MrChipsnSalad Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Well I had two hours left to complete running in the motor. I thought a quick troll around Middle Harbour would do the trick. As usual, the weather was terrible on the day I chose to go out. I've taken the boat out with the new motor 3 times, and each time, there has been a ripping Southerly, bordering on rain. Not only is the weather lousy, but I prepared the boat to launch. Dumb old me trusted the lock on the motor to keep it tilted up. A fairly insignificant bump on the road going around to the ramp at Roseville, and bang. The motor drops down, and the fin at the bottom hits the ground and it has now got a horrible bend in it. Being Alloy, i expect that when i take the motor in for the 10 hour service tomorrow, they are going to tell me it can't be straightened. Cursing i got the boat in the water, finally. Got out of the 8 knot zone, and let it rip a bit. As expected, the motor now fights like mad to make a left turn, when you get a bit of speed up. The damaged fin is causing the motor to want to turn under power. Trolled for 2 hours around the Spit Bridge and Sugarloaf/Sailors Bay. Did not even see a hint of marine life bar for the seagulls that have made homes on unused boats, and did their best to stop me trolling through their patch. Not a sniff of a fish. I think my mood was being projected into the briny blue. Now I look forward to the good news tomorrow, that there is going to be a huge cost to replace the bottom end of the motor. I hope that they can replace just the casing, and reuse the brand new innards. Just when I thought I was into the clear. A great new 40hp Tohatsu, instead of my old unreliable 25hp that hardly worked. Yet shit still happens.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penguin Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Mate i simpythise with u on ur motor damage coz i did the same thing a year ago but mine was worse,I had a piece brake off as well. To my surprise the dealer where i bought my boat from said no probs it can be fixed easy. I got it fixed and even i cannot tell where i had bent and broken it. Good luck with it, penguin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPSGT Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 The seagulls on the boats at the entrance to Sugar Loaf Bay had baby chicks on them. Every time we trolled past on Sat they swooped us, protecting their chicks which were newly hantched on one boat and slightly bigger on another. I kept thinking to myself what would want to eat a seagull, they are like rats with wings. If they fell in the water, maybe a pack of chopper tailor might have a go at them pirranha style or the Fugu Puffer fish that shoot out of nowhere and nip your brand new soft plastic in half might nip at their feet Shows how much some of those boats get used, when seagulls use them as nesting sites. As for your motor - is there material lost from the metal or is it just bent? Fixing it wouldnt be too costly if the skeg just needs straighting , getting it painted again to hide the repairs would be.Try an alloy wheel repairer or a specialist welder - would be cheaper than the $90 hr it would cost of the boat mechanic to look at it. On my last motor which was quite old I lent the boat to a friend and they reversed it up the drive with the motor down and bent the bottom of the skeg about about three 3cm from the bottom. I got out the angle grinder and powerfile reshaped it and painted it - it made no difference to the steering or track of the boat and you couldnt tell it was repaired - but that was a 1976 Johnson not a brand new motor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flightmanager Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 What terrible luck , Im sorry to hear that your new motor has been damaged . Hopefully it will be a quick and easy ( read cheap ) repair !. Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clutch Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 What terrible luck , Im sorry to hear that your new motor has been damaged . Hopefully it will be a quick and easy ( read cheap ) repair !. Ross SAME.....Good Luck with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ophet Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Sorry to hear about the engine mate, shame you didn't get a fish to brighten up the day. Hopefully the repairs won't put too much of a dent in your pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mondo Rock Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Yeah that's a total bummer Mr Chips - although it does sound like the repairs may be cheaper and easier than you had thought. Let us all know how you go. And I also sympathise with the weather!! I recently got my first boat and every single time I've tried to take it out the weather has turned to crap. Is there a New Boat God up there who just likes toying with us? DAMN YOU NEW BOAT GOD!!!!! I should warn Fishraiders that I'm taking it out again this Saturday so be prepared for sh!tty weather this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martin Posted December 19, 2006 Share Posted December 19, 2006 Not a great day out. Hope they fix it at their cost because the motor should not drop. All roads have bumps in them and its a fair and reasonable expectation that your motor stays up when you use what they designed to kep it up. I would argue the lock is not fit for purpose. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrChipsnSalad Posted December 20, 2006 Author Share Posted December 20, 2006 Thanks for all the kind words everyone. I took the boat in for the service today. The mechanic has told me that he will be able to straighten it without much difficulty. He also identified that the locking system that holds the motor up, was a little loose. He never mentioned any price to straighten it, but that makes me think that it is not going to be too dear. I now drive with straps to keep the motor in place, and avoid that happening again. As for the fish, well they'll come i guess. We have 10 days at Fingal Bay over the New Year, so the new boat god is going to have to work overtime to keep me off the water. It can't be bad weather for all 10 days -surely not in a drought? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njsconst Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 (edited) Ehhhhhh, The joys of owning a boat!!!!! B etter O rganise A nother T housand $$$$$$$$$ right on Xmas, its gotta hurt. NJS Edited December 20, 2006 by njsconst Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy C Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Big-Banana Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 I remember when the old man first bought the boat, a mate of ours said "owning a boat is like going to the ramp and throwing a $1000 in the water every day." How true that is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flightmanager Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 My favourite definition of a boat is : A large hole in the water , surrounded by aluminium or fibreglass , into which you pour all of your money !! Ross Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrChipsnSalad Posted December 20, 2006 Author Share Posted December 20, 2006 Well Raiders, the good news is - The total cost including service, skeg straightening and adjusting the position of the axle on our trailer is - $306 I'll drink to that. I expected much worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
netic Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Good news........hopefully you will get a few good days of fishing at FIngal Bay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
namesay Posted December 20, 2006 Share Posted December 20, 2006 Boat+fishing=bankrupt! Cheers Kelvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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