bulk oil | Outboard Motor Oil - Part 10

2 Cycle Oil Is Worth It

11882883My friend likes to find cheaper alternatives for just about everything. He never buys name brand items; he usually gets the generic brand. I’m sure most of the items do the same things but some items are better than others I imagine. I guess I have more trust in name brand items because I would expect they would perform better. That might not necessarily be the case, but that’s how I feel.

My friend bought some generic 2 cycle oil for his outboard engine. I warned him that some brands weren’t going to be as good as others and that when it comes to things like engine maintenance, he should stick with the better quality stuff. It will eventually do some harm to his engine but he still likes to buy the cheaper alternative. In the long run, it will cost him more to repair the parts that were damaged.

Did you like this? Share it:

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:

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:

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:

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:

Cutting Costs

budget-axe-300x177Owning a boat is very rewarding but it’s also very expensive.  Maintenance, dock fees, and insurance are enough to turn a lot of people away from boat ownership.  The feeling I get of being able to go out onto the water whenever I want is enough to counteract the stress and financial strain of owning my own boat.  I’ve been around boats ever since I was a child and there’s nothing I love more than feeling the wind in my hair and the sea spray in my face when I’m out on the water.

I try to take advantage of any sales on boating products and accessories that come my way.  Every little bit helps.  I like to buy used parts from other owners or scrap yards and do all of the work myself.  I also like to buy bulk Mercury Optimax oil because it’s cheaper than just buying it individually.  My boat was given to me by my father and he took very good care of it.  I just do my best to maintain it as well as he did.  He taught me everything I know about boats and I hope to be able to teach my son too someday.

Did you like this? Share it:

Online Shopping

226811-online-shoppingMy wife recently sent me an email with some links to some online deals she found on a kind of necklace she wanted.  I’m the first to admit that I know very little about jewelry.  I don’t know how many carats a good diamond should be but what I do know is that it is expensive.  I was shocked to see how low the price was she showed me.

This got me motivated to shop for a better deal online for things I usually buy.  I found a coupon for a gallon of mercury premium plus and I was ecstatic.  I spent the entire afternoon looking for other discounts online and vowed never to pay full price for anything again.

Did you like this? Share it:

Always Be Prepared

obs-speedalcoholslideA lot of my friends consider me paranoid because I usually always plan for the worst-case scenario whenever we go somewhere.  It was a habit I acquired during my time as a troop scout when I was younger.  Bringing an extra pair of anything seemed like a good idea to me at the time and I guess it stuck with me all the way to adulthood.

On our fishing trips, I usually pack an emergency kit consisting of extra ice, water, fuel and outboard oil.  Most of the time, we never end up using any of these but I always think ahead just in case.  I always end up getting teased by the other guys, but I feel better knowing we’re prepared for just about anything.

Did you like this? Share it:

After Holiday Errands

hatteras_cole_boatI found myself with nothing much to do after the holidays.  I have some time off so I decided to help my wife run some errands.  A quick trip to the post office turned into an hour-long struggle to keep my patience.  It definitely killed some time and I had nowhere else to be so I gutted through it.

I found a gift card I got for Christmas in my wallet when I finally paid for my package to be delivered.  That was enough to lift my spirits and alleviate the frustration I felt while waiting on line at the post office.  I decided to make a quick stop to the store and pick up some Ringfree Plus and a replacement blade for my engine.

Did you like this? Share it:

Cleaning up the Garage

88df21bb6bbb4b31fccc2a11a49c544d_zps22252821I like to start off every new year by cleaning out my garage for all the unnecessary junk that has accumulated to make room for more junk that I plan on buying.  It’s amazing to find out how much stuff I forgot I had.  I have shelves of unopened paint cans that the wife bought for the bedroom that she never got around to painting.

Every once and a while, I find something useful that I can use which is always a pleasant surprise.  I found some new wiper blades that I never installed on the truck.  I also found a full gallon of Evinrude XD50 oil that I left covered under a tarp.  That just saved me a trip to the store.

Did you like this? Share it: