Ouch!

[LukeB777]

This is what happens when you hit an old railroad tie/log looking thing at wide open throttle. I have an 85 horse and just heard a bang and thought the LU was gone when I looked back and saw this thing bobbing in the water. Must have been floating just under the surface. Didnt see it at all and I was in the main channel of a resavour. Only damage was a bent skeg and a slight bend in the aluminum prop which I intend to replace anyway. Any thing else I should check??

 

[This_lil_fishy]

Re: Ouch!

Check your hull, check the prop shaft for run-out (get a guage), check the lower unit for leaks. Try to get a feel for the gears in the lower unit to see if there is any grinding. Might be worth pulling the drain screw and checking for metal bits on the magnet as well (have new lower unit oil ready).

Ian

 

[Jeep Man]

Re: Ouch!

Here's a story
Last June I went on a week long fishing trip to Bisco in Northern Ontario. We were not familiar with this lake and the outfitter had not marked ALL of the boatkillers as the water was higher than normal. We were heading down the middle of the lake in my buddy's 19' deep V with a 90 Yammy when BAM. We hit a vertical rock spur that nearly threw us out of the boat. The motor kept running and we didn't note any problem until the last scheduled day. We were going down the lake when the motor inexplicably shifted to neutral. We got back on the kicker and put the boat on the trailer. That's when we saw the large crack in the bottom end casing. My buddy took it to his marine mechanic and $4500 later all was well. His insurance covered it.
A month later he took the boat to eastern Ontario and fished that evening without trouble. When he went to the boat next morning, he found it on the bottom, tied to the dock. Back to the marine repair, where they found an irrepairable crack at the base of the transom....COMPLETE WRITE-OFF

 

[Knot Waiting]

Re: Ouch!

Yikes, you got lucky if thats the only damage from hitting that beast at WOT. Hopefully you dragged it to shore so no other unfortunate boaters suffer a similar impact.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Ouch!

That's a pretty expensive log splitter you got there.

 

[LukeB777]

Re: Ouch!

Yes I did drag it to shore. That is the second time I have seen a big beast come up from the depths on this pond. It used to be and old logging river and big old crap is always coming up from the bottom

 

[David Greer]

Re: Ouch!

Last year a beast surfaced in Chesapeake and punched a hole in a small cruise ship. It was about 20 pilings lashed together and may have been from the Civil War.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Ouch!

Yeah -- deadheads can be nasty. About ten years ago I spied something huge floating out in the bay. Went out to investigate and it turned out to be what looked like most of a telephone pole. No way I could get it out of the lake alone so I towed it real slow to the local police marine unit a mile away. It was late in the season (and the day) and no one was around so I lashed it to their warf real good and left.

I'm sure they didn't appreciate it much but I figured they'd have access to the equipment to deal with it permanently.

I agree with Fishy - check your prop shaft for play and trueness.

Also, make sure there's no soft wood plugging your speedo or cooling water orifices and check anything else you might have (or used to have ) screwed to your hull like trim tabs, external transducers, livewell intake screens, etc. etc.

 

[ShaneCarroll]

Re: Ouch!

Those things can be a nightmare. Here in the bay, some drunk guy plowed over a wooden channel marker in the middle of the night. The only thing left standing was three wooden posts, about 1 foot out of the water. You cannot see them until you are right up on them. I am not sure if anyone hit them, but the marine patrol finally put a huge orange buoy on it to divert oncoming traffic.

The worst thing I encountered (while as a passenger, not driving) was hitting one of those giant steel pipes they use for dredging channels at about 42mph. I wished the boat would have had seat belts that day.