NCCamper
Cadet
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2009
- Messages
- 28
Hi Gang,
It was bound to happen sometime...
After seeing a post on iBoats about 'Liquid Rollers" that extolled it's virtues, I figured it was just what I needed to help get the Sea Ray onto the trailer that last 3 inches, without having to torque it up with the winch.
So we went out on Lake Wylie yesterday. After launching, I parked the trailer, got out, and applied the Liquid Roller liberally to both bunks. Then we went out on the lake for a couple of enjoyable hours of cruising. Very pleasant. Got a little too close to the sandbar on the north end, the depth-finder went from 4' to crazy mumbo-jumbo numbers. Knew I better get out of there, but too late. I felt and heard the drive as it touched bottom. Not really a big issue, we were at idle speed, so a hard turn to port and we were safe. Brought it back up on plane, no problem. Cruised around for another hour or so, then back to Copperhead Island to load the boat on the trailer.
Pulled up, tied up at the dock. I got out and got the truck/trailer, backed it nicely down the ramp. Wife is at the helm, and asks if it time to trailer the outdrive, and tell her no...not yet. I tell her she needs it to drive onto the trailer. We are still relative newbies, so that's a reasonable question. Anyway, she drives the boat on the trailer smartly, with just a little guidance from me, pulling on the bow and stern lines. Bow of the boat glides up smoothly, touches the bow roller like a breeze. She turns the motor off, goes up front, leans over the bow and attaches the safety chain, and winch strap, so the boat will have no chance of slipping off. I am thinking, wow this Liquid Rollers is some great stuff! Never have we had such an easy time loading. I am so pleased at this point! I get into the truck, pull the boat out of the water, and then I hear it....scrape, scrape scrape. OMG...the drive is not trailered! I stop the truck, go back and look...5' of skeg-scrape on the concrete. Luckily, nothing broke or bent, just some minor scrape marks on the bottom of the skeg. I also notice the prop has lost some paint from the encounter with the sandbar. Other than that, no major damage. It could have been worse.
Lesson learned...don't let distractions keep us from doing the right things at the right time.
BTW, other than visual inspection that I have done, what should I look out next time out performance-wise, to see if there is any internal damage?
Thanks,
NCC
It was bound to happen sometime...
After seeing a post on iBoats about 'Liquid Rollers" that extolled it's virtues, I figured it was just what I needed to help get the Sea Ray onto the trailer that last 3 inches, without having to torque it up with the winch.
So we went out on Lake Wylie yesterday. After launching, I parked the trailer, got out, and applied the Liquid Roller liberally to both bunks. Then we went out on the lake for a couple of enjoyable hours of cruising. Very pleasant. Got a little too close to the sandbar on the north end, the depth-finder went from 4' to crazy mumbo-jumbo numbers. Knew I better get out of there, but too late. I felt and heard the drive as it touched bottom. Not really a big issue, we were at idle speed, so a hard turn to port and we were safe. Brought it back up on plane, no problem. Cruised around for another hour or so, then back to Copperhead Island to load the boat on the trailer.
Pulled up, tied up at the dock. I got out and got the truck/trailer, backed it nicely down the ramp. Wife is at the helm, and asks if it time to trailer the outdrive, and tell her no...not yet. I tell her she needs it to drive onto the trailer. We are still relative newbies, so that's a reasonable question. Anyway, she drives the boat on the trailer smartly, with just a little guidance from me, pulling on the bow and stern lines. Bow of the boat glides up smoothly, touches the bow roller like a breeze. She turns the motor off, goes up front, leans over the bow and attaches the safety chain, and winch strap, so the boat will have no chance of slipping off. I am thinking, wow this Liquid Rollers is some great stuff! Never have we had such an easy time loading. I am so pleased at this point! I get into the truck, pull the boat out of the water, and then I hear it....scrape, scrape scrape. OMG...the drive is not trailered! I stop the truck, go back and look...5' of skeg-scrape on the concrete. Luckily, nothing broke or bent, just some minor scrape marks on the bottom of the skeg. I also notice the prop has lost some paint from the encounter with the sandbar. Other than that, no major damage. It could have been worse.
Lesson learned...don't let distractions keep us from doing the right things at the right time.
BTW, other than visual inspection that I have done, what should I look out next time out performance-wise, to see if there is any internal damage?
Thanks,
NCC