First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Well I did not scream and yell at the first mate, It was totally my fault. She was devestaded, I put my arm around her and said it's ok, it was an accident, it's just a boat. It can be replaced, we cannot, and were not dead!

I "ASSUMED" that she knew how to run a outboard. She is VERY mechanically inclined, can fix anything, grew up in W.V. mountain's, drove tractors, can fix a car, etc, etc, etc.

After the crash we climbed up on the dock, a young couple on a motorcycle had stopped at the lake and heard what had happened came running down the dock and he helped bail the boat. It never sank thank God. When we got most of the water out my next door neighbor, who also heard the commotion drove me back to get the truck and trailer. We got the boat out of the water and I immediately drained the oil and pulled the plugs, blew all the water out and filled the cylinders with oil. The next day we drove 25 miles to a NAPA, bought gear lube, oil, wd-40, etc. A lot of water came out of the oil drain plug and cylinders, none out of the lower unit. Changed everything including the gas and that evening headed back to the launch to see if it would run. Had disconnected the batt. so just tried to pull start it. NOPE. Thought oh well here goes nothing, connected the batt. and used the starter. It cranked and cranked, coughed and sputtered and finally started Ok now lets go run it and dry it out. Idled a little rough but mostly ran like a top. Got it good and warmed up and then pulled back out and drained the oil again.

The next morn. it was time to put it back in the lake as we were at the beginning of our week. Backed down the ramp, got in the boat, started the motor, jumped out of the boat, jumped into the truck and pulled boat back out.:redface: What's wrong said the 1st mate? No drain plug said the captain Let boat drain, put plug in, launch and can you believe it the rest of the week went without a hitch, and the motor ran great. Still does
The new boat has some major bruises but no popped welds or rivets. For punishment the 1st mate gets to sit and look at the big crease at her feet as we bounce on the waves and wonder??!!!!

Well, in the first month of boat ownership I feel like I made every mistake you can make. Have I exorscised all of the boat demons???!!!! Unfortunately I think I already know the answer!

Voyager builds one hell of a boat and tohatsu/nissan builds one hell of a motor.

 

[gypsysoul]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

well If the only injury is your pride, than it was a success! glad nobody was injured. my first mate and I have a 17' jet boat that we use for skiing and tubbing the kids. she handles it just fine during launch and retrieval. usually we have lots of friends when we boat. but on one occasion it was just us and the kids. the only way dad was going to get to ski was if mom drove. we did some practicing and when i figured she had it worked out I jumped in and got ready. I told her to hit it. she pulled me right up but could not seem to keep the boat straight. so as I headed straight down the lake she slolomed the boat back and forth in front of me. It had to be the most comical looking situation her and the kids in the boat going back and forth and me just going straight. she finally stopped and everbody laughed until we almost pee'd our pants (well I was in the water so maybe I did!) just a giggle for your day.

 

[leeuga11]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

I live in GA and I leave my 22' center console on a lake. We take it to the gulf of mexico as much as possible. I usally have my brother or an employee that tournament bass fishes go with me to drop it in the lake afterwards and take it to the cabin and dock it. If my 1st mate goes with me she drives the truck and trailer back to the cabin to meet me. This time we took the truck that is a 5 speed and she can't drive that. I did not realize this until we got to the launch and she reminded me that "Hey, I can't drive this truck. So I will have to drive the boat and meet you." I started getting nervous, but I helped her on the boat and showed her how to crank it and get going. I hauled butt to the cabin and there she was pulling it into the dock perfectly. The boat has a yamaha 150 and will do right at 50mph on a lake. She got to the dock as I got to the cabin, usually I or whoever is driving the truck is waiting on the boat to arrive, so I know she was moving to make it there that fast. I have been dating her for 8 years and now she finally tells me that she has driven her stepfathers 27 foot grady white with twin merc 250's. You never know, sometimes the first mate will ride and ride and not let you know that she can handle it. I felt a little stupid but relived.

 

[HappierWet]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

I live in GA and I leave my 22' center console on a lake. We take it to the gulf of mexico as much as possible. I usally have my brother or an employee that tournament bass fishes go with me to drop it in the lake afterwards and take it to the cabin and dock it. If my 1st mate goes with me she drives the truck and trailer back to the cabin to meet me. This time we took the truck that is a 5 speed and she can't drive that. I did not realize this until we got to the launch and she reminded me that "Hey, I can't drive this truck. So I will have to drive the boat and meet you." I started getting nervous, but I helped her on the boat and showed her how to crank it and get going. I hauled butt to the cabin and there she was pulling it into the dock perfectly. The boat has a yamaha 150 and will do right at 50mph on a lake. She got to the dock as I got to the cabin, usually I or whoever is driving the truck is waiting on the boat to arrive, so I know she was moving to make it there that fast. I have been dating her for 8 years and now she finally tells me that she has driven her stepfathers 27 foot grady white with twin merc 250's. You never know, sometimes the first mate will ride and ride and not let you know that she can handle it. I felt a little stupid but relived.

She was SANDBAGGIN or maybe you should have asked her in eight years if she wanted to drive

 

[NCCamper]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

DS 58...

Go search for the recent "Naming Boats" thread, and read it thoroughly. I am guessing you have not yet named your boat, and have been on the receiving end of the bad karma! Seriously...name that boat before you get anywhere near the water!

Continued good luck with your boat!

NCC

 

[LIQUID PROZAC]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

wow

 

[Mel Taylor]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

You apparently haven't experienced the "Crank the boat on to the trailer but forget to set the winch pawl so that when you pull the trailer forward up the ramp the boat slides back off the trailer" caper yet.

I have been fishing for many years but even if my wife was with me, I usually attended to all the mechanical aspects of launching and taking the boat out of the water. For some reason she decided she wanted to get more involved with this part of boating. I explained to her how to operate the winch, including setting the pawl.

It was rather windy and we had some considerable trouble getting the boat (14' Aluminum V hull w/ 30hp Evinrude) on the trailer which probably contributed to the next phase of the episode.

Finally got the boat on the trailer, winched up tight and I said "did you set the pawl?" She misunderstood what I meant and released the pawl which she had already set.

I pulled forward up the rather steep ramp, the boat slid backwards off the trailer. WHAP! Right into the shallow water just at the base of the ramp.

As luck would have it there was enough water to avoid damaging either boat or motor and all we had to do was reload the boat, this time making sure the pawl was set correctly.

Since then she's learned to do it all as far as launching and retrieving the boat.

OH yeah, we were lucky. There was only one other person at the ramp to witness our comedy of errors.

 

[64osby]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

DECK SWABBER 58 Thanks for posting the adventures of you and your GF. Best of luck with your new - broken in boat. Keep us updated.

In the meantime I'll stay up here in Michigan until I thinks it's safe to travel down that way

I always tell people at work - everyone makes mistakes - I just never tell anyone mine

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

No Mel, haven't done that one yet. THANKS, something to look forward to
One thing I have done recently, thanks to all the helpful idiots like me who post here, is add a safety chain from trailer to bow hook. Never even thought of it until reading all the misadventures here.

64 Osby it's safe to come down here, gf refuses to drive the boat now!!! One of these days I'm going to make her drive it again. Out on open water of course!

 

[jonesg]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

Everyone does stuff like that in their own way, or lies about it.

98% of those polled said they are above average intelligence
.
Thats statistically impossible, so 50% of the people are lying to themselves first, and don't notice they lie to everyone else.'

However, I've never made a mistake with my boat.



"9 times out of 10, one thing is always different."

 

[deadstick]

Re: First Boat Part 3 (1st Crash)

in june of this yr, me and the first mate purchased a 21.5 ft cuddy cabin. 1st day we took it out she started crying, saying i was going to fast. (we where only going 25mph) i had tears in my eyes as well.(thinking, we have purchased somthing we cannot use). so i slowly tooled around the first month, going out about 3 times a week. i started showing how to drive(she was still, extremly nervous), after awhile of tooling around, i started showing her how to dock the boat. she handles it like a pro now. the last time we were out she took it to WOT and also loaded the boat. this is a pretty big boat and very hard to laod.

the funny thing is she doesnt do that well with and auto.lol

now i drink beer and she drives me around! that's a good wife..