So It's True What They Say...

[james 14]

A boat IS a hole in the water in which you throw money.

 

My last four trips on the water:

 

1. Cranking battery dies in the middle of a tournament

2. Prop falls off of TM in the first 2 minutes of the first stop

3. Battery charger starts giving me a "false full" and I lose TM at 9:30am during a tourney due to uncharged batts.

4. Trim lever on the shifter won't trim up and consquently I'm fishing a lake that is SHALLOW and requires being able to trim up when coming off plane. Dug the skeg into the bottom more times that I'd EVER want to in the life of the boat...much less all in one day....oh and the TM died again leaving me to be concerned I may have a bad battery.

 

I fixed the trim button, bought a new TM (with spare prop, nut and pins) ordered a new charger and am currently investigating whether the batteries are an issue. Now I'm hoping the water that got into my depthfinder during the torrential downpour that hit it the other day hasn't ruined it. It seemed to come back to life after the sun beamed down on it for a while.

 

I can deal with fixing things but GEEZ after having 4 trips in a row nearly ruined I've had my filled. Trying to stay focused on the fact that I'm blessed to have a nice boat and the sense to fix the inevitable little things that sometimes go wrong.

[Koofy Smacker]

Not to put you down but every one of those issues can be avoided just by taking 5 minutes before and after each trip out. Battery test each battery after you charge them up, check them again before you leave (which should be after they sit for a bit), check props and cotter pins, and always carry extra fuses ad wiring accessories. Ive learned the hard way just like experiences you said and now if something like this happens on the water it goes from a ruined day to a 2 minute fix. A leatherman, fuses, and a small adjustable wrench can pretty much take care of most issues youll run into. Throw it in a small bow with the boat paperwork and forget about it till you need it

[aquaholic]

Break Out Another Thousand

[james 14]

Not to put you down but every one of those issues can be avoided just by taking 5 minutes before and after each trip out. Battery test each battery after you charge them up, check them again before you leave (which should be after they sit for a bit), check props and cotter pins, and always carry extra fuses ad wiring accessories. Ive learned the hard way just like experiences you said and now if something like this happens on the water it goes from a ruined day to a 2 minute fix. A leatherman, fuses, and a small adjustable wrench can pretty much take care of most issues youll run into. Throw it in a small bow with the boat paperwork and forget about it till you need it

 

Some of it is a learning curve using things I have little experience with (upgraded from a jon boat 5 months ago). I've NEVER had to check my batteries before and don't even own a tester...yet. I've had the same external charger for about 8 years so why would I expect my onboard charger to crap out on me while it looked like it was working normally? Well because apparently they're either made with less attention to quality and/or they endure harsher environments.

I've also never had a prop nut come off and have never heard of that happening. I had an extra prop and pins but no nut. You can bet I have one now. And, now, after fixing the trim switch there is no way I could've done that on the water without having done it before. It required a deep well socket to a nut you can't even see. I may be throwing one of those in the boat as well.

You said you learned the hard way and I suppose we all do...unless they end up reading this.

[retiredbosn]

I've heard it said many times the 2 happiest days in a boat owner's life the day he buys it and the day he sells it!