Texasmark
Supreme Mariner
- Joined
- Dec 20, 2005
- Messages
- 14,795
Was leaving the lake yesterday and this toon was launched by 2 middle aged ladies and a gent. Know not who owns the boat.......I think one of the ladies (and her husband owned it) and her husband usually does the driving but apparently wasn't aboard.
They got it launched and beached. All boarded. About a '66 50 hp Merc. One of the ladies is at the helm and somehow they get it started. She had the shifter in N and the fast idle all the way open. Rpm's had to be 3000.
Allllllllll Aboarddddddddd. I was off to the side and had a profile view of the rig. She slams it in R at that rpm and I don't have to tell you what kind of noise was coming from the gearbox.
I immediately I notice the engine is stuck in the mud and puts reverse stress on the boats engine mounting bracket and engine's lower parts......about the time that it kills it.
She tries to start it on a very weak battery with no luck. I motion to them to squeeze the bulb (since the engine is still cold and probably lean), which they did and she got her going again.
I also indicated that they needed to tilt the engine but no tilt so one got on the bow and pushing with her feet and rocking the boat got it out where the prop was clear.
Here we goooooooooo. She slams it in R again with the fast idle still wide open and another round of gear grinding, banging and clanging. Finially the cogs catch and the prop turns. Now the toon is reversing at a very rapid rate.......glad that they were the only ones at the launch (I hadn't gotten my trailer yet but was headed that way).
They got her backed out, still at full fast idle rpms. Now a dose for the forward gears....crunch again.
I got my trailer in the water and was getting my boat so rather than go directly to the trailer, I went over to them and pulled up along side.....by then they had figured out that the fast idle would go to the slow idle position and they were putt putting to the fishing hole.
I Ilustrated how to use the Merc single lever control but apparently the control box was corroded as (the man is driving now) could only advance the throttle with the fast idle.
I asked if they had things under control and they said they did, so I went back to the trailer, loaded up, and left.
Oh, I did mention that if they continued shifting like that their lower unit wouldn't last very long and they would be out $1000 or so getting their boat running again.
Hope I'm not the mechanic they choose when and if it breaks as I know they "just won't understand" how much they tore up and what it costs to fix it.
Sad but true and it happens all the time and the equipment and the repair folks get all the blame.......and the mechanic will probably never be told the "real" history of the problem.
Don't mean to step on any toes with this as I know there are all kinds of boaters out there with all kinds of equipment and expertise. This is why if my wife or anyone else that doesn't know my boat wants to go fishing, I take them; I don't give them the boat.
Mark
They got it launched and beached. All boarded. About a '66 50 hp Merc. One of the ladies is at the helm and somehow they get it started. She had the shifter in N and the fast idle all the way open. Rpm's had to be 3000.
Allllllllll Aboarddddddddd. I was off to the side and had a profile view of the rig. She slams it in R at that rpm and I don't have to tell you what kind of noise was coming from the gearbox.
I immediately I notice the engine is stuck in the mud and puts reverse stress on the boats engine mounting bracket and engine's lower parts......about the time that it kills it.
She tries to start it on a very weak battery with no luck. I motion to them to squeeze the bulb (since the engine is still cold and probably lean), which they did and she got her going again.
I also indicated that they needed to tilt the engine but no tilt so one got on the bow and pushing with her feet and rocking the boat got it out where the prop was clear.
Here we goooooooooo. She slams it in R again with the fast idle still wide open and another round of gear grinding, banging and clanging. Finially the cogs catch and the prop turns. Now the toon is reversing at a very rapid rate.......glad that they were the only ones at the launch (I hadn't gotten my trailer yet but was headed that way).
They got her backed out, still at full fast idle rpms. Now a dose for the forward gears....crunch again.
I got my trailer in the water and was getting my boat so rather than go directly to the trailer, I went over to them and pulled up along side.....by then they had figured out that the fast idle would go to the slow idle position and they were putt putting to the fishing hole.
I Ilustrated how to use the Merc single lever control but apparently the control box was corroded as (the man is driving now) could only advance the throttle with the fast idle.
I asked if they had things under control and they said they did, so I went back to the trailer, loaded up, and left.
Oh, I did mention that if they continued shifting like that their lower unit wouldn't last very long and they would be out $1000 or so getting their boat running again.
Hope I'm not the mechanic they choose when and if it breaks as I know they "just won't understand" how much they tore up and what it costs to fix it.
Sad but true and it happens all the time and the equipment and the repair folks get all the blame.......and the mechanic will probably never be told the "real" history of the problem.
Don't mean to step on any toes with this as I know there are all kinds of boaters out there with all kinds of equipment and expertise. This is why if my wife or anyone else that doesn't know my boat wants to go fishing, I take them; I don't give them the boat.
Mark
