An Expensive Lesson

[selous]

I was out on Saturday having a fish around Pittwater/Broken Bay when a storm cell approached. As I was passing Patonga at a reasonable speed I hit a set of waves and as I hit the 3rd or 4th wave in the set, the quick release bracket on the bow mounted Minn Kota decided to live up to it's name. Over the side went the leccy with foot pedal attached into 10m of water.

Things I learnt from this episode:

• The retaining pin supplied with the unit is useless. It has either failed or worked loose. If using the composite quick release bracket use a padlock to secure the handle.
  
  • Always keep all receipts and instruction manuals, even if it is a one page assembly sheet (I do)
    
  • Photograph everything on your boat. I am insured with club marine and notwithstanding I had all the manuals and receipts, they still wanted photographs if I had any showing the Minn Kota installed in addition to the receipts and manuals.
    
  • Electric motors don't float!!!
    

  

  It could have been worst - at least I was insured. Although I marked the spot on my sounder where the Minn went in I'm guessing that it would have been stuffed even if I had been able to recover it.

[cameldownunder]

[*]Electric motors don't float!!!

Must have been quite some waves you crossed there !

Sorry to hear about the loss. Good you were insured.

If you weren't I wouldn't post following line

?? Do they make life vests for electric motors ??

[framedtrash]

you gotta be carefull around that area

waves come out of no where and it quite common for them to come from a few different directions at once espically when comming into pittwater around west head

atleast your insured

[DarkHorse]

Selous,

Sorry to hear about your loss! Thank you for your post, a timely reminder to me that I hadnt told club marine that I had a new minn kota. Just called them and listed it on my policy.

I only ever use the small pin to hold it on my plastic quick mount bracket, might have to rethink that as well!

Regards,

Rob