Read Before Pics to know whats going on!
Read Before Pics to know whats going on!
Ok, well no photo?s tonight?.but I will now take the time to give you a good idea how our Saturday went. Then tomorrow sometime I will post photo?s and the video.
So we did a late night on Friday (2AM) and then got back at it Saturday morning at 9AM, we mounted the gas tank hatch, CC, throttles, steering, and mics wiring. Honestly the boat really came together in those two sessions, if you saw it just a day before, you wouldn?t recognize the boat, we went to town on it. Even got a lot done on the cuddy!! So they were very important days!
By the time we were done, and I couldn?t procrastinate anymore it was 6 PM, so we got the truck and drove to the weight station to weigh her. It was 7080 lbs with the trailer, now I didn?t go back and measure the trailer but it was a 26ft steel tri axal so I am estimating around 1200 lbs, but I looked at it and said by the time I fill it up with gas and put it in the water itll be +1000lbs so I estimate the boat does truly weigh around 7080 fully loaded?
So by the time we got to the ramp it was about 730 ( we had to stop and fill her up with gas, only 300 bucks worth). We took her to the ramp and THIS IS WHERE THE PHOTOS AND VIDEO BEGIN! I gotta tell all of you, I was SO NERVOUS, there are 4 holes in the hull, and as it slowly lowered into the water I cant tell you how much I prayed that there would be no ?drip, drip drip? coming from any of them. I know its not going to sink the boat, but MAN what a bummer to know I would have to pull it out and work on it some more!!! BUT THAT WASN?T THE CASE! She slowly went it (keep in mind it was sitting on a 26ft trailer so we took her REAL slow not knowing how she was going to come off). Off she went, right into the lake and man did she looooook sweeeeeeet! Everyone at the docks were looking and complements were flying! So now it was time to fire it up, and engine No. 1 VRRRRUUUUMMMM!!!!!! Engin No. 2 VRUMMMMMM, sputter sputter clunk!. No. 2 had a check engine light! WHA?!?!?!?!?! It was the water fuel separator. To make a long explanation short we knew where this water came from, the tank had about ? of an inch of water in it but we didn?t know until AFTER the motors had already self primed themselves. (this was all days ago before we filled her up). So all of course we brought every tool with us EXCEPT a hoes wrench?..so we called up a friend and waited for about 45 mins for him to arrive. Yeah if your following the time its like 830 845 G E T T I N G D A R K!!! After dumping out the filter we were back in business, and this is where the second video picks up, with me driving this thing for the first time scared as hell!!! I didn?t know if the bracket was the right height, I didn?t know if I had any leaks, it was basically dark and I didn?t wanna hit a log, and frankly I never saw the thing float and didn?t even know how well it floated!!!! Pretty much OOP?s hit it opn the head, I was a nervous wreck! Now to add to the suspense, the way home just so happened to be threw about 2 miles of fishermen, and delayed the one thing I have wanted to do the last 9 months! PUNCH IT!
AHHHHHHH!!!!!
Finally we got beyond the fishermen, and it was time, after a quick prayer, annndd off we went, 2500rpms, 2800rpms, 3000rpms (coming out of the hole) 3200 going? 3600? going??4000?gone??????????????. and we were off! Immediately I noticed that the one motor was faster than the other, so (an adjustment in the throttle linkage needs to be made so they will be in unison). After getting used to the throttles not being level with each other I trimmed up and we got another 10 miles an hour out of her?..and once getting more comfortable??I opened her up?? 5800 RPM @ 53mph! vrummmmmmm! Now I had 4 people on her, and a full tank, I was happy with that, especially cuz up until that point this entire project was calculated here on this web site and I had no idea what was going to happen, with a few changes in the props I feel confident I can get her at least another 7 to 8 miles per hour, and that?s all we need boys!!!
Needless to say, we broke out the champagne and all took a few hits and christened the motors and bow! We got to our dock around 11:30 after a few very fast runs in the dark?..( I know people say you cant do that, but hey, if I would listen to everyone this thing wouldn?t be in the water!) And that?s all she wrote, unfortunately it was dark so photo time was not good, not to mention I wasn?t even thinking of all of you at the moment!!!! (sorry!!!) but tomorrow im ?supposed? to have a half day and I will take photos and video like promised and show you what we got! Thanks for everything I boaters, I couldn?t have done it without you, although this project is STILL far from over, I will end this chapter of the project and say ?shes in the water!?.
