Blazine

Blaze Backwater is very excited about Blazine our online duck hunting and goose hunting magazine. We hope to bring you content about duck hunting, goose hunting, duck boats, and mud motors.

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The Big block Vanguard 35 has become the standard starting point for power in duck hunting boats. If you are going duck hunting in a boat 15 feet or larger the 35 HP vanguard is your starting power platform. There are many modifications that you can do to increase your power, so here is some good starting information to put on file. The Torque specks for the big block vanguard.

35 Briggs Torque Specs: Head Work:
Valve Cover                                   70   in. lbs (8 Nm)
Rocker Arm Stud                        100  in. lbs (11 Nm)
Rocker Arm Lock Nut                  70 in. lbs (8 Nm)
Cylinder Head                             350 in. lbs (40 Nm)
Exhaust Manifold                       180 in. lbs (20 Nm)
Intake Manifold                          180 in. lbs (20 Nm)
Cylinder Shields                           90 in. lbs (10 Nm)
Spark Plug                                  180 in. lbs (20 Nm)

Carb and Intake:
Intake Manifold                           180 in. lbs (20 Nm)
Carb to Manifold                          90 in. lbs (10 Nm)
Carb Intake Elbow to Carb         90 in. lbs (10 Nm)
Carb to Manifold                          90 in. lbs (10 Nm)
Carb Intake Elbow to Carb         90 in. lbs (10 Nm)
Air Cleaner Base to Carb            65  in. lbs (7 Nm)
Air Cleaner Support Bracket      65 in. lbs (7 Nm)
Air Cleaner Mounting                 190 in. lbs (21 Nm)
Air Guide Mounting Screws       90 in. lbs  (10 Nm)
Air Block Plate Mount Screws 90 in. lbs (10 Nm)

Flywheel and Fan:
Flywheel                                      150 ft. lbs  (203 Nm)
Flywheel Fan Screws                 90 in. lbs (10 Nm)
Ignition Armature                        30 in. lbs (3    Nm)
Armature                                      35 in. lbs (4    Nm)
Rotating Screen Studs             125 in. lbs (14 Nm)
Rotating Screen Screws          100 in. lbs (11 Nm)
Alternator                                    35 in. lbs   (4 Nm)
Voltage Regulator                      90 in. lbs   (10 Nm)

Engine:
Oil Pump to Crankcase Cover    90 in. lbs (10 Nm)
Oil Pickup to Pump                      90 in. lbs (10 Nm)
Oil Pressure switch                     80 in. lbs (9 Nm)
Oil Drain Plug                              180 in. lbs (20 Nm)
Governor Control Bracket         200 in. lbs (23 Nm)
Governor Lever Nut                     70 in. lbs (8 Nm)
Fuel Pump                                    45 in. lbs (5 Nm)
Connecting Rod                         125 in. lbs (14 Nm)
Crankcase Cover                       200 in. lbs (23 Nm)
Starter Motor                             140 in. lbs (16 Nm)

Here is some great info from Jim Schneider about modifications for mud motors.

Question Been pricing a few mods and everyone talks about head work. Can anyone who's got it done tell me the price, parts and labor. and what you see more gains out of carb or head work?

A little bit of a religious debate or chicken and egg, but these mods overlap each other a bit.

The mods that make the engine more efficient will give you more low end torque. They include the high flow exhaust, more efficient carb, head work. The M carb gives you better throttle response, better air flow and atomization, and more control of the acceleration cycle (accelerator pump, low/mid jet, main jet). All this results in higher max RPMfor the engine under load. For just M carb and exhaust the rev limiter is set at 4300. The limitation of 4300 is because of the stock valve springs in the heads which can allow the valves to float at higher RPM. If you are always on the rev limiter at 4300 (which can cause overheating the rev limiter and premature failure) and have exhausted options of gear ratio changes and new prop, you have to do something to the valves to move to allow higher RPMs.

The ‘head work’ does multiple things. First, either the stock valve springs are shimmed or replaced with stiffer springs- either provides more resistance on the valve opening and closing to allow you to run higher RPM without floating. The top RPM depends on if they are shimmed or replaced with stiffer springs. Next the heads are ported for more efficient flow through the heads both intake and exhaust and decked (taking some metal off the surface to increase compression). How much you deck them is another discussion and can depend on what else you ultimately plan on doing to the internals of the motor (leaving the cam etc… stock you can be a little more aggressive). Finally, the head work includes machining on the valves and valve seats for maximum compression retention and good heat transfer from valve to head. The BPS IM heads also have the option of replacing the stock valves with stainless.

So both of these mods give you more but can be dependent on each other depending on the RPM you are running. In the case of my 35, the motor would run well over 4300 RPMwith the stock carb so I did the heads first. Eliminated the valve float constraint and allowed me to run higher RPMwith the stock carb (think of the stock 45 with the shimmed springs in the heads and stock carb with larger governor spring). I also had problems with my stock valves/seats leaking on the intake side. So I had my heads done first to eliminate both of these issues with my motor.

All of the motors are a little different but the exhaust, carb, and heads all give you gains individually, but you maximize the gains if you do them all. Which one you do second (IMO the exhaust is the first thing to do) depends on the individual motor and the boat/load you run.

5-16-09

How to improve your hunting skills while having a ton of fun!!

Go out and shoot some sporting clays. Shooting clays costs a little money but is well worth the price. When duck hunting or goose hunting, ducks and geese can fly from any given direction. Waterfowl can present tough crossing shots and challenge your shotgunning skills. Depending on how you set your duck or goose hunting decoys, the birds could come from the right, left, center, or behind. Because sporting clays is set up to mimic bird hunting, it can greatly improve your shooting skills. For maximum fun, try mounting your shotgun after you see the target, just like duck hunting or goose hunting. I recommend shooting shotgun loads that are close to the same speed as your duck hunting loads (I use1300-1350 fps), this way your lead on the target or bird does not change. I firmly believe that you don't need speed to kill, you just need to get the birds close and point the shotgun in the right direction. Go out and have fun!!

5-20-09

Head work on the big block 35

If you do decide to do head work on the 35 (highly recommended) and are running a crossover muffler the heads will be decked .027 (That means the flat side will be planed 27 thousands to give you a good gasket seal and better torque) You will have to re fit your muffler, check and see how far off your bolt pattern is! I had to drill my older BPS crossover muffler flanges out to 7/16 you need to start with a 3/8 drill and work your way up to 7/16 the stainless is tough to drill and may need sharp drills and cutting fluid.

6/27/09

Washington Waterfowlers Association started a Wood duck box program in Eastern Washington potholes desert unit.

We put up 10 wood duck boxes in Russian olives in potholes desert unit, the boxes are in remote areas where the wood ducks are unmolested during breeding, more information coming soon!

THE WASHINGTON WATERFOWL ASSOCIATION

IS SEEKING MEMBERS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN IMPROVING HABITAT AND PROMOTING

WATERFOWLING

A few facts about the WWA:

we were established in 1945
we have seven chapters throughout Washington
we spend all of our resources within Washington
we work closely with the WDFW & USDFW
we have several members on WDFW Waterfowl Advisory Group
we are members of Washintonians for Wildlife Conservation

Our projects include:

Wood Duck nest box construction & installation
Mallard nest tube construction & installation
Litter pickup projects at and near hunting areas
Distribution and planting of thousands of lbs of donated corn seed
Working with the Yakama Tribe on banding projects of upland birds & waterfowl
Working with the BSA on Eagle Scout projects
Teaching adults and youth decoy carving arts
Goose nest counts with the WDFW & USDFW
Goose banding with the WDFW & USDFW
Rehabilitation of waterfowl holding areas
Maintaining the WWA Web site
Conducting monthly meetings at each Chapter
Sending out monthly newsletters to members
Sending out monthly newsletters to state officials
Conducting two banquets annually
Participating in three Sportsman's Shows annually
Working on Refuges with WDFW & USDFW
Donating funds to offset WDFW printing costs for youth gun safety training classes
Conducting NRA sanctioned hunter education classes
Donating funds to offset WDFW habitat rehabilitation costs
Hosting Youth shotgun shooting events
Working with the WDFW in the creation of premium waterfowling areas
Working on behalf of Hunter's Rights issues to keep access available to the public
Working with over 5,000 children at the Puyallup Sportsman's Show painting donated decoys
Working with over 2,000 children at the 2007 Evergreen Sportsman's Show painting donated decoys
Working with seriously ill youngsters at Camp Good Times on a decoy painting project
Hosting the Washington State Duck Calling Championships and contributing towards the winner's trip to the World Championships
Building and rehabilitating blinds in public hunting areas
Purchase of our own John Deere farming implements to assist the WDFW with planting of food plots
Working with the WDFW on dove counts in eastern Washington
Sending boys and girls to Conservation Camp each summer
Working with other organizations in the hunting & fishing community to conduct a "Field Day for Kids" at a metropolitan park
Arranging for youth whose parents are not hunters to join us in the field
Donation of $13,000 to allow continuation of Swan mortality studies

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Blazine