Took my boat out for the first time

[atlfishguy]

I bought the 89 procraft with the 150 johnson I was telling you guys about in my previous post. I finally had a chance to take it out on the lake yesterday and here goes, (you guys please give me any insight you might think I need to do to the boat). First off the boat is cold natured, which I think most are that age, but once you start it the first time its good to go for the rest of day. One thing I did notice is it doesnt like to idle and when I go to move it in gear it wanted to quit a few times, now also this is the first time the boat has been out in 6mos so I dont know if that has something to do with it or not, again Im new to all this. Should I consider changing the plugs, it hasnt had a tune up in awhile the guy who sold it said and what kind of plugs do you guys recommend? Other than that the boat was solid and strong, it took me a little bit to get the hang of taking off and working the trim out to get on plane but once up it was a very smooth ride. Everything worked on the boat but the speed omiter and the trim gauge quit working, it was working when I launched but then I noticed it wasnt working. Lastly, which really made me mad when I was pulling back on to the ramp I must of not had the motor up enough and chiped a small piece of the main bottom fin under the prop and bent it alitte, is that gonna hurt anything and should I try to strighten it? its bent just barely. One last question im gonna charge both trolling motors tonight, but how often should I have to charge the crank battery, the guy i got the boat from charged all three a couple weeks ago but the boat hadnt been run since he charged them. Do you normally need to charge the trolling motor batteries after a day of use? I know this is alot of info if you guys could answer some of these issues it be great. Thanks again guys.

[lizardsrule]

Yes, charge the trolling motor batteries after every trip. If your recharging system is working on the big motor, then recharging your starting battery shouldn't need to be done if you run it semi often, it's just when it sits or the battery is bad will you have a issue with it. As for the skeg, I would straighten it yourself, but some of the others would know much more about it than me. Never seen a boat that the speedometer ever worked after a few trips, get a GPS and it will tell you all you need to know, and will be much more accurate on the speed, but you really don't need a speedometer IMO. The tilt is something I would check the lines, look for fuses and see if it is something minor.

Lizards

[zooker]

first off new plugs are a must have..replace them.. ALL out boards are by nature cold blooded beast..hell my 03 yammer is cold blooded..of course the cutting out may be due entirely by not being run in a long time...check back again after your second tank of gas -with sea foam in it- trim gauge is out you might want to get this fixed..

as for speedo's well let me tell ya son they all lie like a rabid dawg. here is the thing if you want to fix something that aint worth a dam to start with then why fix it?? even if it is all new unit hoses and pick up -$150 plus laybor- it still will lie at least 5-10 mph.. as long as your tach,water pressure gauges work then your not out much. being new to boating i sugesst the trim gauge to learn where the moter runs the best..the sweet spot so to speak. it takes seat time to learn where it is..

the bent skeg... as long as it aint bent alot DON'T mess with it. i got all kinds of dings in my skeg -running thru flood trash- as long as the prop did not hit your good. i have seen skegs with CHUNKS as big as golf balls missing..

i charge my troller batterys after every time out. the crank battery once a month.or if i am doing short runs..

zooker

[Rebbasser]

Charge the TM bateries asap when you get off the water-if you don't they can take a set, meaning they will not fully charge. I'd recommend getting an on-board charger. Plug it in when you get home and unplug it when you head for the lake-set it and forget it.

You can change the plugs, but before you do that I'd run a tank of gas with Seafoam added to it. Seafoam will clean all the crud out of the engine. Then change the plugs.

Unless the skeg is really bent I wouldn't sweat it-I'd leave it be.

The cranking battery should be OK-maybe put it on a charger the night before you head out to top it off, but as Lizards said most charge when the engine is running like your truck battery does.

[1FASTLASER]

Everything already posted is right up to par. 2 things I wanna point out. First DEFINATLEY run a good heavy dose of Seafoam or as we say a shock treatment then change your plugs and use ONLY champion in a OMC (Evinrude or Johnson) and use ONLY NGK in a Merc. Your idle problems should go away. DO NOT attempt to straighten the skeg as stated. You can do more damage than ou want topay for if not done properly. Good luck and glad to see that your up and running.

[HOG Ranger]

You have gotten excellent suggestions but I would like to add to Lasers. If you straighten the skeg do it very gently because too much pressure and they can snap off and I have seen it done. If it is barely bent I would leave it alone like Laser posted.

[atlfishguy]

I took it out again Friday, and she did alot better. I have run the gas down to a 1/4 tank and am going to run seafoam through it when I feel up again. Do I just pour a can in the gas tank, is that all I do? I had a better day, the weather wasnt as good but I launched and loaded by myself for the first time, I highly recommend the guides, my trailor has them and boy was it alot easier, as I seen a few guys really struggling without them, because it was pretty windy. Ok now I think the guy who sold it to me said the trolling was the original one that came with the boat, it looks to be beacuse it is a johnson, it is a 12v 24v motor but I think he said it was just a 24lb thrust, now does that sound right? Would they have put that small of trolling motor on a 18ft boat back then? I am going to change it out soon, but really its not that bad until its windy of course then Im all over the place it seems. How do I switch from 12 to 24 volt, because I charged my batteries and one was charging and one said full charge, so have I only been using one of the batteries? My batteries are the big yellow everstart from walmart and was purchased on 03/06 how long do you guys like to use your batteries before changing them out? Overall I am getting a better feel of boating, which you guys said it just takes seat time which I believe, Im alot more comfortable. Far as the fishing I caught 10 spots most smaller size, a couple went for about 15" but boy what a feeling to catch your first bass on your new boat huh? Thanks guys, good advice as always and I didnt mess with the skeg btw. Once I figure my trolling motor out Ill be set I think.

[zooker]

omc trollers.. if it was a 24 volt it would likely be more of a 54 pounds of thrust.. i have a 12 volt omc it is 26 ounds of thrust.. word to the wise here only use OMC props for your troller..

as for a shock treatment to your outboard 1 oz of sea foam per gallon of gas.. regular treatment is 1 oz per tank -change the plugs after shock treatment..



zooker

[lizardsrule]

If your trolling motor is setup as a 24volt, and you were only using one battery, then you weren't using a 24 volt system. You have to connect 2 batteries up for the 24 volt system, you were probably just running it at 12 volts. Sometimes there is a switch to take it from 12v to 24v , but with it being older I'm not sure. But regardless if you only had 1 battery hooked up it was a 12v trolling motor LOL.

Lizards

[atlfishguy]

Yea I did have two batteries hooked up besides the crank battery but when I got home to charge them one said it was still full charge and the other said it was charging. So I assumed I was just using the one battery, I guess what Im trying to find out is how do you switch it to 24v, it says on the front panel where the trolling motor hooks up 12 and 24 so do I just twist that knob over to the 24 or is there another way? So basically when your running 24v both batteries are working?

[Rebbasser]

Just pour the Seafoam into the tank. I try to add it before filling up so it will get mixed real well.

As to the trolling motor:
How are the batteries hooked together?

For a 24 volt system you need to have them hooked up in series-the positive wire from the TM to the positive terminal on one battery, the negative wire to the negative terminal of the other battery and a jumper between the remaining two terminals, from the negative terminal on one to the positive terminal on the other.

If they are hooked up in parallel-positive to positive, negative to negative you are only getting 12 volts of power.

Check and see how they are hooked up and set the selection accordingly. On my boat I have 3 wires-one is for 12V, one for 24V and a negative. I have to hook the wire up to the battery rather than having a selector switch, but all I use is 24 volt so that is what is hooked up.

Sometimes one battery discharges more than the other. You could try switching the wiring between the 2 batteries and see if that makes a difference.

One thing is very important: If you replace one deep cycle battery, replace both. If you use one new and one old battery it will shorten the life of both.

It is a learning process, and you have come to a great place to get the answers!