From IPDB:
The flippers have a lightning bolt pattern molded into them and reportedly are 1/8 inch shorter than the standard Williams flippers. Designer Mark Ritchie stated that the European distributors had wanted a shorter flipper.

I understand - I just posted it for those who might not be familiar. As you were

Yessssss I'm In!

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Decals are nice and bright both sides. Just a wee bit of wrinkling around where the legs attach. Not really that important at the moment. I have to get it apart, get it to the basement game room and then go through it thoroughly piece by piece starting with the fuses and ending with clean and wax, this is going to be fun.

All depends on the price and what you want the game to become. Some people would leave the cabinet alone and be perfectly happy with it. If you are good with electronics, sounds like a fair project.

I have a question. When the ball returns down the left spinner lane, how often is it SDTM? (Shooter shot or loop shot when ball is medium to fast speed). Sometimes mine seems to "bounce" off left rail just above reel. There are no obvious defects and rail appears to be in its manufactured position. Game is level and I have tried tweaking the level. I would guess about 1 in 4 times the ball goes SDTM. Normal? Anyone ever see this?

Ok. Thanks. The last 2 games I played were not too bad, but I also noticed the flipper bats are out,of alignment a little. I already have new bats on order, so after they are correct I will see how it plays.

Yes. It goes against intuition, but if it is low on the left the ball hugs the outside rail and spins out away from it. Tweaked it up and it has improved greatly.

I don't even have this game dialed in yet and it is so much fun. Just got rock the boat champion and beat my wife's score. I know what she will be doing tomorrow.

Yes, seems all in the leveling. No play in the rail at all which is screwed firmly into the playfield. If you think "raise the right side levelers to make the ball hug the left rail to return to the left flipper,'...that seems to make it worse, causing the ball to spin off the rail prematurely into the center of the flippers. ...that was what I found to be happening anyway.

Got it all working great with a new reel,belt from Marco Specialties. ROCK THE BOAT!

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Welcome!

Check continuity from your third prong on your main plug to the ground braid to the metal parts (rails, lockbar, coindoor)
It sounds like they are ok and doing the job of shunting unwanted current to ground, thereby blowing the fuse.
Somebody on the playfield is shorting to the side rails, most likely a switch because F115 is a fuse for switch matrix +12VDC

OK. Check stuff under the apron, ball launch - the wires and such can get moved around inadvertently when you are constantly raising and lowering the playfield. Could be a wire pinching somewhere etc...

Just spent a grueling session with this game. It's really pissed off today. Brutal. I love it.

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My topper dome was missing the shell decal, just a long strip of glue where it used to be. I cleaned off the old glue, then I ordered the Marco decal and I put it on without thinking much about it - and now realize the inside art of the shells is crystal clear, where I am seeing pictures of this topper with shell decals with a translucent white center. I kind of like those better because they hide the bulbs. I don't if anyone knows anything about this, and I thought I would mention it in the case anyone else orders them in the future.

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Mine are close to this as well.

Argh!!! YES that is great, that is the one I like. Anyway, I messaged Marco. We'll see if anything comes up about this. Pic on their site looks white too. I don't get why mine are clear, it's like looking at next to nothing. It's a stupid little thing but I really like this detail and wish it was correct.

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Well, at least its behind you now. Good find.

Marco found the problem and is sending replacement. Again, proving to be one of the best suppliers in the hobby.

They simply weren't designed to run this long. The plastic pulley was probably cheaper. This is a common complaint I have heard, and the best way to fix it is replacing the pulley..

Its the only one I have been playing since I got it. We had a family gathering last week so they all got some love. Going to be doing some real fishing as soon as the temps warm up a little. I went out for "casting practice" this morning - 30 degrees!

Leave the incandescent in. Especially the backglass. You will be happy with a nice, even light that does not spot or cause excessive glare. Color match the inserts with LEDs is ok.

LOL. Usually people express how much LED flicker bothers them, odd that it is found enjoyable. Although I do admit the shimmering effect of LED aquarium lighting is pleasing.

Do not spray anything to clean any switches - ever. The push button sealed switches should be replaced if they are sticking. The same with lever style sealed switches. Exposed blade style plated contact switches should only be cleaned with a buisiness card. High voltage (tungsten) switches should be cleaned with a point file, unless they are too pitted - in which case they should be replaced.

Or, you could re-bend/shorten this right angle in the bracket.

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White, especially incandescent is best to me. A fish doesn't belong in a neon rave, natures art is fabulous in natural light.

Is there any provenance to prove these sketches are legit? I can draw and forge a signature. They are cool drawings for certain, but where did they come from?

This is key. Your hardware is fine, operation from there is software (ruleset)

Not everyone's cup of tea, but there is a lighted one for sale if you are interested
ebay.com link: Fish Tales FT Lighted Pinball LED Speaker Panel ULTIMATE

I've seen both the boat and ramp sticker on EBay. Almost bought the sticker myself, but mine is just a little worn on the edges, not enough for me to pay the price.
Research the removing mylar threads here, regardless of what method you use, take it slow and careful. I use a heat gun, and the plastic comes off nicely. Its getting the glue residue off that is a PITA.

No previous corrosion or repairs otherwise to this game that may be suspicious? Still could be originating from the switch matrix logic section on the board (you disconnected the playfield, but the switch matrix logic is still active on the board itself) I'd probably start by checking rows and columns directly at the board, and if nothing found there, check the logic at the 74LS374 in the coil drive circuit and look for stray pulses coming downstream, possibly from a wonky PIA.

http://techniek.flipperwinkel.nl/wpc/index2.htm#switch

Well, good thing you found that out before doing all the crap I suggested...sorry.

Yes, and you should hear a warning callout "here it comes!" to let you know it is spitting a ball out the catapult back to you

I believe most had black handles to begin with. Mine is black with considerable wear, showing silver underneath. Very similar to this one.

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The mods are ok except for the mermaid. IMHO, a mermaid has nothing to do with fishing. Except for being wet.

It looks like she is holding a taco with a bite taken out of it.

I stand corrected. The mermaid is also on the back of the upper playfield.

I'm thinking around $4000.

I can't see details, but yours looks well cared for, and I respect the color of powdercoat you have there. You have no worries about the value, but that point is moot - because this is one of the best games and you will never, ever consider selling it.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/cleaning-and-waxing-pinball-machines-vids-guide

I turn my games off at night. No need to waste electricity or degrade parts over time (mostly due to heat) If they were in a commercial location requiring constant uptime I would put them on a commercial mechanical timer...in fact, we use one for our Comet in the company breakroom just to turn the game off at the end of the day should someone leave it on unintentionally.

Sounds like a board problem. Something in the logic section going wonky that ends up sending signals to the solenoid driver circuits. You'll need to examine it with a scope or logic probe.

No! That's how you know the topper is going when you are not looking at it. Loud and violent. I wouldn't be heartbroken if you added splashing noises to it, however.

Try raising the levelers just a little on the left side. It's counter intuitive, but that is how I fixed mine. The trick is not to raise the left too much so that every time the ball gets near the right outlane when it bobbles it drains right too much. I tore mine apart once because this was driving me crazy, and the rail is straight- no discernable bump, and there is no adjustment. It's pretty solid and the screws are fixed holes in the playfield and rail. The key seems to be in the leveling.

Hmmm. If the switch is reading correctly in test mode, and the lamp is lighting correctly in test mode, then all your peripheral I/O is confirmed as working. It appears to a software problem, just my guess.

Please do not rush too fast. This isn't making complete sense. Does the feature lamp light up when the left switch is activated? Does the right switch operate 100 percent when you roll a ball over it in test mode? (Try it about 6 times, with a ball and not anything else such as your finger)

Does the display show as below on power up?

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Easy fixes are good.

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I've heard that nobody has ever seen an FT that was not Diamond Plate. Same with T2, which was the first game to get Diamond Plate for the full production run.

It's also in your manual:
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There are 2 coils to operate the drop target, one to push it up and another to drop it. Do some troubleshooting first. You'll have to look at the mechanism under the playfield, see if any wires have broken off, look for any damage.
Get a DMM/voltmeter and check if solenoid power is making it to the coil. If nothing is found there, this could be a driver board problem...just don't jump to conclusions without performing some troubleshooting.

Freshened up with new rubber and Cointaker LEDa. (Premiums and retro warm whites)

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Thanks. It also plays better. I never changed the black rubber, visually it looked ok when I picked it up. Then as I started removing it, I noticed it had taken on the shapes of the posts and such. Circlular rubber probably shouldn't look like a triangle when you remove it from a slingshot.

Same game, no color changers. Taken during lamp test flashing, probably a camera illusion and/or bleeding.

I peered in and I have the gate too.

"Starting with Gilligan's Island, all of Williams playfields were DP, whether
marked or not. LTG "

Definitely replace the board if severe corrosion damage. Will save you headaches in the long run.

Don't even use the stand arm - they are almost never safe, and push up on one side of the playfield, often causing twisting or breaking plastics. I have the convenience of being able to tie a support to the ceiling above in my workshop.