oil or could I use a different manufacturer with the same spec, this was his reply. There's also a link in his response for compatible oils for other engine manufacturers.
Sorry about the way I copied and stuck this info together.
He has since helped me out in regards to some auto gearbox oil which the particular manufacturer was going to charge $1200 to replace, he pointed out the exact same oil from Mitsubishi would cost $300, simply same oil but different manufacturer label.
So these are all the oils my old Yamaha could use, not simply one that my local dealer had tried to push.
 

 

 

 

Yeah, thats fine when you're talking 4x4's etc, they will have durable wheels with significant load rating, when they're from a fiesta or similar, the same can't be said....
Kit form from China.... Dunno why, but just don't fancy that idea!!
I think trailer testing is a good idea, say anything over 500kg laden or unmarked, that way all homebuilds end up with serial numbers and can be seen to be suitable and of a high enough quality......
I adapted my own trailer away from carpeted bunks to roller bunks, but also with tail and keel rollers, that winds the boat up off the grass no worries

Thanks for the heads up Jon, I have some speaker wire that I removed from a Cortina about 20 years ago, and have a reel of cellotape from xmas 95, so sorted 👍
 
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No corks, I like the taste of fly's. We actually don't have the fly problem in this area, seems to be a big issue further north where it gets much hotter. We do have several species of tick that are a pain locally though, with the paralysis tick being the worse, one of which got me a few days ago while out exploring a freshwater creek. I now have a red balloon leg!!!
Back on track with the haves and not have, I must admit not having electricity and internet over several weeks of the bush fires was exceptionally nice. Shops had nothing due to no transport getting through and empty backup power generators. It was good seeing a small town pull together to help each other out, many of which lost homes and friends.
It was kind of like the beginning of a zombie movie but different in a way we have food swimming in the lake in front of our house. I also had enough fuel to cover at least 30 trips out to the kingfish ground giving us a healthy supply of fish to share among the community. You've had a little taste of this sort of thing when people panic bought food from shops over Covid, which can soon turn pear shaped in densely populated areas. If that supply was to stop totally 

Old speaker wire twists very nicely, so thin there's no chance of it pricking soft fingers!!!
Those old Lowrance hds5 units were very good, I keep one as a spare.

It's alright Jon, I'm quite particular as to hoew my wires are twisted together and taped up, and how the units are cable tied into position 🤣

Good job the flares aren't made in China then 🤣

We used to set them off as demonstrations after they had been handed into marine rescue (same as RNLI) however, work cover now doesn't allow us to. So now we play war games with them on a friends remote property, who happens to be high in the police force. 
Its good to be familiar with how to use them incase China invades !!!!

No corks, I like the taste of fly's. We actually don't have the fly problem in this area, seems to be a big issue further north where it gets much hotter. We do have several species of tick that are a pain locally though, with the paralysis tick being the worse, one of which got me a few days ago while out exploring a freshwater creek. I now have a red balloon leg!!!
Back on track with the haves and not have, I must admit not having electricity and internet over several weeks of the bush fires was exceptionally nice. Shops had nothing due to no transport getting through and empty backup power generators. It was good seeing a small town pull together to help each other out, many of which lost homes and friends.
It was kind of like the beginning of a zombie movie but different in a way we have food swimming in the lake in front of our house. I also had enough fuel to cover at least 30 trips out to the kingfish ground giving us a healthy supply of fish to share among the community. You've had a little taste of this sort of thing when people panic bought food from shops over Covid, which can soon turn pear shaped in densely populated areas. If that supply was to stop totally 

I think you're missing the point. It's less about saving money and more about finding stuff that we can't get over here Jon. Clearly no one would buy stuff from the US that we can already get here, but for those items that aren't available here (e.g. my Stormr foul weather jacket, or my Accurate BX-2 twin-drag) Tackle Direct offers an easy way to buy from the US, complete with pre-paid import duties.

Heres a little saltwater video from Bay marine who ran the panoptic's and sidescan in some deeper water, the same transducers Im using. Depth and width in metres, where the 260khz shows really good bottom but at the the loss of fish finding simply because of the great range. The 1120 kHz on one of Garmins other transducers shows very good fish detail but not so good in terms of range. 
I used Lowrance for about 20 years but found reliability and capabilities in deep water lagging well behind Garmin, hence the move.
The video that follows this shows the low power 600w gt51 clearly showing good returns in 400m+. Ive seen 1kw transducers showing clear bottom in 1500m. 
 

I've named a few of my bikes, but not really printable 🤣
My 2 race bikes were named, which is quite common in drag racing........
All bar my 13ft open boat were already named when I acquired them. When you look in the marina's , the vast majority are named

Most boats do seem to have names. Some people believe an old superstition that it is unlucky to change a boats name, but I think to most of us that is nonsense. I have always named (or used the existing name) every boat that we have had. At our boat club members often refer to the boat name when discussing the crew - we are all getting a bit older and maybe that is easier to remember!!! Geoff.

Heading out tomorrow after this bad run of weekend winds scuppering any plans. Seems like an eternity since we were last afloat. 
 
Will be heading Nab area, not decided exactly where yet. 

Welcome to the miserable old gits club Jon, it is a big club with members world wide ! ..................  been there a few times, but after a little rest of never more than a month or two, the mojo comes back and you will be off out there again .................
These days I tend to stick with Wrecks and reefs, because the species are varied and it is interesting both from the sonar, navigational, and angling points of view ..............
All the wreck species are OK with me, apart from slimy snakes (Conger) which are the work of satin ............
 
 
 

Jon, I get where you're coming from. I'm feeling the same just now about shooting.
When if first got into clays (many years ago) I was mad keen, then got my own gun, then got into game shooting, then got more guns. I was all over it like a rash. I was shooting whenever and wherever I could, and was travelling the country to do so, putting teams of guns together to shoot at any and every opportunity.
Now, I can take it or leave it and in fact I get more enjoyment out of working my dog on a shoot rather than shooting myself.
Its natural for one's tastes to change and evolve. Don't feel bad for letting go of something you used to love. You'll either find your mojo again or you'll move onto something that you find equivalent enjoyment from.
And frankly I don't blame you for finding that red tape sucks the satisfaction out of doing rescue work. It would drive me nuts!

Right now we have both yellowfin and bluefin tuna in acres sized schools just off our headland which have been there for two weeks. These fish are from little 30kg fish up to around 70kg specimens and readily taking stick baits on light spin outfits.
So here's the thing, I simply can't be bothered to get the boat out and chase them. My daughter is pretty much hitting them everyday on the charter boat and then heading out with the same boat after the paying customers have finished their trips. Yesterday she did battle on a solid yellow fin for 2.30mins and is back out again today.
I simply can't drum up the enthusiasm and feel I've been there and done this to many times before that it no longer interests me, to the point I'm considering selling up the boat and gear. Ive felt this way for quite sometime thinking it might pass but it hasn't. It's funny that when you don't have much in the way of opportunitys on offer you think how great it would be to have them but when you have them how many times can you realistically keep doing it untill you become over it all.
First to fade for me was sharking, where in the UK I was obsessed, to the point it led me to living where I live now. After a couple of years of catching so many variety's of shark both beach and boat I soon dreaded hooking them. This has now transferred over to most species.
I do enjoy driving boats still, especially when conditions rough up but simply driving around soon becomes boring. I know some people might think this feeling of being over catching fish might be odd but consider every trip you caught dogfish or pout, you might soon feel over them, this is how I feel. Ive been fishing for 51 years, some of which has been comercial in a variety of styles. I also drive a few dive charter boats which has tottaly lost its fun aspects for me, especially when people get stung by jellyfish or seasick etc. Being a member of a marine rescue group sounds like am adventure but in realality it's towing boats home that have run out of fuel or a mechanical issue 99% of the time. The rediculous amounts of training and government red tape involved in rescue groups takes away any fun from being a member these days, which I'm also wanting to get away from now.
Anyway, there's my whinge to prove I'm still a Pom, heading out into remote wilderness with the dog now while the tuna are going off their heads out the front!!!!!!

Very nice Jon, but I think he means one of these from Breaksea Boats .................however, they do a couple of cabin styles .......................

 

Heres a cougar cat recently popped onto the market, roughly 80k Uk money https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/commercial-vessel/cougar-cat-15-0-flybridge/253345 

Snapper would have to be high on my list, the fact you can target them on so many styles of tackle, most of which is light makes for great sport. We have some serious amounts of game fish on offer but give me snapper or yellowtail kingfish any day. In saying that just about any fish is fun given the right tackle to target them.
 

I only do the basics, oil filters and impeller at a push. The mechanic I use is so cheap its not worth me doing mechanical work. It helps that he also has a commercial sea urchin boat that I often skipper for him. The thought of working in the bilge of vessels over here in the heat we get when I can simply sit above deck driving them is a no brainer!!!!... besides I rarely work these days unless its something I like doing.

Personaly I would still stay bellow 6m. Boats in that range are far more adaptable to all kinds of fishing and able to be towed to most locations. Working through the hull extreme bar conditions often means small boats can get offshore when the bigger even high powered boats can't. There's also a big advantage keeping a smaller boat at home in your garage over a large vessel kept on a mooring. 
When it comes to handling fish, especially bigger game species, a small boat is hands down the easiest way to speed up any catch and release.
If money were simply no object then I would simply privately charter any boat and let the owner be responsible for its upkeep, apart from that Ive already owned the boats I like, with the smallest travelling the furthest distances and catching the most variety of fish.

Don't worry about running costs. This is money no  object, right?? 😬😬

One of the two boats my daughter now skippers. The upkeep on such vessels that are being run daily ( some days 4 trips ) can be high, as is the fuel cost to the 900hp of power.
Last year I did a couple of rescues with my little zodiac that this bigger vessel skipper refused to attempt.
 

One of the two boats my daughter now skippers. The upkeep on such vessels that are being run daily ( some days 4 trips ) can be high, as is the fuel cost to the 900hp of power.
Last year I did a couple of rescues with my little zodiac that this bigger vessel skipper refused to attempt.