sjpitts

I have always heard that swapping in a later model 3.4 is the way to the go. The 3.0 had issues, and the 3.4 solves a bunch of them. I would look into that.

I have wanted a boat to use a Lee's Ferry for a while. A long while. In fact, I hiked 50 miles through Paria Canyon with scouts in 1982 or so, and we came out at Lee's ferry. I remember seeing fishermen pulling trout out that were bigger than I had ever seen-- by a factor of 2 or 3. I have wanted to fish there ever since. So 40+ years later I finally bought the shell of a boat that I think might work. It is a 90's Alumacraft. 16 feet long. But no motor. See picture below. The boat has a rated capacity of 5 people and 1240 lbs. And the recommended horsepower range is between 15-45HP. I would like to be able to take me and a couple of my friends or adult kids all the way up river, and maybe even take a little camping gear if possible. I would also to be able to use it on the mountain lakes when I get the time--- those that are restricted to electric or 9.9 hp motors. And I would like to keep the boat as light as possible-- since I don't have a lot of horsepower in my tow vehicle. My first idea was to just buy a 9.9 HP motor that I can also use on mountain lakes and go for it. However, I am a little worried that 9.9 won't be enough to get me and my friends upriver. My second idea is to get an older 2 stroke motor in the 15-25 HP range. One that might even be light enough to easily remove or swap out for 9.9 or smaller when I want to. But even then I am little worried. I see that NPS requires 25HP or more when the water flow is high. In either case I would probably convert the boat to tiller steer, just because it is simpler and easier. So does anyone have any thoughts and recommendations for this? Thanks Jared

Thanks that is good to know. I wasn't even thinking about the legality of it--- I was just thinking about all that extra unused weight at the end of the boat. And I assume that the same rules would apply to lakes that allow 9.9HP motors-- it is ok to have a larger motor if you don't use it?

Thanks. I had assumed that I would need a long shaft, but I am not 100 percent sure. How was 50 HP on a 16 ft boat? Is that what you would do again given the chance?

That is too bad. I didn't know the fishing dropped off that much. But in reality, I will be happy to just hang out with friends and catch a few.

Hey, thanks for the advice. I think I should follow your example. I spent some time looking at the specs for 90's era 2 stroke Mercury Outboards. The 20 and 25 HP models were 112lbs, the 30 and 40 HP 2 cylinder models were 148 lbs, the 40 HP 4 cylinder version was 177 lbs and the 50 and 60 HP versions were 207 lbs. Based on your example and these specs I think I may want to look for a 40 HP model. More horsepower for my 16 ft boat, and not that much heavier than a 20 or 25 HP. Do you agree? Next question-- when you are using your 24 v electric motor on mountain lakes, do you remove the gas motor? Or is that too much of a pain? It seems like it wouldn't be too hard with a tiller engine, but 148 lbs is still 148 lbs. And I have never done it before. Thanks, Jared

One issue is that the monument designation will likely read to a bunch of road closures. And then restrictions on target shooting like what will happen in the Sonoran Desert National Monument soon. Jared

I sent you text-- thanks, Jared

My dad has (or had) a real nice pair of Doctor Optic Noblilem 15x60B Binoculars. Unfortunately, I let them tip over on the tripod and they have never been the same. I am pretty sure they are out of alignment. Each eye looks crystal clear by itself, but when looking through both eyes it does not look right. We sent them to a place in California, paid a couple hundred bucks. They came back better, but still not what they once were. Does anybody have a recommendation as to where we can send them? Or someone local that can take a look at them? Thanks Jared

Sorry it took me so long to respond to this. We sent the Doctor Optic binocs to Dan, and he did an excellent Job at repairing them. I think they are as good as new. As near as I can tell anyway. I wish we would have sent them to him the first time-- it would have saved us a couple hundred bucks. I

Many years ago we used to hunt 32. It was a great unit. But even then, the access was limited. Today I got a AZGFD email with a notice that said a new landowner has closed the Long Hollow access point. This got me thinking and I looked at the AZGFD guide for unit 32. http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/hunting_units_32.shtml This is some of what I found: SPECIAL NOTICE: Johnson Road off of I-10 has been closed on Private Property. There is no longer access to the Little Dragoon Mountains and Tres Alamos Wash from Johnson Road. SPECIAL NOTICE: There is no longer public access to State Trust or Forest Service lands through the Long Hollow access point. SPECIAL NOTICE: There are no public access routes on the east side of the Winchester Mountains. SPECIAL NOTICE: Due to vandalism and lack of respect for private property, public access through private lands on the Mercer Ranch (Bunker Hill Road) is now denied. SPECIAL NOTICE: Popular camping sites along lower Deer Creek Road are now closed to camping due to private property. SPECIAL NOTICE: Access to the north side of Redfield Canyon through private land on the Carlink Ranch is no longer available. I know that AZGFD tries to maintain access though voluntary agreements. But as far as I know, AZGFD has never tried to keep access open through other means. For example, has the AZGFD ever gone to court to keep a road open? I know the law is complicated, but in many cases it would seem that there would be a public easement that should be enough to keep the road open. Why not take these people to court? Or has the AZGFD ever tried to buy easements? Either from willing sellers or through condemnation? Has the AZGFD ever built new roads built around private property? I know these things costs money, but I for one would pay a little more in license fees to support things like that. Sometimes I wonder if the hunting community is conflicted on this, because some professional guides pay for the access rights, and thus are able to turn large areas of public lands into private hunting areas that they are able to make more money with. And maybe those with the money to pay for access really like the status quo. Either way, it does not seem like anything good is happening. Jared

That is really good to hear. If the AZGFD is willing, I wonder if they just need more legal ability.

I called and spoke with Dan at mountain opitcs. He seemed very knowledgeable. I am hopeful that he will be able to fix these binocs.

I heard that Remington will also rebarrel the gun to a 22mag. You just send it in, and they send it back as 22mag. That is definitely a better solution than 200 bucks. There is lots of info at rimefirecentral.com Or you could just find a 22mag barrel. That would let you keep your 17 barrel. They might be worth something some day if everyone sends them back. There is also a legitimate debate as to whether or not problem is really with the gun. I have read that ammo makers have trouble with tolerances, and that might be source of the problem. All the ammo makers now say don't use their ammo in semi-auto guns, and it is because of that Remington is offering a recall. In that case, Remington is really just being nice offering you anything at all. just a thought

Well now that I agree with. I just think we should be clear here-- the problem is with the ESA and how it is used as a political weapon, and not the Jaguar in general. Jared

So am I the only one that thinks it would be cool if Jaguars were running around Arizona? I really doubt that even the most ardent lion hunter would want mountain lions exterminated from all of Arizona. So what is the problem with trying to bring the Jaguars back? just wondering Jared

I am looking for a new pack. My brother has the Eberlestock J104 and really likes it. I was under the impression that the J107 was the new replacement for the J104. But I just saw an outdoorsmans.com ad that had both being listed as available. The J107 is at $329.00, and the J104 is at $249.00. Looking at the ads, the packs appear to be very similar. They both have the same size capacity and rifle scabbard. It does look like the suspension is different, but I am not sure how. And it looks like the J107 has a removable top fanny pack and more hydration pockets. So is the upgrade to the J107 worth the price difference? I don't care too much about the fanny pack. But if the suspension is improved that might be enough of a difference to justify the cost. Any help is appreciated. Thanks Jared

The Tonto Forest has posted maps of their proposed changes to the road system in Tonto National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/tonto/travelmgt/ You can download individual maps and see the changes. Those roads in red are being closed, those in purple are closed to the public. I like to hunt unit 23, and took a quick look at the maps around Young. They seem to be proposing to close a lot of roads. And even more troubling, a bunch of roads are being labeled as "administrative"-- which I guess means that only the Forest Service, the Ranchers, and their buddies will have access to those roads. They are having public meetings about this-- starting tomorrow. Jared

If you read the FAQ, it says that all the purple roads are going administrative roads, and that they will not be included on the official map. This means if they catch you on one of those roads they can give you ticket, even if the FS and the ranchers use the same roads. And my point was that many of these roads now labeled in purple have been open for a long time-- and the forest service is not admitting that they are changing the status of these roads-- if they were admitting that, those roads would be highlighted in yellow. Jared

One more thing-- the FS appears to be claiming that only the roads in highlighted in yellow are having their status changed. But that appears to be a complete fabrication. I just spent some time looking at the maps for roads north of Superior and Globe, and there are miles and miles of roads that are now labeled in purple as "administrative only", but are not highlighted in yellow. Now I know that these were official roads that were open to the public. Most of them were used by ranchers to build tanks and such. But now the forest service seems to be implying that they were never official open roads, and that they can close them to the public without including them in the list of newly "closed roads". Jared

The tonto basin meeting is tonight. The globe meeting is tomorrow. Is anyone planning on going? We need to spread the word on this. If you guys are on other hunting/fishing forums you should post the links and spread the word. The thing that really gets me about this is that the Sierra Club and their allies always seem to be organized and represented, and the ATV crowd is always represented, but it seems like the hunters who really just want access are not. Jared Here is the schedule of meetings: Wednesday, November 4, 2009 6:30-8:00 pm Tonto Basin Elementary School 445 South Old Hwy 188, (Punkin Center) Tonto Basin, AZ Thursday, November 5, 2009 6:00-7:30 pm Old High School Auditorium 401 High Street Globe, AZ Monday, November 9, 2009 6:30-8:00 pm Black Mountain Elementary School 33606 N. 60th Street Scottsdale, AZ Thursday, November 11, 2009 6:00-7:30 pm Pleasant Valley Community Center 47533 Hwy 288 Young, AZ Tuesday, November 17, 2009 7:00-8:30pm Broadway Recreation Center 59 E Broadway Rd Mesa, AZ Wednesday, November 18, 2009 6:00-7:30pm Julia Randall Elementary School 601 S Greenway Parkway Payson, AZ

Looking for pack to use in the December hunt. Would like a eberlestock J107 but would also be interested in one of the older models. Let me know Thanks Jared

That sounds like what I am looking for. I sent you a PM with my email address. Jared

Thanks-- but I actually have a 2200. I was hoping to find something bigger-- something I could backpack overnight and hike out a deer with. The expandable eberlestock's seem to be capable for that sort of load carrying. Jared

One other thing to note-- they are changing the rule from "closed if posted" to "closed unless on the new map". Basically, it could be a highway and if it is not on their new map, and you drive on it, you can be ticketed. I really agree that something needs to be done with the ATV crowd, but I see no reason to close roads that go into remote areas and are only really being used by ranchers and hunters. And a lot of little spur roads that go to campsites are being closed. Basically, you will no longer have the ability to get off the main roads to find a secluded place to camp. Jared