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The US is already a net petroleum exporter. We have been producing more than we consume since 2020. It's the global market that determines prices. Increasing production in the US would only have a small effect on what we pay at the pump. The market is very complex. Most refineries can only...

Oil (and therefore gasoline) is a global commodity that is largely priced through futures contracts. Refineries agreed to pay specific prices for delivery of X barrels of oil at a future date. The idea is to lock in prices at the current rate when they think a barrel of oil will cost more in...

Thanks! That's the way I have the ladder hinge set up. I need to get wider nylon spacers for the upper arm to keep the tube centered. Since it doesn't pivot, it's just a matter of keeping the tube from sliding along the threads of the bolt. The ladder hinge was more of a concern. I don't...

I removed the port-side swim platform off of my 226 in order to replace some of the stainless hardware that had started to weep rust. I used to be able to remember exactly how things looked so that I could easily reassemble everything. But I seem to have lost that ability. I should have taken...

Warranty decisions are actually very simple. If you can absorb the loss yourself (i.e. pay for it without disrupting your life), don't get the insurance. The company is asking you to foot the bill for their taking the same risk. Liability insurance is of course another thing. 4.2 L Yamahas...

Those rubber terminal covers are a joke. Most won't fit on the terminal with the main cable connected. Lok-nobs do at least as good a job of protecting the terminal. I use lok-nobs on my RV batteries and they hold up to a lot of vibration. I may get around to putting them on the boat...

If you have the Point-1 GPS heading sensor, it needs a sky view. Either on the hardtop (best) or the top of the cabin. You can mount a fluxgate (magnetic) compass like the Precision-9, you can mount it on the cabin sole near the centerline. The Point-1 is a much better instrument. It is more...

Yeah, it was clearly an alloy problem. The newer engines and those that had the replacement part held up very well. I never heard of an engine used exclusively in freshwater that developed mid-section corrosion. I have a suspicion that the corrosion may have been exacerbated by the use of...

I got a broken rib from a snap roll in a World Cat. They (and other cats) are very popular in the Gulf of Mexico where they eat up the short choppy seas that are common. I've been on several and I personally don't like them. They are a great stable fishing platform but the handling is...

I did a bunch of research on marine fuel treatments and stabilizers a few years back. With the exception of Startron, all use established technologies that employ fuel additive compounds that are commonly blended into pump gasoline. Stabilizing fuel is not rocket science. The products just...

I'm late to the party, but I want to add that I tried fins on 4 different boats over the years. 3 of the engines ended up with holes in the anti-ventilation plates plugged with 5200. The discussion pretty much covers the important points. They really only work for light hulls that don't...

The Gulf of Mexico is a smorgasbord. You never know what you'll catch. Here's a 35+ lb bull red caught while grouper fishing: And here's a sailfish caught in 42 ft of water fishing for kings. That never happens. It is the only sailfish I've seen caught out of Homosassa in 13 years.

The battery I linked to is a dual purpose. Any battery that is listed as Marine or RV is a dual purpose. Are you looking for a group 31 starting battery AND a group 31 true deep cycle battery, both in AGM?

You will be fine fishing the areas you describe with an older style hull. I fished Raritan Bay in a 14 ft wooden skiff when I was a kid. I fished the Hudson and Connecticut Rivers with a 14 ft aluminum boat when I was in college. Also did a lot of Tog fishing out of Niantic with that aluminum...

Your Scotty downriggers and their 2500 line pull draw just under 20 amps under full load. A single Group 31 AGM Energizer from Costco has a 200-minute reserve capacity at 25 amps. 50% capacity is the max you want to use for the longest battery life. So you could run either the downrigger or...

Using a true deep cycle battery as a starting battery is not ideal even if it has sufficient cranking amps. If your engine turns over right away, you will be OK. But if it doesn't fire right up, the voltage will drop off rapidly with the high current draw. They aren't designed for high...

I'm looking forward to the trip also. We used to fish the Santee-Cooper Lakes once or twice a year during our first Florida life. Haven't been back since the '80s. Here's a picture of my wife with a 47 lb blue from back before there was color film: ;) We will take the opportunity to go...

The valve is fine, but the arrhythmia is not good. They have me doped up on a beta-blocker. But the worst part is no coffee or booze! At least my head is clear most of the time.

Those 7 amp batteries are in fact AGMs. They are often called VRLA or valve regulated lead acid batteries. The electrolyte (hydrochloric acid) is in fact liquid, but it is absorbed on fiberglass mats that fit between the lead plates. They are "starved" for liquid so they are just moist, not...

Other than the high cost, lithium-ion batteries are superior to other technologies in just about every way. They are lighter, can be discharged repeated to almost 0% without damage, and using the right equipment can be charged much faster. However, until the technology becomes more mature, you...