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Jim. B. Break O. Out A. Another T. Thousand Aint it the truth.

Good shot Ken. I'm stepping out back to take a look. Do we have the same moon??

It's easier to pull the outdrive first. I can pull an outdrive in 10 minutes, and reinstall it in about 1/2 hour. You'll need to check the alignment after the engine goes back in. The outdrive has to off to check alignment. Pull the outdrive first. You'll be glad you did. As mentioned, if there is any doubt about the coupler now is the time to change it.

The "Bird" is the word. I have heard a lot of good things about the side imaging Birds. That will be a tough one for Lowrance, if the lawsuit sticks.

Jon nice boat. My dash seems to be a catch all.

I'm probably going to end up with two stand alone Garmins. Possibly a 172C and a 340C. Those Raymarines are probably a lot better, but I will not have near that much tied up. I'm hoping I can get some software to upload some NOAA data to the GPS or one of the SD cards.

Drag the "Worm Dirt" out of the barn.

I have an older Nikon Coolpix 5000.

Robert, I'm going to check with GLF and see if we can quarantine you. If this is contagious, it could put the hurt on the already shaky economy. I was to Frank's Great Outdoors today. I picked up two more Offshore OR12s. They didn't have any Blacks releases, so I stopped @ Northwoods on the way home to get the Blacks. Good thing I went before reading your post. Anyone need any core or Copper Rods???? Northwoods had some 7 foot Okuma Convector salt water rods that looked like they would be ideal. $20. Line size on the rods was 12-30# Any west siders need any thing from this side?? I could bring stuff to the seminar. Maybe I could get one of those rods over to Robert. Have his wife spank him with it. That should cure him.

Scott, A Warm welcome to you. I know you will like it here. Let us know if you need any help with anything. I'm looking forward to your fishing reports.

All I can say is, "Gotta Luv Dat Bay". Go get em when it's safe.

There is no doubt that the chartplotters are a great tool when in unfamiliar waters. I got by with an older GPS, and NOAA chartsfor years. I don't have a problem paying for a new GPS chartplotter. I do have a problem paying for a, here a chip, there a chip, everywhere a chip chip. A lot of the info on these chips is gleaned from free NOAA charts. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a chip or a $700 chartplotter to cover a whole State. If their chips show more than NOAA they should have no trouble selling them. Bottom line; It should be mandatory that these Chartplotters be compatible with available NOAA data. Sorry about the RANT. JMHO Any Super Geeks out there??? Grumpy old guys can't afford all this technology. Agree or disagree let's HERE IT.

Nick, You and I think alike. I may just buy the GPS. But wait there's more. Good old eBay. Do a search on eBay for NOAA Software. It seems it is compatible with GPS's that can hook to computers. If those charts can be put on an SD card, I'll be all set. The mini SDs are inexpensive. The NOAA software can be had for under a X sawbuck ($10).

Scott, If this warm spell keeps the bomber off the ice, there may be a few eyes left for us come ice out. Come on Spring.

Tim, It looks like you have a good start.

NOAA Charts are available online @ no cost. NOAA has digital downloads that can be converted into data that will work on GPS chartplotters. I'm NOT a SUPER GEEK, so I'm stumbling around with this stuff. When I get it down I'll let you know. There are some decent NOAA charts. I'm sure some detail may be lost on a small screen. Check out the Nautical Charts Link on this site. This is legal for your own use.

I heard there were some fishermen rescued off Wigwam Bay. (Standish area).

Capt. Drew, Thanks for the FL report.

Scott, A warm welcome to the GLF site. You will like it here. Let us know if you need any help.

Adam, GJ on the heads up. Gotta Love that Saginaw Bay, but ya sure better respect her.

I found out that Garmin now has the Lakemaster chip also. I'm not sure if it will work in all their units. The Lakemaster MI version does cover Michigan's Great Lakes and then some. If all brands of chartplotters require additional software to do a decent job, I'll probably have to postpone the purchase. For anyone interested here is a couple of links for Garmin Lakemaster. http://www.lakemap.com/digitalgpslakemaps-garminmichigan2009.aspx http://cgi.ebay.com/Garmin-LakeMaster-Michigan_W0QQitemZ260543667750QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?has

Nick, Apparently the older Garmins came with more detailed base maps. Tom aka talltails told me he had a choice between a Great Lakes version or an Inland Lake version. These were not chips, but loaded into the unit itself. Tom has an older chartplotter. Garmin must have made a change for the worst. Do the base maps show pier heads etc?? I think Garmin has a Lakemaster chip version now, but I'm not sure what it covers. MO Money. Do any of the other brands of chartplotter GPS come with better maps.

Thanks for the report Bob. I know you'll be on them hot and heavy in a few weeks.

Ya just gotta know that I love them hardtops.