QC
Supreme Mariner
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2005
- Messages
- 22,783
This is long . . . Well I have had a good run of boating luck, and although most of my issues this week were not necessarily boating, they were all part of a trip. My oldest son had a Lake Mead houseboat trip planned and we were to meet him out on the lake.
Started out with needing trailer tires for the main squeeze. They were only two years old, but the sidewalls were already destroyed. I also had a set of aluminum wheels that I wanted to use, so I had some swapping to do. They broke about 6 -7 studs so I had to get all new ones on all four. Tires + studs + swapping out wheels = $600. Trailer tire incident #1
My son took my tinny, and I had to get that trailer ready as it had not been out for 2 years. One valve stem was shot. I screwed around with it for two or three hours and I couldn't get it fixed in time. Threw the tinny on an empty two axle trailer I had. Looked funny but it worked. He left on Tuesday morning. Trailer tire incident #2
So it's now 4:00 AM Wednesday morning. Truck and boat hooked up together on the street in front of my house. I take my GPS, my phone, my bag of boating carp and my camera out to the truck. I go back in to keep Mrs. QC moving. Same routine every trip. I go back out after about 7 or 8 minutes with a few more things. GPS, Camera and Phone are gone . . .
Some dirty rotten SOB must've seen me loading, had the flippin' cajones to jump in grab my stuff and run while I was back in the house. For me it was all over but the crying. Got the wife, and headed to the lake. This is a nice neighborhood, 2 miles from a traffic light, some problems like all, but not like I was parked in a dark alley on skid row . . . Theft issue number#1
Five hours later I do my best to be OK while I launch my boat with an empty GPS mount Meet up with the Houseboat Kids, three days of that. All good. Head for home Saturday morning.
Some of you may have heard of Baker, CA, home of the World's Tallest Thermometer Got about 6 miles past there, which is about 1/3 of the 260 miles from Mead to home. Felt a vibration, decided it was the road, and then saw smoke pouring from the left side of the trailer. Pulled over quickly as I watch a trailer tire pass me Goes across the freeway median, across opposing traffic, misses everything and everybody, hits the guardrail softly and lays down in the emergency lane. Thank God nobody was hurt. Good landing, safe place, I can get that.
I get out and take a look, left front all five studs sheered clean off . . . hmmmmm, hit the disc brake hub with my foot, still spins freely, bearing buddy gone and apparently knocked off by the wheel. No nuts left to check. Looks like they were overtightened, but of course I can't really know unless I had all of the pieces. Fender damaged, left rear tire cut into by the fender. Trailer tire incident #3
So I am on the phone, arranging a tow truck, the guys that replaced the studs are being decent, but I need a full length, tractor trailer flat bed, $250 an hour!! I end up negotiating a $230 deal to pick it up and take it back to Baker. She's still there and I'll just go back and get her after the shop gets her done. Everybody including me didn't like the $2000 tow to my house . . .
So all of this took 3 hours on the phone, side of Interstate 15 etc. While I am on the phone, I watch a guy in a pick-up pull up and throw my wheel and tire from the other side of the freeway into his truck!!!! Trailer tire incident #4 and theft issue #2 all wrapped into one. He even looked over at me while he did it. What does JB say? "ratzacrackenflipdewhoopy" or something . . .
Now, I have three aluminum wheels that I am going to fail at trying to match. Just am, they are older, older style too, a little age worn but they polish up OK. Nothing is going to match, not being pessimistic, but I could spend six months on eBay and not find these. OK I'll try, but I am very sceptical.
Of course I would have pictures of all of this for you guys, but the MoFo stole my Camera and my phone!!!
Started out with needing trailer tires for the main squeeze. They were only two years old, but the sidewalls were already destroyed. I also had a set of aluminum wheels that I wanted to use, so I had some swapping to do. They broke about 6 -7 studs so I had to get all new ones on all four. Tires + studs + swapping out wheels = $600. Trailer tire incident #1
My son took my tinny, and I had to get that trailer ready as it had not been out for 2 years. One valve stem was shot. I screwed around with it for two or three hours and I couldn't get it fixed in time. Threw the tinny on an empty two axle trailer I had. Looked funny but it worked. He left on Tuesday morning. Trailer tire incident #2
So it's now 4:00 AM Wednesday morning. Truck and boat hooked up together on the street in front of my house. I take my GPS, my phone, my bag of boating carp and my camera out to the truck. I go back in to keep Mrs. QC moving. Same routine every trip. I go back out after about 7 or 8 minutes with a few more things. GPS, Camera and Phone are gone . . .
Some dirty rotten SOB must've seen me loading, had the flippin' cajones to jump in grab my stuff and run while I was back in the house. For me it was all over but the crying. Got the wife, and headed to the lake. This is a nice neighborhood, 2 miles from a traffic light, some problems like all, but not like I was parked in a dark alley on skid row . . . Theft issue number#1Five hours later I do my best to be OK while I launch my boat with an empty GPS mount
Meet up with the Houseboat Kids, three days of that. All good. Head for home Saturday morning.Some of you may have heard of Baker, CA, home of the World's Tallest Thermometer
Got about 6 miles past there, which is about 1/3 of the 260 miles from Mead to home. Felt a vibration, decided it was the road, and then saw smoke pouring from the left side of the trailer. Pulled over quickly as I watch a trailer tire pass me Goes across the freeway median, across opposing traffic, misses everything and everybody, hits the guardrail softly and lays down in the emergency lane. Thank God nobody was hurt. Good landing, safe place, I can get that.I get out and take a look, left front all five studs sheered clean off . . . hmmmmm, hit the disc brake hub with my foot, still spins freely, bearing buddy gone and apparently knocked off by the wheel. No nuts left to check. Looks like they were overtightened, but of course I can't really know unless I had all of the pieces. Fender damaged, left rear tire cut into by the fender. Trailer tire incident #3
So I am on the phone, arranging a tow truck, the guys that replaced the studs are being decent, but I need a full length, tractor trailer flat bed, $250 an hour!! I end up negotiating a $230 deal to pick it up and take it back to Baker. She's still there and I'll just go back and get her after the shop gets her done. Everybody including me didn't like the $2000 tow to my house . . .
So all of this took 3 hours on the phone, side of Interstate 15 etc. While I am on the phone, I watch a guy in a pick-up pull up and throw my wheel and tire from the other side of the freeway into his truck!!!! Trailer tire incident #4 and theft issue #2 all wrapped into one. He even looked over at me while he did it. What does JB say? "ratzacrackenflipdewhoopy" or something . . .
Now, I have three aluminum wheels that I am going to fail at trying to match. Just am, they are older, older style too, a little age worn but they polish up OK. Nothing is going to match, not being pessimistic, but I could spend six months on eBay and not find these. OK I'll try, but I am very sceptical.
Of course I would have pictures of all of this for you guys, but the MoFo stole my Camera and my phone!!!
