Two Weddings And A Rebuild

[PPSGT]

Hi Raiders,

Bit of a long tale ( like all fishing stories...)

I haven’t posted for a while, as the fishing trips have been few and far between and as every fishraider

knows boat stands for Bring Out Another Thousand, and my boat, which doesnt have a name, except when its playing up I call it Das Boot - I think it gets the message I'm annoyed with it when I yell at it in a WW2 German U-boat captains voice has been off the water for 10 months

Anyway as boat problems come in threes, late last year after 20 uneventful (boat problem wise )missions attacking kingys with frozen Pillie heads (with much success ) I took it out for a trip to meet up with another raider Dicko ( I still owe you that trip ), but had to call him to say the trip was cancelled as the trailer hitch clip had failed and the boat had come off and gone through the back of the car (my driveway is very steep and the clip that came with the new hitch was very weak) just as I was leaving to meet him at the ramp , so a trip to the wreckers and $500 later for a complete 2nd hand rear hatch for my Subaru door in the correct colour (the glass alone was going to be $1200) the wreckers even helped me fit it for free. I think he took pity on me as I rocked up in a suit - there are nice people in Sydney (i bought him a carton of beer for helping ) the next weekend I took my future father inlaw out for a run, the boat behaved itself until 5 minutes from the ramp, it stopped dead and wouldn’t start, and we had to take use the aux motor back to the ramp.

I took it home and it started perfectly (off course) so headed out from Burns bay the next weekend for another go on the kingys with the servo pillies. Of course something else had to go wrong (a new battery $250) but I just as I got to Clifton it made a bad noise, fatal kind a noise, and stopped and wouldn’t start - so rather then waste time I started fishing for a couple of hours

finally after it cooled down it started just and I started off for home - it ran dead smooth and noise free

just not over 10 knots or 2500 rpm.

After much changing of spark plugs and leads I took it to the mechanic for a professional opinion, He rang me and told me not even Dr House could save the patient, and things were terminal

I don’t know how the rats got in there, but they certainly chewed the head of the piston.. I was suprised

how well it ran on zero compression on the centre cylinder

So with a wedding & honeymoon to save for only 10 months away and a bill "at least $3500" Das Boot was wheeled into the garage, and my fishing mission were put on hold till after the wedding

Down, but not out I slowly boat bits and pieces for a rebuild ( my work car allowance wasn’t entirely spent on the car ) and a trip to the Lane cove library, many hours of google'ing and a few emails to Huey (how does the damn flywheel come off?) , I got the idea into my head that I might be able to rebuild it myself.

Now with zero outboard repair skills, little idea of places in Sydney to find the right parts and get machining done, and none of those places anywhere near my house, no mechanically minded friends ( unlike back in Adelaide) and only a apartment balcony and an unlit carpark space to work in the rebuilt began ( glad the landlord didn’t do a single inspection in 10 months )

I'm not going to say it was easy, I not going to say I knew what i was doing, that I didn’t cut my hands

or think it was ever going to start again but after 10 months of saving for parts (ebay is great!), 8 weeks for the pistons to arrive undamaged in the post after 3 attempts (bubble wrap is so cheap...), many weekends research and tinkering i had the completed block machined, with three new pistons, rings, bearings all assembled back onto the outboard leg.

Rings and 3 brand new shiny pistons all fitted up

My makeshift spray booth and engine stand - Had to make it look nice

Now I wasnt game to start it up myself so I wait until wait until I had all the money saved for the wedding, so a month out from the big day I took it back to my mechanic ( 2 old blokes in a shed full of pre 90's Johnson parts ) Now there not the quickest of turn around but they do a great job and always have a part lying around to fix things on the cheap ( 3 weeks after i dropped it off "Jason - the weather's not good for fishing anyway this weekend ) I picked it up serviced and tuned ready for action. But it was the buck show weekend, full of scotches ( johhny walker), steak ( hogsbreath) , strippers (crazyhorse ) and snapper (charter) and a friends wedding back in Adelaide with the following weekend back in Adelaide for my big day the Das Boott would have to wait for its maiden voyage, until after the honeymoon

Any way no big snapper on the charter,

Didnt catch ANY fish on my wedding day

Chose a fishing charter in Adelaide over a charter on Isle of Pines New Caledonia to make the new wife happy even though she said I could go on one on our honeymoon!

(going back there fishing next year unbelievable! fish everywhere)

but went on a boat trip out to an atoll with a 5kg lobster for lunch - 8 people couldn’t finish it was huge!

They have GT & Bonefish fishing expeditons on New Caledonia... just got to get a crew of diehard fishraiders togther... and practise my French ( my wife is a french teacher) as no one speaks English on the islands, especially the Kanak Skippers

Steering Island Style

Anyway, had a week off work after the wedding, so took out the boat for its maiden run. Got to the ramp

And realised Tunks Park ramp is Actually "Long Bay Ramp" never seen the sign before

and couldnt launch the boat

I guess he needed a lot of burley!

Anyway after watching the captain skillfully handle the massive barge in shallow water

I reversed the boat down to the water, turned the key - and it fired up instantly

Now on 25:1 to run it in it was a bit smoky, but it ran perfectly dead smooth and very quiet.

Took it out three days in a row and now have run up 10 hours on it so its all ready for action now!

I am so happy with the outcome - total cost for the rebuild was probably less than my new wifes wedding shoes (thats sounds like a bargain - but she bought them in Paris, and just like the cost of the dress I am never to know the true cost. Just like if she realised how much I actually spend on my fishing gear...

Didnt do much fishing, as was breaking in the motor, but didn’t hook a nice king on my new

Tierra 2500 loaded with a pillie head , but 3kg was no match for the monster I hooked, it hit the line

so hard it sounded like a pistol went off when the line parted. (my goal this year is to catch on 3kg straight to the hook no leader - first attempt didnt go so well)

Anyway I'm looking forward to terrorizing all the harbour kingfish with my servo pillies and look forward to meeting up with other fellow raiders in Middle Harbour and Clifton Gardens this summer

I also got a heap of new squid armoury whilst in Adelaide (squid fishing is huge) a local guy has

made some very cool gear, his gear isnt cheap - but its is deadly on the squids!, and I had to go to four shops as the other three had sold out. My Tierra 2500 was $50 cheaper in Adelaide than Sydney, and that was from the same national fishing tackle shop group I buy my gear from in Sydney.. I also got one on ebay for $20 cheaper than the shops (guys was also in SA) Sydney is so expensive ,except for the ramps all 4 near my place are free!

Catch you on the water -

Jason

[Guest]

Congratulations all round Jason and to your new fair maiden

Cheers Stewy

[Flightmanager]

Great story jason , glad you persevered with the rebuild and got a good result!!!

Ross

[jim77]

Great read Jason and congrats on the successful rebuild!

Very impressive... amazing how far peoples addiction for fishing will take them!

[Dreamtime]

Crikey , I'm exhausted just reading the post.

Excellent read, well done on the rebuild.

Glad to see the is a willing

I wouldn't be too worried that no fish were caught, by all accounts, and the photos, you got a pretty darn good catch indeed with the

Must be a satisfying result all round.

Cheers

Mariner

[Hodgey]

Great read Jason! My mechanical abilities could be smothered by the contents of an M&M, so I take my hat off to you for your re-build achievement!

Congrats on the Wedding, and the re-floating of Das Boot

Cheers

Hodgey

[miller]

hi mate

congrats on the wedding and the rebuild

if thats the same day i was tied off to the jetty waiting for the barg to go

must have driven straight past you

cheers

miller

[slinkymalinky]

Congratulations mate. That's one great story and one understanding wife

Thanks for such an enjoyable read

Cheers, Slinky