HVACRat
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2009
- Messages
- 31
Total Newbie story...
I was at the prep area of my local ramp making ready to launch, fenders, rods in their holders, transom straps, plugs, normal stuff. This guy in a minivan rolls up next to me pulling an older, but nice, Tracker fishing boat. He rolls his passenger window down and asks, "Is this the boat ramp?" I said yep, right where it disappears into the water there, indicating the direction with a nod of my head. He says his thanks, with a big smile, and then drives off to the ramp turnaround and starts backing in.
A few shot minutes later and I am ready to launch, I back in, jump in the boat, fire her up, ease over to the dock, tie off, mosey to my truck, park the rig and walk back down. Mr. Minivan is now sitting in his boat cranking the engine as I walk down to the dock Before I get to my boat he has the cowling off, back and forth, cranking, fiddling, cranking. So I open a beer and watch for a minute or so. The motor sounded good when it was cranking, just not getting fuel maybe; so I moseyed over and asked if he needed some help. He told me how this was his first boat, bought it on craigslist, yada, yada. I asked if he had test driven it beforehand; he said yes, and it had fired right up before he bought it!
I asked the usual questions, is there fuel in the tank, did you pump the bulb, did you prime it before you turned the key...
Did I what?
Prime it, you know, push the key in a couple of times, kinda like a choke, but not.
Nope, didn't even know what it was.
He did it, she fired right up.
Cool.
He offered me a beer for my help, which I gladly accepted.
Several hours later I was heading across the lake toward the river mouth when I see Mr. Minivan cruising out in the open water with his trolling motor down, sitting in the bow fishing seat, not looking very happy. Odd, I thought, for a first time boat guy to seem so unhappy in his new boat. So I throttled back and came up alongside him and asked him if everything was okay.
Nope.
What happened? I asked.
I dropped my keys into the lake, all of them.
I seems, while sitting there fishing, he had the bright idea of putting his boat key on his regular key ring, and instead of putting them back in the ignition he sat them on the top of the side console. Eventually he knocked them in the lake.
I told him I couldn't help with getting him in the minivan, but I could give him a tow to the dock at least. He accepted and I tied him on my port side and we idled the four miles or so into the dock. He called his wife to bring an extra set of minivan keys, but there were no extra set of boat keys; his fishing was done.
We waited together at the dock, while drinking his beer, for his wife to show up with the keys; which she eventually did.
I offered to help him retrieve the boat as it would be difficult without the big motor, but he assured me the two of them could handle it.
He gave me the rest of his minnows and his cell number, and said if I ever needed anything to call him; and I think he really meant it.
I went up river to find the crappie.
Here's to you and lessons the hard way Mr. Minivan. I hope you get it all figured out an eventually get to have hours of fun in your new-to-you boat!
I was at the prep area of my local ramp making ready to launch, fenders, rods in their holders, transom straps, plugs, normal stuff. This guy in a minivan rolls up next to me pulling an older, but nice, Tracker fishing boat. He rolls his passenger window down and asks, "Is this the boat ramp?" I said yep, right where it disappears into the water there, indicating the direction with a nod of my head. He says his thanks, with a big smile, and then drives off to the ramp turnaround and starts backing in.
A few shot minutes later and I am ready to launch, I back in, jump in the boat, fire her up, ease over to the dock, tie off, mosey to my truck, park the rig and walk back down. Mr. Minivan is now sitting in his boat cranking the engine as I walk down to the dock Before I get to my boat he has the cowling off, back and forth, cranking, fiddling, cranking. So I open a beer and watch for a minute or so. The motor sounded good when it was cranking, just not getting fuel maybe; so I moseyed over and asked if he needed some help. He told me how this was his first boat, bought it on craigslist, yada, yada. I asked if he had test driven it beforehand; he said yes, and it had fired right up before he bought it!
I asked the usual questions, is there fuel in the tank, did you pump the bulb, did you prime it before you turned the key...
Did I what?
Prime it, you know, push the key in a couple of times, kinda like a choke, but not.
Nope, didn't even know what it was.
He did it, she fired right up.
Cool.
He offered me a beer for my help, which I gladly accepted.
Several hours later I was heading across the lake toward the river mouth when I see Mr. Minivan cruising out in the open water with his trolling motor down, sitting in the bow fishing seat, not looking very happy. Odd, I thought, for a first time boat guy to seem so unhappy in his new boat. So I throttled back and came up alongside him and asked him if everything was okay.
Nope.
What happened? I asked.
I dropped my keys into the lake, all of them.
I seems, while sitting there fishing, he had the bright idea of putting his boat key on his regular key ring, and instead of putting them back in the ignition he sat them on the top of the side console. Eventually he knocked them in the lake.
I told him I couldn't help with getting him in the minivan, but I could give him a tow to the dock at least. He accepted and I tied him on my port side and we idled the four miles or so into the dock. He called his wife to bring an extra set of minivan keys, but there were no extra set of boat keys; his fishing was done.
We waited together at the dock, while drinking his beer, for his wife to show up with the keys; which she eventually did.
I offered to help him retrieve the boat as it would be difficult without the big motor, but he assured me the two of them could handle it.
He gave me the rest of his minnows and his cell number, and said if I ever needed anything to call him; and I think he really meant it.
I went up river to find the crappie.
Here's to you and lessons the hard way Mr. Minivan. I hope you get it all figured out an eventually get to have hours of fun in your new-to-you boat!