I am happy again. My boat has a working engine now! We got the news on Friday that she was ready to go, and the Justin, the business owner, made the decision to put her back into the slip. I had hoped to get some hull work done and check for any leaks in the hulls, but I’ll have to do that another time.
I wrote the check for the balance due, which would have had a significant effect in reducing the national debt. Instead, the check just increased my own deficit spending plan. That’s what boats are; personal deficit spending plans.
Anyway, the boat started up okay, but refused to run at idle, stalling every time I reduced the throttle. I told Justin and he tweaked the idle setting on the carburetor, and it’s better, but still not perfect. The idle is still too rough for my complete confidence.
She does seem to run with a bit more authority than the older engine did. While the tachometer refuses to work correctly, the boat definitely runs faster than before. Top speed before the problems was a little over 21 knots, or about 24 mph. Now she does 26 knots with about 300 rpms before wide open throttle (WOT). The heavy old girl really performs now. We can easily cruise at about 18 knots and have an ample reserve of speed and power to outrun weather. Or chase fish on the surface.
Of course, the shakedown was not without problems…besides the already mentioned idle issue, the power steering seems to be binding some when turning to starboard and the tach needs replacement. Another casualty of the trip – the batteries in my camera were dead, so no pictures this time. But the break-in period goes on for another 8 hours or so of running time, so I’ll have some good shots next time.
By the way, the fishing was pretty cold, as the catfish are now spawning and have developed lockjaw for the most part. It made me feel better since a big catfish tournament was going on the same time we were out, and a lot of pros and locals didn’t catch a thing. We caught several small ones, all under 10 pounds. But we did not get skunked!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Heart Attack City; the bill cometh!
HOLY COW!!! HOW MUCH FOR THAT????
Call the paramedics, I think I just had heart failure!!!
I just got the bill for my boat’s replacement engine. It was less than my house cost, but MORE that 2 of my cars!!! Okay, one is a 1988 Toyota truck that I bought for $300; but even so…
I used to own my own business. Every successful repair shop business owner knows that your labor rate pays the bills, and parts are for profit. I have nothing against profit, but I was not looking to fund a CEO bailout, either!
The bill came in about a thousand dollars over estimate. I expected a few hundred over, since there were some unforeseen replacements needed due to corrosion and age. But this will clean me out completely. No savings left – none.
Of course, they only take cash and checks. No credit cards, no payment plans, just payment in full, please. I understand they need to pay their bills too. I just wish I didn’t have to pay ALL of their bills myself!!!
Call the paramedics, I think I just had heart failure!!!
I just got the bill for my boat’s replacement engine. It was less than my house cost, but MORE that 2 of my cars!!! Okay, one is a 1988 Toyota truck that I bought for $300; but even so…
That is the new powerhouse for my pontoon. The shop said she is back in her slip, waiting for me…to pay the freaking bill!!! The labor was the same as the estimate, within 40 bucks or so. Now, the parts….
I used to own my own business. Every successful repair shop business owner knows that your labor rate pays the bills, and parts are for profit. I have nothing against profit, but I was not looking to fund a CEO bailout, either!
The bill came in about a thousand dollars over estimate. I expected a few hundred over, since there were some unforeseen replacements needed due to corrosion and age. But this will clean me out completely. No savings left – none.
Of course, they only take cash and checks. No credit cards, no payment plans, just payment in full, please. I understand they need to pay their bills too. I just wish I didn’t have to pay ALL of their bills myself!!!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Will it live, Doctor?
I feel as if I am missing a part of me since my boat broke. A while back I wrote that my Playcraft pontoon boat had engine trouble. After looking it over, I realized it was way beyond my limited mechanical abilities. I am fortunate to be near Jordan Point Marine Services, a full service Mercury Marine Premier facility. Justin, the owner, has extensive experience and plenty of factory training to go along with a great reputation among boaters in the area. Justin came over and looked things over in the very cramped engine compartment. Sure enough, the block was cracked. The engine was ready to become an anchor.
Justin said he and his shop was certainly up to the job, but it would not be easy. Tight confines and an old engine in an older boat could mean some hidden problems, like frozen or broken bolts or bad seals. I wanted the estimate to be a “worst case” scenario, assuming just about everything went wrong. Financially, I wanted as few surprises as possible. This was going to cost – a LOT!!! But, my family and I really love our time on the water. We would swallow that bitter pill (or should I say, bill?) when the time came.
Still, repowering would be MUCH less than a new boat, even a recent used model.
We hauled the boat out and got it back on its trailer. Its pretty easy to get on and off the scissor trailer we have, but its just for boatyard and maintenance work. The trailer is just not up to hauling this beast all over and the weight is too far aft to make it tow well.
So, off it went to get an engine transplant. I wish boats had health insurance!!!
Justin said he and his shop was certainly up to the job, but it would not be easy. Tight confines and an old engine in an older boat could mean some hidden problems, like frozen or broken bolts or bad seals. I wanted the estimate to be a “worst case” scenario, assuming just about everything went wrong. Financially, I wanted as few surprises as possible. This was going to cost – a LOT!!! But, my family and I really love our time on the water. We would swallow that bitter pill (or should I say, bill?) when the time came.
Still, repowering would be MUCH less than a new boat, even a recent used model.
We hauled the boat out and got it back on its trailer. Its pretty easy to get on and off the scissor trailer we have, but its just for boatyard and maintenance work. The trailer is just not up to hauling this beast all over and the weight is too far aft to make it tow well.
So, off it went to get an engine transplant. I wish boats had health insurance!!!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Fish Hunting???
I didn’t always love to fish. At first I just enjoyed the boating, being on the water. My parents were the fishing experts. As a twelve year old, I found fishing to be boring. That all changed once my dad discovered trolling.
Trolling, the towing live or artificial baits behind a moving boat, seemed to be a more active form of fishing. I enjoyed hunting, and trolling seemed a lot like that. There were tactics and different bait presentations to consider. Boat handling was very important as well and that was a big draw for me. My dad and I would spend hours hunting bluefish and striped bass; I would scan the horizon with binoculars for any signs of birds while we trolled areas where we caught fish before.
Our boat at the time was an Aquasport Osprey 170, a fine center console fishing machine. The boat came with an Evinrude 70 horsepower outboard, which my dad had built up to about 90 horses. The light little 3-cylinder engine turned a stainless steel double-cupped prop somewhere into the 70 mph range on calm water. So, whenever we saw birds actively feeding on the water, we could really get there in a hurry!
In our part of the Chesapeake Bay, the water was relatively shallow, even in the channels. When the fish were actively feeding, the bait would rush to the surface to escape, and the gulls and others would attack from above. When we saw the birds feeding, we hauled in the lines as fast as possible and headed for the action at top speed. That boat spent its time with us either trolling or wide open throttle (WOT), if the sea conditions allowed.
The Aquasport had a fairly flat bottom, making it very fast, but she rode rather poorly, pounding in anything bigger than a chop. The little boat handled exceptionally well, like a sports car on the water. That is, when were still in the water… The ride was the main reason my mother did not go along on our trolling trips; it was just too rough for her liking. The boat’s speed and light weight launched it and us into the air with frequency. Like the time my dad wanted to show off his new prop…
We were heading up a wide tributary on a calm day. My dad was telling me about the new performance prop he had installed and how much more top end speed the boat had now. I listened as I drove, but I was paying more attention to the tugboat coming down the channel in the opposite direction. We were cruising at ¾ throttle, about 50 mph as we approached the tug. I eased over to the right to give it as much room as I could while remaining in the channel. I noticed the big wake the tug was making; a 3 foot wave off its quarter, a big trough and a stern wave beyond that. I started easing the throttle back, anticipating the big waves ahead. My dad, who was facing aft the entire time, said, “See what that new prop can really do!” as he jammed the throttle all the way open. The little boat took off like a rocket and I yelled “Hold on, Dad!” He saw the tug just as we took flight off the first wave. I gripped the helm while Dad held onto the railings. We hurtled over the trough, the water 6 feet below us, and we landed on the back side of the tug’s stern wave with a solid thunk. We looked at each other with our eyes as big as dinner plates and out mouths hanging open. Then we whooped and hollered like idiots.
Trolling, the towing live or artificial baits behind a moving boat, seemed to be a more active form of fishing. I enjoyed hunting, and trolling seemed a lot like that. There were tactics and different bait presentations to consider. Boat handling was very important as well and that was a big draw for me. My dad and I would spend hours hunting bluefish and striped bass; I would scan the horizon with binoculars for any signs of birds while we trolled areas where we caught fish before.
Our boat at the time was an Aquasport Osprey 170, a fine center console fishing machine. The boat came with an Evinrude 70 horsepower outboard, which my dad had built up to about 90 horses. The light little 3-cylinder engine turned a stainless steel double-cupped prop somewhere into the 70 mph range on calm water. So, whenever we saw birds actively feeding on the water, we could really get there in a hurry!
In our part of the Chesapeake Bay, the water was relatively shallow, even in the channels. When the fish were actively feeding, the bait would rush to the surface to escape, and the gulls and others would attack from above. When we saw the birds feeding, we hauled in the lines as fast as possible and headed for the action at top speed. That boat spent its time with us either trolling or wide open throttle (WOT), if the sea conditions allowed.
The Aquasport had a fairly flat bottom, making it very fast, but she rode rather poorly, pounding in anything bigger than a chop. The little boat handled exceptionally well, like a sports car on the water. That is, when were still in the water… The ride was the main reason my mother did not go along on our trolling trips; it was just too rough for her liking. The boat’s speed and light weight launched it and us into the air with frequency. Like the time my dad wanted to show off his new prop…
We were heading up a wide tributary on a calm day. My dad was telling me about the new performance prop he had installed and how much more top end speed the boat had now. I listened as I drove, but I was paying more attention to the tugboat coming down the channel in the opposite direction. We were cruising at ¾ throttle, about 50 mph as we approached the tug. I eased over to the right to give it as much room as I could while remaining in the channel. I noticed the big wake the tug was making; a 3 foot wave off its quarter, a big trough and a stern wave beyond that. I started easing the throttle back, anticipating the big waves ahead. My dad, who was facing aft the entire time, said, “See what that new prop can really do!” as he jammed the throttle all the way open. The little boat took off like a rocket and I yelled “Hold on, Dad!” He saw the tug just as we took flight off the first wave. I gripped the helm while Dad held onto the railings. We hurtled over the trough, the water 6 feet below us, and we landed on the back side of the tug’s stern wave with a solid thunk. We looked at each other with our eyes as big as dinner plates and out mouths hanging open. Then we whooped and hollered like idiots.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
I'm back!
Welcome to my blog! I took some time away to focus on writing for a new boating website…that never really got off the ground. So, I will be back to posting here. Besides hunting and shooting, I’ll be writing about nearly every aspect of the boating world. But first, let me tell you a bit about myself.
I grew up around boats, on the east coast of America. My family did not own a boat until I was a teenager, but we often fished with my grandfather on his boats around Atlantic City, New Jersey. Our first boat was a wood skiff built by a local fisherman. As much as we loved that boat, we longed for something with more fishing room and some comfort. My father owned several boats and I learned to handle them all. I learned to sail as well, racing pretty seriously for several years. A single enlistment in the Coast Guard turned into 22 years with nearly 14 years at sea on both coasts. I served as the Boatswain on a 378-foot ship (a “cutter” in CG terms) and conned the ship during several adventures. Having 18,000 horsepower at your command really changes things!
Now I am a family man with two grown kids, a teenager and a preschooler. My mistress is a large pontoon boat with room for a small army. I bought it from a man who had not used it in years, but the price was affordable.
Right now she is getting a new engine, since the present one has a cracked block from age, a previous overheating episode and a LOT of hard use last season. I plan to document the repowering for the blog as well, including sea trials.
I am looking forward to sharing my insight and experiences with all of you and I welcome your comments. If you have some ideas for what you would like to see in future postings, let me know!
I grew up around boats, on the east coast of America. My family did not own a boat until I was a teenager, but we often fished with my grandfather on his boats around Atlantic City, New Jersey. Our first boat was a wood skiff built by a local fisherman. As much as we loved that boat, we longed for something with more fishing room and some comfort. My father owned several boats and I learned to handle them all. I learned to sail as well, racing pretty seriously for several years. A single enlistment in the Coast Guard turned into 22 years with nearly 14 years at sea on both coasts. I served as the Boatswain on a 378-foot ship (a “cutter” in CG terms) and conned the ship during several adventures. Having 18,000 horsepower at your command really changes things!
Now I am a family man with two grown kids, a teenager and a preschooler. My mistress is a large pontoon boat with room for a small army. I bought it from a man who had not used it in years, but the price was affordable.
Right now she is getting a new engine, since the present one has a cracked block from age, a previous overheating episode and a LOT of hard use last season. I plan to document the repowering for the blog as well, including sea trials.
I am looking forward to sharing my insight and experiences with all of you and I welcome your comments. If you have some ideas for what you would like to see in future postings, let me know!
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