help! stuck on the lake..

[windsors03cobra]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

I bought my boat in early March and put a different long block in it and have had it out about 4 or 5 times for a total of about 15 hours so far.
Today, the first time I didnt take a fully stocked toolkit with me and instead took my wife and 3 year old little girl and the boat decides to shake me a bit by once slightly shutting off for a tenth of a second while on plane I asked my wife if she felt it to confirm my feeling and she did, then after trolling on the river for half an hour coming out onto lake Michigan it fell on its face a few times under hard acceleration, I tested it a few times near the launch and it falls on its face with regularity now so I have a fuel delivery problem and will be going over the fuel system with a fine tooth comb.
I have not had any problems with it until now, thankfully it ran fine at cruising speed, tho the boat is too small for lake Michigan, my prefered boating ground. Was mostly smooth water today.

Oh OH I also heard it pinging at WOT on the return trip so I guess that 19P prop is biting, I will need to tweak the timing a bit and I was thinking of replacing the 30 year old mechanical fuel pump now.
I have a brand new group 31 battery that with 950 cold cranks and 165min reserve capacity it weighs 56 pounds and is pretty massive I feel ok without a booster pack cause guess what ? If I cant get it started with the cranking battery, it aint gone' run......
I like the idea of a gas kicker, 2 engines are nice but I could never afford that fuel bill.

 

[grego]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

TWO, good anchers. these will keep you in place while you find a problem. To be at the will of the wind, is never good! also you can pack in a "drift bag" That will slow you down to a soft impact on a jeti. then beat the chit out of your boat ,while you wait. A call to coast guard , can cost real money. So, if it were me, i would buy a quick release trolling motor. This is for a boat owner that does not trust his boat

 

[IVAZ]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

If it were me, I'd put a 6 hp 2-stroke Johnson or Evinrude on the transom and always carry a 3.3 gal tank of fresh premix with it. That'll get you back to the dock, every time. You can get a good running one for $300-400. Just use the gas up and put fresh in a couple of times a season and you're good as gold.

I have been searching craigslist for one. Its a great idea.
What I have learned so far is that unlike a car where you wait for stuff to break down, its better to replace it at the first hint of it starting to go south.
If a belt looks worn to me its better to replace it and keep the old one as a spare in the boat. Some people rather keep the new one in the boat incase they need it. Small things will go a long way.

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

these are all pretty good ideas... glad i started this haha.

i forgot one thing i always bring with me incase i break down: BEER and lots of it... came in real handy one day when i broke down out on the lake.

 

[flingus]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

My biggest concern if my boat has an issue is, bumping into someone elses boat or dock.

I have a jump start kit that will get my motor going, and some paddles. I need to save some money and get a trolling motor though. I have a 22 foot boat and I'm sure it could cause some serious damage if I had issues. I have an achor, and am buying another one this weekend. (1 for the front, and one for the back)

What a horrible feeling though, I hope it always starts and gets me back to the dock. If it runs rough or makes noises FINE, as long as I can get it back on a trailer. Also paid to have towing coverage... Still dont even want to think about that though. I guess its one of those things, after it happens its not such a big deal.

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

how bout $20 to pay a passerby to give a tow back to the dock? done that a few times too haha

 

[IVAZ]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

how bout $20 to pay a passerby to give a tow back to the dock? done that a few times too haha

Unless I had to go way out of my way, I would not charge anything. I have towed somebody in just once and we were going to the same ramp. No payment accepted.

 

[Baylinercapri1987]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

Large lakes/ocean I use a 15HP johnson, I also have a bow mount trolling motor with 2 batteries I can switch around. Also usually a handheld, and cellphones.

 

[country_bumpkin]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

I'm keeping an old 3.5 hp seakking on the new pontoon until I'm confident with the peformance of it's outboard

 

[Navy Jr.]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

Ok, now you guys have me worried. We have a 2005 Bayliner 185 and we're new to boating (bought the boat this winter, just took it out for the first time a few weeks ago). I'll spare you the details (you can read my other posts if you like) but we had some battery issues.

Stokeoluck, if the battery goes dead, it probably won't happen when you're actually motoring, but instead when returning to the boat from an excursion or while launching. There will probably be other boaters around to help. The real issue is to find a way that works best for you to insure you always turn off the master switch before leaving the boat.

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

i learned a valuable lesson today and i figured i would share it in this thread:

always carry a spare engine.

went out on the lake for the first time today... i had a feeling there would be problems since i didnt winterize the boat properly at the end of last season(please dont judge, i already know). i ran it about 2 minutes from the launch and decided to check the oil (for water) and sure enough: chocolate milk smoothies for the whole crew. i turned back to the ramp and retrailered it and went home knowing i screwed myself royally this time. it would have been nice to have a spare engine on board to switch out. learn from my mistakes.

 

[AZSenza]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

We have 2 batteries, with switch. I start the motor on batt 1 if its an odd day, 2 if its an even day and off when not in use. When we stop and play, I switch to the opposite battery for the stereo, lights etc etc. I do this because I know the battery i started with has power (It started the boat and got charged back up) and dont take a chance by leaving it on that battery and hoping the other has juice to start me. We have 2 anchors, flotation devices all around the boat, tools, zip ties, wire connectors, spare bimini screws, oar, lake maps, portable VHF radio, cell phones, spare keys, plenty of food, water and other bevs, quick drying repair epoxy, a few hidden bucks, sharp knife, distress flag, sunscreen and umbrella in summer, blankets in winter, first aid kit (Large) and if I can find my flare pistol, I'll put it back on the boat with fresh flares. I was a Boy Scout and carry as much emergency stuff as I can. Whew...

 

[1980Galaxy]

Re: help! stuck on the lake..

i have a flare gun on the boat that ive been wanting to try out haha...

i like that idea about the batteries for odd and even days... clever.