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  1. luckydude

    Battery Recommendation and DYI installation

    Did you mean "stop" instead of "start", I'm guessing yes. I leave the charger plugged in 24/7 and have for 3 years on the NOCO and 2 years before that on some smart battery tender brand (switched to NOCO because everyone in my fishing group used that but so far as I know the other one is fine...
  2. luckydude

    Battery Recommendation and DYI installation

    Why a timer? I thought NOCO's are smart, the light glows green, they aren't pushing more electrons?
  3. luckydude

    Battery Recommendation and DYI installation

    AGM batteries and this battery tender, my buddy gets 8 years, I'm 5 years in and the batteries are great. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08G3STB1N/
  4. luckydude

    Garmin software update "Your boat's fuel capacity has changed..." loop

    I went fishing today and learned that the "upgrade" in software killed my shaded relief. Was halibut fishing, really missed that. Johnson Hicks is working on it, none of us understand why shaded relief went away. Perhaps another vote for a backup before you do anything.
  5. luckydude

    Garmin software update "Your boat's fuel capacity has changed..." loop

    I have a bunch of Garmin stuff: AIS + GPS hockey puck, 24xd GPS/heading sensor on NMEA bus, Fantom 18, Reactor 40 auto pilot, 8610xsv, 943xsv, CL7 engine display (GPSmap 7607 + Yamaha app). I did a software upgrade yesterday by downloading the software from Garmin, unzipping it into an SD card...
  6. luckydude

    help me choose a transducer

    Airmar 185hw is what I use and I'm happy with it. Loses bottom at speed at 400-500 feet, gets it back when I slow down. I've got a clearvu garmin that I have yet to learn how to use but it is on my list.
  7. luckydude

    gulfstream vs whaler conquest

    The 228 is an iconic hull, don't mess around with a BW in that size. The 255 is meh. The 285 might be better but gets shitty gas mileage. Ditto the 315. I'd take a 232 with twins in a heart beat over pretty much any BW but that is just me.
  8. luckydude

    Recommendations on six person life raft

    How far off shore are you guys going? I've done 60 mile off shore runs without issue but I'm headed where everyone else is headed for BFT. So many boats out there you have to be careful to not cut off someone else's lines (I let a buddy skipper my boat and he did that, lesson learned, run your...
  9. luckydude

    Boating after dark - options?

    I waited 2.5 years to install autopilot and I'm an idiot. It's one of the best upgrades I've done, it's like having another guy on the boat. Once I had it, I get quite annoyed when I get on a boat without it, especially trolling for fish. It's _so_ nice.
  10. luckydude

    Boating after dark - options?

    I agree with most of this, especially run the radar all the time, during the day when it is clear, scan around you and see what it picks up. Play with the settings, especially gain. Mount the radar 6 inches off your hard top and tilt it forward 4-5 degrees, you care about what is in front of...
  11. luckydude

    WTB: Grady 226 Seafarer

    Yeah, the swim platform means you don't have the engine sticking in and I had never thought about the deck space, but yeah, the engine and splash well, yep, gonna eat up some deck space. And you lose the livewell, I guess they use one of the fishboxes for that but that is not ideal because they...
  12. luckydude

    Looking to outfit 21' walk around ( a 218 Adventure) with electronics

    My buddy has simrad on his boat and they are nice screens, higher resolution and better contrast than my Garmins. So I think you are fine.
  13. luckydude

    FB Pilot House

    Be prepared to dig deep into your wallet. Mine was $11K for the aluminum, another $11K for paint and fiberglass cleanup, and $2K for the windows. I love it but only because I can afford it. It's not worth for many people. But I love mine.
  14. luckydude

    Pantographic wiper arm question

    Did you happen to notice if they were adjustable such that they could have the motor off center?
  15. luckydude

    How far out in the ocean would you travel from land?

    How fast can they tow you? I've always wondered if it was worth or just motor in on your kicker (if you have one). My kicker won't move me more than 6mph so....
  16. luckydude

    How far out in the ocean would you travel from land?

    This is the right answer. When I do tuna runs, I've collected intel and I know roughly where they are and so do a bunch of other people. The last time I did a run, there were dozens of boats in the area. It was in fog and we had to pay attention so we weren't running into each other. If you...
  17. luckydude

    WTB: Grady 226 Seafarer

    Might consider a 228 as well. I'm pretty sure I know why you want a 226, no swim platform to push you around in a following sea. I have a 228, I fish out of mainly Santa Cruz, CA but up and down the coast as well. Yeah, the swim platform can surprise you a bit, and I can imagine conditions...
  18. luckydude

    Purchasing from someone on this site

    I bought a construction tractor over the internet. What I did was open an escrow account, any bank can do that, we did it with a local to the seller bank. You put the money in there but it is not released until you are happy with the purchase. Pretty standard way to deal with big purchases...
  19. luckydude

    How far out in the ocean would you travel from land?

    Tuna runs, I'm not sure, but pushing 60. 114 gallon tank full and 24 more gallons on the deck, 3 guys, lots of ice, that's the only time I looked at my 250 and wished it was a 300. Hole shot is not great with all that weight, it does it, but it struggles. Like others have said, it's sort of a...
  20. luckydude

    Trailering a 1992 Grady White Sailfish

    I also have a ram 1500 but with the 3.0L ecodiesel. My biggest issue was the suspension, I'd put the tongue on the hitch and my truck lights were like high beams. This solved the problem: Air Lift 1000HD. If you install them yourself, which isn't too bad, soak the bags in as hot water as you...