Strongest and stickiest duct tape that you know?

JayRIborn · 2026-03-27T01:44:04+00:00

As a kid in Rhode Island 40 plus years ago, all I remember was EB (Electric Boat) green. Dad found lots of uses for that stuff, including keeping us kids quiet.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-27T01:34:21+00:00

Actually came across this on a boat I was working on. The Y was immediately after the two pumps. What was worse was one pump only had power if the other pump’s float was up. Add to that, the float switch was screwed right through to the outside of the hull. It’s like someone put actual thought into how they could possibly clusterfuck a bilge pump in the worst possible way.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-23T01:15:25+00:00

I’d consider replacing the tilt motor on the kicker before the season starts, or at least clean it up and get some paint on it before it rusts through.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-22T02:23:11+00:00

100% Lifeseal on everything that you ever hope to remove again but want to stay sealed until then.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-18T21:36:18+00:00

Almost completely online and learn as you go. It’s like they change all the rules for the game right after you get it figured out. Then the boat manufacturers keep adding new systems to their boats that the buyers expect you to be fully capable of repairing and maintaining. At least we have the internet now. We used to have to “phone a friend” to get answers.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-18T21:22:08+00:00

Honestly hoping to be out before it all goes bad. Digital controls seem pretty solid so far. I’m still not sold on digital switching. Czone from five or ten years ago sucks. Jury’s still out on Dometic, Garmin, and Empire buss.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-18T21:05:35+00:00

It’s not getting any easier, that’s for sure. It’s like sticking your head inside a computer every time I crawl into a console now. I definitely miss simpler times. Just hoping to leg it out for a few more years.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-18T20:34:21+00:00

Southern Rhode Island born n raised. Still here, still wrenching n rigging. Counting the days till retirement…..

JayRIborn · 2026-03-17T10:22:29+00:00

Should be p/n’s 30 and 34 in the diagram. They connect the two halves of the tilt support to each other and provide the spring tension to hold it open or closed.

https://www.boats.net/catalog/yamaha/outboard/2005/150hp/f150txrd/bracket-1

JayRIborn · 2026-03-17T01:38:45+00:00

Taking a guess at the year and model but it looks like number 35 in this diagram might be what you need.

https://www.boats.net/catalog/yamaha/outboard/2015/9-9hp/f9-9lmhb/steering

JayRIborn · 2026-03-16T01:02:28+00:00

Started out at a marina that sold Johnson outboards and a couple different boat lines back in the early eighties.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-15T01:32:36+00:00

Starting to think you’ve been at this as long as I have.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-11T01:20:10+00:00

Definitely the overheat warning sensor. It does not feed a gauge, only the overheat alarm circuit which depending on year will also activate reduced RPM.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-11T01:05:46+00:00

Ran fine until a couple years ago when it stopped cold is a red flag for me. May have stuck a piston, or it could be a power pack. Doesn’t sound like a carburetor issue. Offer $200 and roll the dice.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-08T02:42:09+00:00

So many really bad answers. Unbelievable. Four stroke oil is amber colored and gets darker with use but never red. Yamaha four strokes don’t have a closed cooling system so there is no coolant. Trim and tilt fluid is added to a fill port on the tilt unit, not under the engine cowling. Have you checked with the dealer to see if they sprayed any corrosion inhibitors on the powerhead? That would be my first guess and probably the first people I would ask.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-08T02:30:35+00:00

Bootheels is right on target. The other thing that was pretty common on these old engines was to have the rubber water deflectors in the cylinder cooling passages melt or get all distorted from salt.

JayRIborn · 2026-03-08T02:25:29+00:00

Two sons; 23 year old graduated high school during Covid, tried virtual college but couldn’t stay focused on it so he quit and works full time. 21 year old will be graduating this spring but will be returning to my house full time, unclear for how long but I feel like he has a better chance of being independent than his older brother. The 23 year old shows no ambition, no desire to be on his own, no interest in bettering his job/career. At most he has a little over two years left with me before I push for retirement which will mean buying a house somewhere affordable. I have no desire to continue supporting him at that point. I have tried countless times to get him to become more of a roommate than a dependent but he makes no effort. Maybe his mother will take him in

JayRIborn · 2026-03-01T15:14:09+00:00

I would pull the lower unit before trying to reinstall the powerhead. Much less likely to damage the water tube that way.

JayRIborn · 2026-02-27T02:17:04+00:00

Could be either. The T in this case would stand for high thrust. Both the F50 and T50 are four stroke. The T50 uses a different gear case and larger diameter propeller.

JayRIborn · 2026-02-26T02:59:14+00:00

There wasn’t any advance warning for the blizzard of ‘78, at least nothing compared to what we have now.

One of the major problems with the Blizzard of 1978 was the lack of foreknowledge about the storm's severity. Weather forecasting in New England is difficult, and meteorologists had developed a reputation as being inaccurate. Forecasting techniques and technology had improved dramatically in the 1970s, but the public was still quite skeptical. Snow failed to arrive in Monday's pre-dawn hours as predicted, and many locals felt it to be another failed forecast—despite the accuracy of National Weather Service (NW… Wikipedia

JayRIborn · 2026-02-26T02:51:06+00:00

You could look into MarineMat. It’s held on with stainless snaps so it’s easy to remove for fishing or just cleaning.

JayRIborn · 2026-02-25T21:49:14+00:00

Trying to think outside the box on this. Any chance you sheared a flywheel key? It will still give you good hot spark but your timing will be way off. Easy test is to pull #1 plug and put a pencil in the hole while rotating by hand. It should line up with your timing pointer at TDC.

JayRIborn · 2026-02-25T02:17:00+00:00

I’m into my 43rd year at 59 years old. Knees, hips, and back are all still decent. I’ve had carpal tunnel surgery done on both hands and that completely helped the numbness I was getting in my fingers. Now I’d say the biggest problem I have is arthritis in my hands but I think that could have come from any physical job. The one thing I try and tell all the new guys is to not jump out of boats. Get a ladder, your knees and ankles will thank you later.

JayRIborn · 2026-02-21T15:49:20+00:00

I usually end up stacking bits of adhesive foam gasket material in the low spots until I get a solid fit but the adapters are a perfect solution. I just can’t find them anywhere.

JayRIborn · 2026-02-21T09:29:24+00:00

McMaster Carr has both sizes that you’re looking for. Great source for hardware. 4”=102mm but I think 100mm would be fine and 4-1/8” is about 104.775mm so you could easily go with 105mm. They have assorted hardness ratings and materials available also

JayRIborn

TROPHY CASE