West Marine and Bass Pro Shop: Mercury Morons

[GregF]

The Yamaha manual does say any oil that meets the API standard SJ or better is OK. They are more specific about the filter but there is the statement "equal to" that gives you some wiggle room if you can prove a Fram is equal to a Yamaha.

[guy48065]

West Marine....I was there a week ago to buy some fids so I can learn to do my own knots & eyes. Guy there had never heard of a fid and whaddaya know, they didn't stock any. And this is on a river's edge lined with marinas. A boating community, not a strip mall

No qualifications and no training apparently.

[badmoonrising]

West Marine is like Home Depot and Lowes. There staff isn't knowledgeable at all. When Boat US had there stores open (before the merger) they were a little better. That's why I download diagrams and order online by OEM part #.

[BobG]

West Marine....I was there a week ago to buy some fids so I can learn to do my own knots & eyes.

Shoot, I often use a bic pen as a fid. Most marlinspike seamanship can be learned with what you have laying around the house. Google is your friend.

[GregF]

If you are splicing 3 lay nylon, make the strands fids. When you cut it, unlay the strands, burn them with a lighter and roll the ends out with a wad of paper towel. You get a nice point that will hold up for a number of passes. I usually whip the top of the unlaid strands with fishiing braid but if you are careful you can get a splice started without whipping it at all. Once you are rolling the whipping is not necessary.

The best practice rope is a piece of 3/8" manila line with whippings on the ends of the strands and a sewn whipping about 7" up on the unlaid strands. You can splice and unsplice with this dozens of times without anything coming apart. We never used a fid on anything smaller than an inch or more in diameter.

If you are talking about just putting eyes in hollow core braid, the lighter trick works.

[guy48065]

Google is your friend.

And Youtube is an even better friend. There is an old gent there that's a magician with double-braid line. I could never hope to be that proficient.

[BobG]

And Youtube is an even better friend.

This is truth. I can't access youtube from work (it's blocked), but I have just recently come to realize that I CAN access it from my new smartphone...at work.

[GregF]

There are also some good "knot" web sites.
This is one

http://www.animatedknots.com/

New England Rope has a good site too.

http://www.neropes.com/SplicingGuideChoice.aspx

[Just Laxin]

I guess thats what is nice about Havasu is the amount of boat dealers and shops. Never have a problem finding parts or supplies, even for the new Merc. 150 4 stroke.