Number 65 coming up....
Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2026 6:27 pm
2nd May 2026 will be my 65th year year of consecutive Opening days of our duck season. In this ever changing world one thing is consistent for me, and that is you will always find me in the same place on opening day.
'Marking Up' day ( where you claim the spot you placed your tag on opening day the previous year) was the 29th March.... I had a charter to do on the 29th so went out on the 26th and placed my 2026 tag along with BH.
This year it was expensive though
My 30hp Yamaha outboard which has about 20yrs on it, was hard to start and kept playing up and dying at med to high revs. Took it in for a service when we got back and while they couldnt diagnose exactly what was wrong, ( unable to recreate the problem in the test tank) parts for the suggested problem are unobtainable. ( Lots of second hand bits around, but no guarantees that it will cure the problem/s)
Looked at getting a new motor....unfortunately I had to rule out a 4 stroke motor due to the weight. so that left a choice between Yamaha, Mercury and Tohatsu who all make 30hp long shaft motors .
I decided that I would get an electric start model to save my shoulders, and an electric trim and tilt unit for the same reason.
Mercury dont have an electric start.... Yamaha dont also, but for another $1000 they will fit an aftermarket kit...
Tohatsu however have an electric start 30hp in their lineup and its $1500 cheaper, plus its a lighter motor.
As for an electric trim and tilt, none of the three have them.
Buuuut....I found this......https://promtparts.co.nz/products/100-7 ... Hr-VsdGVo8
The total cost for the electric start Tohatsu with a separate purchase of the after market trim and tilt unit is still less than either the manual start Mercury or the Yamaha electric start model!
So I have ordered one...Hopefully it will arrive before too long.
Watch this space!
While coming back from the charter sunday, I managed to snap a few pics of one of the rarest birds in NZ, a Kotuku ( White Egret) of which there are only 100-110 left in both islands and are listed as Critically Endangered..........
These birds have significant meaning in Maori culture and due to their rarity are often referred to as the Bird of a single flight (meaning you only see them once in your lifetime) Guess I am blessed cos I have seen them 3-4 times and photographed the a couple of times...
( Pic was taken with my S24 Samsung mobile)
'Marking Up' day ( where you claim the spot you placed your tag on opening day the previous year) was the 29th March.... I had a charter to do on the 29th so went out on the 26th and placed my 2026 tag along with BH.
This year it was expensive though
My 30hp Yamaha outboard which has about 20yrs on it, was hard to start and kept playing up and dying at med to high revs. Took it in for a service when we got back and while they couldnt diagnose exactly what was wrong, ( unable to recreate the problem in the test tank) parts for the suggested problem are unobtainable. ( Lots of second hand bits around, but no guarantees that it will cure the problem/s)
Looked at getting a new motor....unfortunately I had to rule out a 4 stroke motor due to the weight. so that left a choice between Yamaha, Mercury and Tohatsu who all make 30hp long shaft motors .
I decided that I would get an electric start model to save my shoulders, and an electric trim and tilt unit for the same reason.
Mercury dont have an electric start.... Yamaha dont also, but for another $1000 they will fit an aftermarket kit...
Tohatsu however have an electric start 30hp in their lineup and its $1500 cheaper, plus its a lighter motor.
As for an electric trim and tilt, none of the three have them.
Buuuut....I found this......https://promtparts.co.nz/products/100-7 ... Hr-VsdGVo8
The total cost for the electric start Tohatsu with a separate purchase of the after market trim and tilt unit is still less than either the manual start Mercury or the Yamaha electric start model!
So I have ordered one...Hopefully it will arrive before too long.
Watch this space!
While coming back from the charter sunday, I managed to snap a few pics of one of the rarest birds in NZ, a Kotuku ( White Egret) of which there are only 100-110 left in both islands and are listed as Critically Endangered..........
- 20260329_165233.jpg (3.18 MiB) Viewed 352 times
( Pic was taken with my S24 Samsung mobile)
