A Few Newbie Questions

[watfly]

First off, great site. I did a lot of research here before I pulled the trigger on a new 170cc. A few questions I wanted to bounce of y'all. I apologize if they have been asked to some extent before.

1) Do you tie off the anchor on one of the bow cleats on either side? I usually see boats tied straight off the bow, but the boat obviously doesn't have a cleat dead center.

2) The Yamaha manual and the sticker says not to tow with the engine trimmed up. It seems a little sketchy, clearance wise, to tow with the engine trimmed down. The dealer said to tow trimmed up with the little lever down to support the engine. Do most of you tow with the engine trimmed up a bit and a wedge or transom saver? Max I tow is 10 miles each way to the water.

3) There is noticeable clicking sound in the steering (one click each time you turn either direction). I recall reading a post regarding this problem, but now I can't find it. What is the probable cause of this problem. I will have my dealer check it out on the 20 hour service, but I don't completely trust my dealer, and wanted some info beforehand. (I am not have problems though with tight steering as others have experienced)

4) I live in SoCal, do I need a fuel/water separator? The salesman said no, that the engine filter was sufficient, but I have read the reports here that its not quite the same thing. I know its an issue as it relates to ethanol, but I am not aware if we have much ethanol in our gas in SoCal.

5) Any suggestions for rod holders for fly rods, either on the console or along the port side?

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[PileDriver]

Ok lets see if I can answer these for you.

Originally Posted by watfly

First off, great site. I did a lot of research here before I pulled the trigger on a new 170cc. A few questions I wanted to bounce of y'all. I apologize if they have been asked to some extent before.

1) Do you tie off the anchor on one of the bow cleats on either side? I usually see boats tied straight off the bow, but the boat obviously doesn't have a cleat dead center. Yes it is ok to tie off the anchor to the bow cleats.

2) The Yamaha manual and the sticker says not to tow with the engine trimmed up. It seems a little sketchy, clearance wise, to tow with the engine trimmed down. The dealer said to tow trimmed up with the little lever down to support the engine. Do most of you tow with the engine trimmed up a bit and a wedge or transom saver? Max I tow is 10 miles each way to the water. I trailer trimmed up with the tab and no transom saver. But then again I dont have to tow my boat that much as it sits on the water.

3) There is noticeable clicking sound in the steering (one click each time you turn either direction). I recall reading a post regarding this problem, but now I can't find it. What is the probable cause of this problem. I will have my dealer check it out on the 20 hour service, but I don't completely trust my dealer, and wanted some info beforehand. (I am not have problems though with tight steering as others have experienced) Definately have them check it out, there is a rack and pinon system, so it could be you have two teeth that are not matching up correctly or there could be some debris.

4) I live in SoCal, do I need a fuel/water separator? The salesman said no, that the engine filter was sufficient, but I have read the reports here that its not quite the same thing. I know its an issue as it relates to ethanol, but I am not aware if we have much ethanol in our gas in SoCal. Yes get the fuel filter/water seperator!

5) Any suggestions for rod holders for fly rods, either on the console or along the port side? Cant help ya here.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[rkola]

Congratulations on the new boat. I've got a 170 DC, and love it. Scotty makes a fly rod holder with acouple of mounting options. Saw one at Sportsman's Warehouse just the other day. Not sure why, but they are about 2X the price of their standard rod holders (about $30 vs 15 for the standard)

Ron

[cagrove]

Congrats on you're new boat...you made a great choice. I also own a 170CC and love it. Now, on to your questions....

Originally Posted by watfly

First off, great site. I did a lot of research here before I pulled the trigger on a new 170cc. A few questions I wanted to bounce of y'all. I apologize if they have been asked to some extent before.

1) Do you tie off the anchor on one of the bow cleats on either side? I usually see boats tied straight off the bow, but the boat obviously doesn't have a cleat dead center. When I anchor, I tie off to one of the bow cleats. It's not far enough off dead center to make a difference in the way the boat sits in wind or current.

2) The Yamaha manual and the sticker says not to tow with the engine trimmed up. It seems a little sketchy, clearance wise, to tow with the engine trimmed down. The dealer said to tow trimmed up with the little lever down to support the engine. Do most of you tow with the engine trimmed up a bit and a wedge or transom saver? Max I tow is 10 miles each way to the water.
Get a good transom saver and use it each time you tow...it's peace of mind.

3) There is noticeable clicking sound in the steering (one click each time you turn either direction). I recall reading a post regarding this problem, but now I can't find it. What is the probable cause of this problem. I will have my dealer check it out on the 20 hour service, but I don't completely trust my dealer, and wanted some info beforehand. (I am not have problems though with tight steering as others have experienced)
Have you dealer check it out.

4) I live in SoCal, do I need a fuel/water separator? The salesman said no, that the engine filter was sufficient, but I have read the reports here that its not quite the same thing. I know its an issue as it relates to ethanol, but I am not aware if we have much ethanol in our gas in SoCal.
Ethanol is everywhere...including SoCal. The engine filter is mainly to protect your fuel system from particles in the fuel. With ethanol, the problem is water...not particles. You need a fuel/water separator to take care of any water that the alcohol grabs from your fuel system. Again, a little bit of money gives you great peace of mind.

5) Any suggestions for rod holders for fly rods, either on the console or along the port side?
Fly rods can be a challenge. I use a rod holder from Berkley...it's plastic with a foam insert to hold the rods in place. I used two pair...one on each side of the boat. Each pair holds four rods. You can space them out to support your rods as you see fit. I have a couple of 9 footers (a 5 and an 8 weight) and a 7 foot 3 weight that I keep on board most of the time. Here's a link to Cabelas to the kind that I use:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/te...052&hasJS=true

Thanks in advance for your comments.

I hope this helped.

[watfly]

Thanks for the helpful responses.

I love the new boat!

[Allied]

I agree with what the others have posted, but would like to add one more reason for the water separator. Several years ago I filled up a Wellcraft 210 Coastal (sold it last fall) at a station on the way in to Murrell's Inlet, SC. The boat cranked nicely and ran fine about half way out the inlet and then died. I had water in the fuel - a lot of it. I am sure I got it at the last fill up. Sure did ruin my day. Lesson learned. I installed a Racor water separator with the little glass bowl on the bottom and a drain after that trip.

[Triumphant]

You can get really well made rod holders that work excellent with fly rods from www.down-east.com I use my fly rods in them when trolling for salmon. Several mounting options are available as well as powder coated models for salt water. Fish strikes, pull rod straight up, and you're in the fight. I love mine. Hope this helps you out. Also, you can call them at 1-800-553-7323.

[Jan from Humboldt]

I'll second the vote for the water fuel seperator, I favor the Raycor spin on carterage and make sure you use the ten micron element also treat yor fuel, I use Star Tron enzyme based stabilizer and Ring Free (Or Seafoam if I can't get Ring Free) E10 fuel attracts moisture and will cause you problems. I use one oz per gallon of each all the time and swear by it.