72StreetBird
Recruit
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2005
- Messages
- 3
Every summer for the past six years my wifes family gets together for a week in the cabins by Forest Lake. The past couple of years the old Sea Star trihull with the 75 horse was havin trouble getting the big boys going on the tube so it was time to move up.<br /><br />Forest Lake has a 90 hp limit so I have to shop accordingly. I find a 1990 Bayliner Capri with a 90 horse Force at a local dealership. Go for the test drive, buy it this May.<br /><br />Basicly this boat is going to be used a couple of weekends and one week for vacation. I take it out on the Missippi a couple of times and it seems to run fine so it's off to the lake for vacation.<br /><br />Four hour drive goes just fine, get to the cabins before check in time so we just unload next to the cabin. Take the new boat to the ramp, get it into the water fine. Run it across the lake quick and back to the docks down the hill from the cabins. <br /><br />Wifes family is showing up, lots of talking and catching up. My Dad and Mom come just for the night. So Sunday evening, the first night, I take my Dad and my son and niece out for my Dads first boat ride. Start the boat and let it warm up as everyone gets there pfd's on. Head across the lake to show my Dad the swim platform on the other side of the lake. After showing him the platform we leave the no wake area and the boat don't want to go on plane. Keep trying with the trim and notice that there is smoke coming from under the outboard cover so I stop the engine. I have my son grab the fire extingisher before I pull the cover. When I pulled the cover I could smell the engine was very hot, cranking the engine would result in hearing water boiling in the engine. <br /><br />I call my brother in-law for a tow back to the dock and load the boat on the trailer. I had a very bad feeling my vacation was over before it was started.<br /><br />I take the boat into town Monday morning to the local dealer. After explaining that I was there on vacation the owner said he was very busy but would get it in after one of his guys gets done putting an impeller in the one he was working on. I go have breakfast, stop at wally world for a few things before heading back to the cabin. My cell phone rings as i'm leaving the parking lot. The boat place says the number two cylinder has no compression, the engine is dead! <br /><br />I went to the boat place to pick up my dead boat that I had just bought in May, vacation is trashed.<br /><br />Get to the boat shop and discuss with the owner my options. Repower the old engine $2200, book value on it is only $700. New two stroke mercury is $6200 or a four stroke Suzuki is $8000 ( my dream engine for the past couple years). My wife calls about this time, I give her the bad news about the engine and tell her i'm coming back with the dead boat.<br /><br />As soon as I walk into the cabin my wife tells the kids to go outside and play so we can talk. This scared me a bit. After the kids quit complaining and go outside my tells me she don't care what her sisters will say we are getting a new engine, just not sure how yet. She comes up with using the Master Card we just payed off with a home loan. I ask her if she is sure about maxing the card we just payed off and she says yes just we have to get another loan to pay it off when we get home.<br /><br />I call the dealer and tell him I want the new Suzuki four stroke engine if he can get me in. He says he will start on it as soon as I can get it there.<br /><br />I take in in right after lunch. As soon as I show up they empty a space to back my boat in. I watch as the old engine comes off, all my old controls everything is coming out. The next thing I know they are bringing in the new engine, still in the crate. I watch as they fill the gear case and engine with oil, finding out where the oil filter is. Now it's about 4:00 so I figure these guys know what they are doing so I head back for supper. <br /><br />About three miles from the cabin, I'm listening to the radio ( something about something happening in Roswell, New Mexico ) when the radio volume goes down and up again twice. Then the engine dies on my van. I'm figuring the aliens are about to beam me up when I look at the voltage gauge, nine volts. Once again I have to call my brother in-law for a tow.<br /><br />We get back to the cabin, I pull the battery out, (six years old) and borrow my Brother in-laws van to go get a new battery. He throws me the keys and tells me not to call him if I have any more problems. I get back with no problems install the battery, now the alternator is not working. Back to town again, return and put in the new alternator. Oh well I didn't have a boat so what else did I have to do?<br /><br />Tuesday morning was dragging so slow while we were waiting. Got the call about 3:00, there on there way with the boat to make sure it is proped properly and will be running the charge card. Two minutes later I get another call, the card won't go thru. I call the 800 number and the card is not activated! Guess it had been a while since it had been used. Called back and I told them what was wrong and to run the card again. Two minutes later another call, it still won't go thru. I call the 800 number again. This time I find out they cant accept a charge over $5000 at a time, just have to split it up. I call the dealer back again to explain. All this time my boat is on it's way to me with the new engine already installed. Now my wife is freaking out and has to leave the cabin, she can't take anymore of it.<br /><br />No more phone calls so I sit outside waiting for my boat.<br /><br />THATS MY BOAT comes out of my mouth as I see it go flying by, just the rear three feet of the boat are in the water!! I go down to the dock and he says the card went thru. <br /><br />I spent the rest of the day taking peaple for rides, breaking in the new engine. Very enjoyable and uneventful.<br /><br />Wednesday and Thursday is tubing and skiing galore, vacation is saved, well half of it is anyways. <br /><br />Sorry for the long post but I needed to tell someone.
