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Back when I bought my first Grady, the 204c came with a choice of 115 or 135 hp Johnsons. It was the same hull as your 1980. Mine ran fine with the 135 and a 15" prop. It could cruise at 25-27 mph and get into the mid 30s at WOT. I used to fish up to 4 people. I used mine in the Gulf from...

That's a good suggestion. Can't see why that wouldn't work. Maybe skip the first abrasive step though.

Cerium oxide glass polish and a small diameter rotary polisher is the ticket. Buying the tools is a lot cheaper than replacing the glass. Back when I lived in Nevada and fished the highly alkaline water of Pyramid Lake, my windshield would get deeply etched water marks every year. I would...

I mounted a side scanning transducer on a Key West that had the step to the false transom and it worked fine. Mount the transducer on the false transom half way between the Garboard drain plug and the trim tabs. Run the wire under the step and over the back of the transom. Use the smallest...

If you can post a picture of your transom I can probably help you out. I have some experience locating transom mounted transducers and get it right the first time about 90% of the time.

Freeze cracked blocks has really only been an issue with inboard engines. There are some people who leave outboards down in the water during freezes in order to protect the lower unit, which doesn't drain completely when the engine is tilted up. Personally, I don't think that this does much...

You'll be fine. There is nothing on your motor that will freeze and as long as your freshwater tank is not completely full it won't crack even in the unlikely event that the water completely freezes. The only damage I ever had during freezes was to the water pumps in both the boat and my...

I anchor on hard bottom all the time when grouper fishing. I use an anchor puller ball, so I've bent a lot of shafts and flukes over the years. All it takes is a vise, a plumbers wrench and a blow torch to semi-straighten the shafts. I heat the point of the bend up until it glows and then...

How do you test that float switch Doc to make sure it's working?? There is an LED light on it that shows that it is getting juice. Once of twice a year I take it off the radiator hose clamp on which its mounted and turn it upside down. That lets the float ring slide down the center tube and...

Get the Ultra bilge pump switch and forget about replacing one again. Ultra Safety System Bilge Pump Switch I replaced the Rule float switch that came on my 226 twice over the first 4 years. The float kept sticking when running in a chop. The Ultra switch is very well engineered and...

You should always see some water coming out of the tell tail. If there is no water flowing at higher rpm, you can overheat the rectifier. When the batteries are fully charged the excess current from the alternator is dissipated as heat at the rectifier heat sink. That's why it is water cooled...

Water in the cooling system actually slows the rate of tripping the thermo-switch in the cylinder head. Aluminum conducts heat very well. In my experience, the thermo-switches work very well for preventing damage in the event of water flow interruption. When I lived in the Pacific NW, my...

The taxes and use fees in Florida apply only to the hull. If a dealer breaks out the outboard engines and all added equipment, you don't pay tax on that stuff.

Those older hulls don't have as much wetter surface area as the SV2 models and don't require as much hp to keep them firmly on plane. Most came with 175-200 hp back in the day. Mine had a 200 hp 2.6 L Merc and would run at just over 40 mph at WOT with 3 people on board. As long as you won't be...

Grady told me to use 5200 when I replaced mine. And to work it well down into the wood leaving no voids. I am getting cracks in the gel coat after a 1.5 years. I put a jack plate on at the same time so that might contribute to flex. I don't see why a more flexible sealant such as Lifeseal...

It just involves taking off the valve cover. Here is a nice video on how to do it on 4.2 liter V6: Replacing Internal Anodes

Any FC-W 10W-30 oil will work fine. That's what is included in F350 oil change kit. That same block uses 0W-20 oil in automotive applications, which are lighter duty than marine use. So there is no reason to use a heavier weight oil.

I replaced my non-internal GPS radio with a SH 1850G about a year ago. I agree with the recommendations above. The speaker is very load and clear. I can hear it easily from inside the electronics box so I was able to get rid of my external speaker.

I have to agree that the wiring on those older Gradys is beyond crap. Since the older hulls were pretty wet, saltwater would get splashed and aerosolized everywhere. Since the connectors were simply crimped, green corrosion would creep way into the non-tinned wiring under the insulation. I...

I don't think the Dragonfly supports side vision. It uses either the CPT-60 or CPT-DVS transducers that provide 2D CHIRP and downvision, but not side scan. The CPT-DVS is superior for downvision.