Bleeding SeaStar Steering Fluid

July 16, 2019 by joshb

When you own a boat of any kind, you will ultimately face the reality of needing to perform both scheduled and nonscheduled maintenance. Thankfully, this does not need to be onerous. In fact, some may even consider them fun projects and look at them as an enjoyable part of the boat ownership experience. One such task is bleeding out the SeaStar steering fluid in your hydraulic steering system.

Bleeding SeaStar Steering Fluid

For this task, you will need to purchase some SeaStar steering fluid that meets Mil-Spec H-5606C standards. At HawkEye Marine, we recommend SeaStar/BayStar Fluid No. HA5430. In order to make the job a lot easier, we also recommend an adapter hose, such as this one: Sea Star No. HA5438. Next up, you will need a nail, thumbtack, or pushpin to make a small puncture. Finally, a shop rag will also come in handy.

Instructions

Step 1: Thread the filler tube deeply into helm pump
Step 2: Thread the bottle of SeaStar steering fluid onto the filler tube
Step 3: Using the nail or thumbtack, poke a small hole into the bottom of the fluid bottle (Pro Tip – puncture the fluid bottle on the bottom SIDE, not at the very bottom of the bottle. Doing it on the side allows you to place the nail or tack back into the bottle and save and store a partially-full bottle without worrying about leaks.)
Step 4: Turn the SeaStar steering fluid bottle upside down (think of it like an IV bag)

CAUTION: Make certain that there is fluid in the filler tube at all times. Otherwise, if not, you will be putting air into the system which means that you would need to start the process over again.

Step 5: Turn the boat steering wheel hard to starboard side
Step 6: OPEN up the starboard side bleeder nipple that is located on the steering cylinder
Step 7: Turn the boat steering wheel to the port side, thus pumping air and fluid out of bleeder fitting
Step 8: When you see an air free stream, CLOSE the bleeder nipple
Step 9: Continue to turn the wheel to the PORT side until the boat engine comes hard over
Step 10: OPEN the Port side bleeder nipple which is located on the steering cylinder
Step 11: Turn the boat steering wheel to the starboard side, thus pumping air and steering fluid out of the bleeder fitting
Step 12: When you see an air free stream, CLOSE the bleeder nipple

By following the above instructions, you can ensure that you have properly bled the SeaStar hydraulic steering system free and clear. For added convenience, you can watch the following video to see exactly how it’s done.

When To Add Hydraulic Steering Fluid

You will know that it is time to drain and refill your hydraulic steering fluid if you turn the wheel of the boat, and it requires a more effort than it should or if it feels sloppy. These are both indicators that it is time to change the fluid.

As you can see, bleeding SeaStar steering fluid is not too difficult. This is a great DIY project that any boat owner can perform in a just a couple of hours or less.

Best Place To Shop For Musky Rods

July 10, 2018 by joshb

Last updated on August 1st, 2019 at 09:08 am

We know that musky anglers are passionate about their gear, as they should be. musky fishermen are typically looking for top of the line tackle that can stand up to the abuse that comes with musky fishing. Luckily, there are many quality manufactures today that produce solid quality musky rods & reels. While this is good, it leaves many wondering where is the best place to shop for musky rods?

shop for muskie rods

Shop For musky Rods Online

In our opinion, the best place to shop for musky rods is online. There are many online retailers today, such as Bass Pro, Amazon, and even the Musky Shop. Our favorite place to shop for the best musky rod online is Tigermusky.net. They provide tons of great musky fishing tips & advice, along with some of the best musky rod & reel reviews that we have come across. They also show you how to sop for musky rods to get the best prices possible.

The advantages of shopping for musky rods online is that you get to compare many different brands at one time. You can also compare prices and find the lowest price on your chosen musky rod. What’s more is that most of the online tackle retailers offer free shipping, saving you a trip to the local store.

Shop For Musky Rods Locally

Another option is to shop for musky rods locally. If you’re the type of fisherman who likes to touch, feel, and play with your musky rod prior to making a purchase, which makes sense, then there are plenty of local places to shop for musky rods. Bass Pro, Gander, and Dick’s are just a few of the names that come to mind. These traditional, brick and mortar retailers often carry several brands of musky rods, letting you handle them first hand before you buy.

Another advantages of buying a musky rod locally is that returns are a lot easier. If something happens to be defective with you musky rod, you’ll be able to easily take it back and exchange it, without having the hassle and expense of shipping it back, like you would if you bought it online. If you do shop for musky rods locally, we recommend that you take advantage of special sales, in particular around major holidays. You may still pay a little bit more for your fishing rod compared to online, but for some the little extra price is worth it.

Shop For Musky Rods on Facebook or Craigslist

Shopping for musky rods on Facebook and Craigslist could fall under the “local” category, we felt it was worth it’s own category. There are many musky groups on Facebook that often have people selling their gently used musky gear. Of course, you should thoroughly examine any used merchandise, prior to buying it. The last thing that you want is to have a 50-incher on the rod, only to have the rod snap because it was abused by it’s previous owner.

The great thing about shopping for musky rods on Facebook or Craigslist is that you can usually get the best deals. That being said, musky rods tend to hold their value pretty well, so super great deals don’t come around often. Plus, you’ll be competing against other musky rod buyers in your market. Rest assured, though, for the patient angler, there are some sweet musky rod deals to be had.

Shop For Musky Rods Conclusion

Remember, if you want the best overall selection and a great time/quality/price ratio, shopping for musky rods online is your best bet. We’ve bought musky rods from many places. In the end, no matter where you get your musky rod, it will be a good day. Having a new musky rod makes us feel like a kid at Christmas.

Xenon Headlights Or Bi Xenon For Towing Vehicle

October 26, 2016 by joshb

Last updated on August 25th, 2018 at 01:40 pm

A few weeks back one of our readers wrote in to us asking us what type of headlights he should buy for his towing vehicle. He wasn’t sure if he should get xenon headlights, bi-xenon, HID, or LED. We could certainly understand his confusion, as there are indeed many options on the market when it comes to headlight kits and conversions. Let’s take a look at the similarities and differences between xenon and bi-xenon.

Xenon Headlights vs Bi-Xenon Headlights

When they first came out, Xenon headlights were quite slow to turn on. It could take up to a couple of seconds in some cases for the gas inside the bulb to heat up and turn into light. Because of this delay, those early Xenon headlights were not able to be used for the car’s high beams.

Therefore, the older Xenon headlights were comprised of two bulbs – a Xenon bulb for the low beams, and then a traditional halogen bulb was used for the car’s high beams. As Xenon headlights evolved over time to be faster at turning on, the makers marketed them as “Bi-Xenons”. Although, they still behave very similar to the original Xenon headlights when switching from the low beams to the high beams, except that they skip the need to use an additional halogen bulb for the high beams.

Some Xenon headlights now use a metallic plate which is placed horizontally in front of the bulb, thereby covering the top portion of the headlight, which in turn limits the light to a certain space in the front of the car. When the driver switches to high beams, the light simply lifts the metal plate and allows the entire light to flow out from the bulb.

Bi-xenon headlight bulbs will usually cost a little bit more than regular xenon bulbs. This is because bi-xenon headlights have a couple of advantages vs Xenon bulbs. Due to each Xenon headlight containing two separate bulbs, it has a greater risk of failing vs a Bi-Xenon headlight that only uses one bulb. With a xenon headlight, if either of the two individual light bulbs in the set fails, then the entire bulb assembly will essentially be useless. This alone makes Bi-Xenon headlights a reliable and solid choice for most vehicles.

Conclusion

The main difference between the xenon headlights, sometimes referred to as HID, and bi-xenon headlights is that xenon headlights make use of a single bulb, which means that there are two headlights on both sides of the vehicle. One of them is aimed high while the other is aimed low. On the other hand, Bi-xenon headlights, utilize a single bulb on each side of the vehicle. Switching between the low beam to the high beam is done either by moving the headlight bulb, or by moving a reflector plate in order to redirect the beam.

Going back to our reader who sent us this question, our answer is, it depends. Each vehicle is equipped to handle only certain types of lights. So, without knowing exactly what type of towing vehicle he has, we cannot say definitively. Our recommendation is to look on a car parts website, or even Amazon, and see which type of headlight bulbs or kits will fit his vehicle and go from there. We do know, however, that whichever he does end up going with, it will in all likelihood be a big improvement over his stock factory headlights.

Pelican Products ProGear Elite Cooler Review

October 24, 2016 by joshb

Last updated on August 25th, 2018 at 01:36 pm

It seems that in just the past few years, high-end, expensive coolers have become all the rage. Names like Yeti, Pelican, Orca, and Grizzly dominate the high-end cooler market. We have been fortunate enough to have been able to test several of these brands, as well as others, over the past couple of seasons. While all of the cooler brands mentioned performed great, we feel that the Pelican Products ProGear Elite Cooler (65 quart size) performed the most superbly for our needs.

Pelican ProGear Elite Cooler Review

A lot of the expensive coolers on the market today have similar features and also perform much better than the cheaper coolers of the past. Yeti, Orca and Pelican all have very similar construction, for example. However, after getting the chance to review a few of these coolers, we found that the Pelican ProGear Elite cooler was the best cooler for our money. In our opinion, it offered the best features and value for it’s price range. The folks over at Discount Cooler Sales also agree that Pelican makes a cooler that represents a solid investment.

Pelican Products ProGear Elite Cooler Sizes

The Pelican Products ProGear Elite Cooler comes in several different sizes: 20, 35, 45, 65, & 150 qts. The various size options of this cooler is just one of several aspects that makes this such a great cooler. Whether you want a cooler to use daily to pack your lunch, something mid-compact for a weekend road trip, or the ultimate party cooler, the Pelican ProGear Elite cooler will suit your needs.

Pelican Products ProGear Elite Cooler Advantages

The Pelican ProGear Elite comes with a fully insulated lid sealed by a heavy duty rubber gasket. Thanks to it’s seemingly military grade construction, this excellent cooler keeps contents cold. Very cold! In fact, it’s will sometimes even freeze our canned beverages on us.

There has been a time or two when we have left the Pelican cooler in the back of our towing truck under a tonneau cover for an entire day and we were amazed that the cooler still have plenty of ice left in it the next morning. During some 95 degree stretches of weather we observed that our Pelican Elite cooler held the ice for 5 days. During some 75 degree stretches, we’ve seen our ice last as long as 10 days! ive been able to keep ice for 5 days and by day 6 its just cold water. In 75 degree weather i have had ice for 9 days with slush on day 10.

One tip we would like to share is that blocked ice will always keep longer than cubed or chipped ice. Making your own ice blocks, or freezing old plastic jugs is a simple and free solution to having to buy ice.

On the larger models, there is a drain located on the side of the cooler that is air tight and a completely full cooler will usually drain in abou a minute. This makes it super easy to clean after a couple of days use. Simply hose it out and use a little dish soap, if need be. Unlike some coolers, the notches and handles on the Pelican Products ProGear Elite cooler are very high grade. The manufacturer also makes some nifty accessories to go along with their coolers.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a high-end cooler that offers great value and will last you a lifetime, can hold ice for up to 10 days, and can be outfitted with some nice accessories, then our recommendation is to pick up a Pelican Products ProGear Elite cooler.