www.iFourWinns.com

Texas has just started getting Zebra Mussell troubles. They will be in my home lake REAL soon. For you bigger cruiser guys, on infected lakes, have you had any troubles, if so how do you clean your pick-ups.

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Some info:

Today, almost 30 states are fighting to control and prevent the spread of zebra mussels. The spread is geometric since a female zebra mussel can produce 30,000 to one million eggs annually, and they live four to five years.
But research by the Copper Development Association found that zebra mussels don't attach to copper-nickel alloys, which can be used to coat intake and discharge grates, navigational buoys, boats, motors, etc., where the pests tend to congregate.

I have them every year on my trim tabs, and outdrive parts. They are a pain to get off, but have not caused me any problems.......... yet. They do help clear up the water significantly, that is about the only thing they are good for. I just put on a pair of gloves, and brush them off by hand, or use a stiff brush on larger areas of infestation. They come off real easy once they are dried out with an air compressor blast.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Do you trailer your boat?

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No, it's in the water for 6 months of the year.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Problem I have is the big boat cant come out. Or it can but it ain't easy trust me. No place on this lake that has the ability to pull a boat this big.

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Sound like you need to bring it to Lewy

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

If you have bottom painted your boat, you should be fine. They will come off with some scrubbing. The mary kote on/off will take off the slimy residue that they leave behind. If you do have them on your boat, it's best to leave it on dry dock for about 3 days. This will kill them. IMO, the dnr, local water enforcement agencies are the biggest offender of transporting zebra mussels. Most fisherman go to the same lakes all the time except for ones in competitions and they are smart enough to wash down their boats. The water patrol around here at least hop from lake to lake and I have never seen any do a wash down.

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'99 Horizon 200

We found out last week when we went to Lake Powell that it is no longer a volunteer check/inspection. You must go to inspection station and have cert in tow vehicle window, they also have closed launch ramp to daylight hours only. The ranger at the inspection station, has all kinds of scary data and photos!!! Tells you that the female has over 5 million eggs / year, and can cover outdrive in less than 6 months, plug water intake which will over heat motor.

I got home from trip, started doing a little surfing on the web about these little critters. every site has differing data. Then I find this thread, and some that live with them say its not that big a deal.
It is inevitable that they will end up in ALL waters, WHY spend billions trying to stop them. If you got Barney Fife jumping from lake to lake with is patrol boat, and all the red neck half witted fishermen not washing bilge out...........

I did find this article on lake Mead from just this summer.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/49081251.html

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

We have had zebra mussels in Lake Ontario for the last 10+ years. I can say that they are a real pain for shoreline water intakes as far as boats they don't seem too bad. My buddy keeps his Vista slipped all season and we don't see any hard evidence of them when we pull it in the Fall. My boat just came out after 3 months in the water with no evidence of them either!
There are benefits to having them though! The water in the lake is crystal clear now! We can easily see bottom at 12-15 feet and the water seems to get warmer too. The bad thing is that the little suckers cut the hell out of your feet and hands so you need to always wear water shoes and be careful where you put your hands. Nobody's to sure how the clear water is affecting the fish population though.

You think the zebra mussels are bad.... I don't want these making it into any of the Great Lakes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS7zkTnQVaM&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb8OmEr7VqI&feature=related

I think the U.S Administartion should put a bounty on these babies... Fix a problem and make people work ???

Do some other research these fish are spreading fast and the government is spending millions to keep them out of the Great Lakes.

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Marc, Kathlin & Nathalie


'89 Chaparral Laser 32

'93 Vista 245, 5.8L w/ King Cobra

Former Boats
'01 H260, 7.4 VP Duoprop
'98 H200, 5.0 GL w/VP SX drive

Holy CARP, I mean CRAP! WOW, I had no idea!! I can see it is very possible these will be everywhere as well.

I would like to see these jumping fish in person though! Just don't know when I would ever be going back east to go boating.

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos

Well, that wouldn't be very green, now would it?

Our day lake now has them, but I haven't seen any yet. Given their reproductive rate I don't see how they can be stopped. Slowed, maybe, but not stopped. The key will be slowing down reproduction, and I'm not sure anyone is even working on it.

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Mike
2005 Four Winns 230/240
VP 5.7GXi/DP
1998 F-150 XLT
Boat Pic

I know they are all over the Colorado River - I saw them for the first time last year at Lake Mohave. There is an agricultural check point on Hwy15 south which now stops trailered boats and ensures that the drain plugs are pulled and feel along the hull for roughness which apparently indicates the beginning of mussel growth (or in my case it indicated several months in a slip at a salt water marina....).
A buddy of mine runs a business as a diver to clean/maintain water storage tanks and he routinely has to scape mussels off the intakes which have proliferated to be about 6 feet thick (mussels growing on mussles). Pretty much a lost cause at this point, I think.

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2002 Funship 214
VP 5.7 GX Si
2003 Tahoe

We have had zebra mussels here in Lake Ontario/St Lawrence River since mid 1990s. People used talk about how awful they are for boats and we were very afraid of them… However, in reality I do not know anyone I know in this area had any issue with them on boat other than they would grab hard on anchor or mooring line if you leave them for a long time.
We are also informed that we should run engine frequently but again I never heard any one I know had an issue yet…
On other hand the river is crystal clear and I can see the bottom of the river clearly from our boat house. People around here also start noticing that population of zebra mussel has declined in the last few years but any fish population has not affected… Maybe the nature find a way to co exist…..

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08 H260 VP 8.1Gi DP.....Previous
2013 Crownline E6 Merc 8.2MAG BIIIX, DTS/SC

Only Lake Mead and down stream, but not upstream, YET. only time!

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2000 248 5.7L DP
'92, '94 SXI 750, '08 STX 15F, '12 Ultra LX 300
Videos