January, 2013 | Outboard Motor Oil

Cheap Mercury Oil 55 Gallong Drum: Too Good To Be True?

IMG_1077I’m one of those guys that can’t pass up on a good deal. I usually have friends in all the right places so I never need to pay full retail price on anything significant that I need. I was able to get my television for almost half off by using my friend’s employee discount from his job at an electronics store. I also get all of the parts I need for my boat through independent owners because they offer the lowest prices.

I saw an ad for a Mercury Oil 55 Gallon Drum from an independent dealer for over half off the original price. The first thought that popped into my head was that there was something wrong with it. Something like this is never this cheap unless there was some sort of defect. I contacted the owner and he assured me that it has never been opened and he’s only looking to get rid of it because he needed the extra space for some other things. He said he had about five more drums sitting in his garage and he’s selling them all for the same price. I told him I would come by to check it out and if everything was in tip top shape, I would gladly purchase it from him.

Did you like this? Share it:

Won Some Yamalube 2w

accy2wjbwv-250I consider myself a lucky guy in some aspects. I’m lucky enough to have a good family and friends. I’m also lucky enough to be relatively healthy. I’m always thankful for these things. Although in games of chance, I’m not so lucky. I almost never win any type of lottery or raffle. Pretty much anything involving a prize or money, I’m not going to do well in.

The one time I actually one something it was during a random raffle drawing at a church picnic. The prize wasn’t anything major, just some Yamalube 2w, but it was something. I was running low on engine oil anyway so I was glad I was able to win something that I had some use for. Some people have all the luck when it comes to winning games of chance. A friend of mine won a 42 inch high definition television from a slot machine at a casino. He just put in some money and hit a button and he won. This same friend also ran into some lingerie models at a night club and got to hang out with them for the entire night. Oh well. I still wouldn’t trade what I have for anything in the world.

Did you like this? Share it:

Mercury Outboard Oil And Other Things On My Day Off

mercury-150-4-stroke-1Every now and then I need a day to myself to relax and catch up with everything that I’ve neglected to do because I was trapped in my everyday routine. My weekends are usually flooded with family activities and household chores so sometimes that makes me busier than I am during the weekdays. I need a day off from everything to get my tasks accomplished.

Last week, I called out of work because I really needed a day to myself to do the things I wanted to do. I started the morning off by sleeping in until about 10am. After that, I cooked myself a breakfast burrito and watched ESPN until noon. I needed to pick up some Mercury outboard oil from the store so I did that after I took a shower. I always enjoy going to the store during the hours when people are out working. There are always less people. I also caught up on some television shows that have been on my DVR for the past month. I also played a pick-up game of basketball at the park. I haven’t played in a couple of months and I was rusty.  I missed the majority of my shots and got really winded early in the game. All in all, it wasn’t a bad day off. It’s too bad these days are few and far between.

Did you like this? Share it:

Giving Adive On The Best Outboard Motor Oil

SB1C985_sMy father looks to me for information about today’s latest trends and technology. He comes to me with questions about which phone service to subscribe to and which HDTV has the sharpest picture quality on the market. I like to give him advice when I can but every now and then he would ask me questions about things I know nothing about. This requires me to do some research on the subject because I don’t want to tell him the wrong thing and have him do it.

My father has stuck to one brand of outboard motor oil his entire life and the other week he asks me if what he was using was the best product out there. It’s hard to say what the best outboard motor oil is because there are other factors to consider when choosing your brand. Some manufacturers encourage owners to use the same brand of motor oil as their engines. Some engines are older than others and require something specific which would not be the best for newer engines. So I told my father to stick with what he’s using now because it hasn’t given him any problems as of yet.

Did you like this? Share it:

Smokey Engine

604066900_8b06be5115_oI like to say that I am a loyal individual.  I’ve been with my wife for over twenty years,  I’ve supported my teams for my entire life it seems like, and I only use one brand of underwear.  My parents are the same way which explains why I am also.  They taught me that if something or someone never does me wrong, then it’s safe to stick with it until you need to do otherwise.

I’ve had my boat for the better part of ten years.  I like to take it out fishing on the weekends and enjoy some quiet time with myself or with some friends and family.  I’ve been using once specific brand of oil on my outboard engine and it hasn’t given me a problem until recently.  My engine has been more smoky than usual lately.  A friend of my suggested that I try some Mercury 2 Cycle Oil and see if it does anything different.  The result was the same so I guess it’s time to take the engine to a mechanic to see what is wrong with it.

Did you like this? Share it:

Some Good Advice

boat-shoes-8I have a hard time trusting mechanics in general.  I always think that they are scheming to get more money out of me.  Whenever I take my car into the garage for something, I end up getting something totally unrelated worked on as well because they deemed that it was necessary.  It always costs me whenever I see a mechanic which makes me weary whenever they give me some advice.

I asked a local mechanic about which oil I should use on my outboard engine.  I told him that I usually use Mercury Optimax Oil but I was thinking of using something else.  He told me that as long as I stick to one brand, I should be fine.  If the oil I was using wasn’t causing me any problems, then there was no need to change it.  I was surprised he didn’t try to up-sell me and make me buy the most expensive brand of oil out there.  I was thankful of the truthful answer he gave me.  Why can’t more mechanics be like him?

Did you like this? Share it:

Useful Friends

P1010532I like asking my friend for advice about most things because he’s a self-proclaimed “know-it-all.”  He’s an expert on home repair, he knows who was the last player to hit fifty homeruns, and he knows which brand of television has the best to offer.  He saves me a lot of time and research that I don’t want to do.  He can be a bit annoying some times but he does come in handy most times.

We went out on my boat this weekend to do some fishing.  He noticed that my outboard engine was making some weird noises.  He suggested that I change my Mercury 2 stroke premium outboard motor oil.  It’s a good thing he reminded me because it’s been a few months since I did that.  He then proceeded to tell me which bait was best to use to catch fish and the proper way to reel in a big catch as if it was my first time fishing.  It’s a good thing his positives outweigh his negatives otherwise I would have stopped being friends with him a long time ago.

Did you like this? Share it:

Doing It Myself

imagesI recently bought a used Yamaha Waverunner online from a reputable dealer.  Things were going well until I had to change the oil.  I always like to take care of my own things and do any kind of repairs or maintenance myself so of course I would change my own oil.  It can’t be that hard.  I’ve been changing my car’s oil myself since I was old enough to drive.  My dad taught me how to do it and he also taught me to do things myself if I am able to.

I don’t know which specific kind of oil or oils to buy for my Waverunner so I did some research online about which oil is best.  There is no specific Waverunner oil that is sold but Yamaha suggests using its brand of oil on the engine.  Of course they would say that because I would imagine that they want people to buy more of their product.  The engine itself is versatile enough to take in most oils but just to make sure, I’m going to stick with the Yamaha brand.  I was reading through online forums and most people suggested that the Yamaha brand would be the safer choice.  I don’t want any future engine problems caused by mixing different oils together.

Did you like this? Share it:

Forgetting Something

dockingI like to consider myself a responsible guy but others may view me as somewhat forgetful.  I don’t do it on purpose, it just happens sometimes.  When I go grocery shopping, I would forget at least three things on my list.  When I would buy popcorn at the movies, I would sometimes forget to buy a soda to go with it.  I’m working harder to be more conscious of what I have to do so I won’t be so forgetful.

Yesterday afternoon, my wife sent me to the store to pick up a couple of cans of tomato paste for her spaghetti sauce.  I got into my car and went straight to the store with the goal of purchasing only what she needed.  On my way to the canned goods aisle, I passed across the automotive section.  On a display, I saw that the Yamaha outboard oil filters are on sale.  I love bargains so I picked up three and made my way to the registers.  As I was about to pay, my phone rang and it was my wife reminding me to pick up the two cans of tomato paste that she needed.  I was somewhat embarrassed but thankful that my wife knows me as well as she does.

Did you like this? Share it:

Full Day

joupdogdadI enjoy running errands on my days off.  I feel like I am accomplishing a lot of little things that look good when crossed off of my “to do” list.  There are bigger tasks I need to do that would require more time, but I like to get the little things out of the way so I can focus all of my attention on that bigger task.

Today, I had to go to the bank to deposit some checks.  Then I decided to get some coffee before heading to the mall to return some pants.  I don’t like waiting on long lines at customer service to return items but it had to be done.  It only took twenty minutes of my time and the customer service representative was nice and polite.  Good customer service can go a long way for a company.  Finally I had to stop at the store to pick up some Mercury engine oil because I was running low.  I spent the rest of the day assembling furniture that my wife bought.

Did you like this? Share it:

Trip To The Mountains

Heli-Skiing-in-the-Purcell-Mountins-BCA few friends and I went up to the mountains for a weekend of snowboarding.  It was our first time going all season and we were excited to finally be getting some runs in.  We usually go snowmobiling too when we make it up to the mountains so we booked a couple of snowmobiles for the following afternoon and we were set.

We picked up the snowmobiles after a morning of solid runs down the mountain.  The rental person told us that one of the snowmobiles has been overheating lately and informed us that he just put in some fresh snowmobile oil into the engine to prevent any problems for us.  It was a fun afternoon.  We raced each other and went down some trails.  Thankfully the snowmobile did not overheat so everything went off without a hitch.

Did you like this? Share it:

The Pelican

percy-the-pelican-kirsten-givingI was doing some maintenance on my boat the other day when I came upon a curious pelican.  I usually see these things floating around in the water, looking for fish to snatch up, but I’ve never had one come onto my boat.  Maybe it smelled some fish I caught earlier in the day or maybe it was just curious about the floating machines we use to navigate through the water.

I know pelicans aren’t usually aggressive unless they feel like they’re being attacked but I saw that this particular pelican was looking to start some trouble.  It began rummaging through my deck; knocking over buckets and sifting through some bags I had laid out.  It got a hold of some outboard motor oil and spilled an entire gallon of it all over the deck.  I’m usually not violent towards animals but I had to do something before this pelican made even more of a mess.  I trapped it in a fishing net and threw it overboard.  At least next time I know not to leave stuff out on my deck.

Did you like this? Share it: