Keeping Your Cool. Summer Time Vehicle Tips

Well, summer has arrived and here in the desert the daytime temperatures are already getting into the 100’s. While going to the lake in the early morning hours are not all that bad, coming home in the heat of the day can take a toll on your tow vehicle, especially if you have to go up hills to get home. I’d like to take some time to share some things I do to assure a pleasant trip home.First off, my Chevy came with an external oil cooler so that helps keep the temp down. I also switched to Castrol 5-30 Full Synthetic, the one with the gold cap. I believe they call it their Extended version.

Now lets discuss the transmission. Towing a boat, especially up steep inclines, does make the transmission have to work harder and run hotter. Bottom line, heat can destroy your transmission, which we all know can be very costly. While my Silverado did come with the optional transmission cooler I still didn’t feel it was enough, especially seeing how small it was. After doing extensive research I went with the Tru Cool Max 47391 which has a 40,000 GVW rating, 45,000 BTU rating. Its dimensions are 8 1/2 x 22 3/4 x 1 1/4 and comes with 3/8 inverter flare. This model does not come with the external thermal bypass because where I live the winters are very mild. If you live in the cooler climate area you might want to get the one with the thermal bypass.

The installation was not a simple plug and play but it was still an easy install. I fabricated my own mounting brackets out of a couple pieces of angle iron because this thing is considerably larger than my stock optional one. I also had to cut my factory tubing and install the tubing that was supplied with the kit because the stock fittings would not just bolt up. After installing it I had to add about ½ quart of transmission fluid to top off the level. Prior to installing the Tru Cool Max the transmission temp would get up to 205 when climbing Walker Pass on my way home from the lake. Since the install I have never gotten above 185, even when the outdoor temp got as high as 125.

Prior to every trip, if I’m taking the Champion or not I always check all of my fluid levels, antifreeze, oil, transmission, and power steering, its cheap, easy and quick insurance, so be sure to take the few minutes to check these things before your next outing to help insure a happy, fun outing.

Thanks for visiting my site. Be sure to tell all of your fishing buddies and come back soon

Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!

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Bassnman got a new toy!

First off, sorry for being gone so long. I’ve been extremely busy lately.

Anyhow, judging from the title and the category this is in you can probably guess what this post is about. Yep, after all the years fishing out of my 1989 Champion 201 I recently upgraded my boat in a big way.

Even though there was nothing major wrong with the trusty old Champion, other than the fact it was getting old, the interior could use some help abd the gel coat was getting a little rough, it was time to step up a level. I started out looking at some used boats, went for a few test drives but nothing screamed “I’m Your Boat!” After months of searching for the one my wife finally said, “Just get what you really want and will be happy with for many years”, aint she the greatest!.

Enter Rick Grover and his staff from Anglers Marine in Anaheim CA. The boat was actually slightly used, it was Ricks Demo boat so it came with a full warranty on everything. Here are the specifics of my new boat.

It’s a 2008 Champion 210 Elite SCX with a Mercury 250 XS with a 10″ Hydraulic Jack Plate and steering. Dual Blinker control on the wheel, one for trim and one for the jack plate. Tilt wheel and the boat sits on a custom tandem axle trailer with disc brakes, spare tire, and swing tongue

For electronics it has a Lowrance LCX-38C HD on the bow and a LCX-28C HD on the console. 36 Volt 109 lb Tour Edition trolling motor w/ Recessed foot pedal. 4 Optima Batteries that sit in 4 Phillips Stainless Steel Battery trays. It also has a 4 Bank on Board Charger.

The rod lockers have custom made rod holders and between the 2 of them they can hold 24 rods and came with a Rod Lock-R-Bar

As you can see, this thing is fully loaded and I love it! I thought the ride in my 201 was smooth but there is no comparison between the 2. This thing is VERY smooth in rough water. The storage space is incredible and there is enough room to plat a football game on. The only down side to all the room is I often find myself packing way too much tackle. I’m a big guy, 6′2, 275 with a 56 inch chest and a 44 inch waist, as you can see by my pictures of me and this boat is more than roomy for me. When I sit behind the wheel I can fully extend my legs without any problems.Fishing out of it is a dream. Its very stable in the water.

Another thing that I love about it is the recessed foot pedal. My old Champion did not have this feature and I didn’t realize just how nice it was until I got this boat. I have bad knees and after a day of fishing my knees would just ache. I used to take a lot of Aleve after a day on the water but not anymore.