Forgot to Trim Up Drive

[jdag]

Nice day out on the water today. Got back to the launch and there were open ramps. Go get the truck, load the boat...Everything is good! I pull the boat out of the water and pull the truck off to the side (about 100') to secure the boat and get ready to head home.

Then I notice it! The outdrive was all the way down! OUCH!

I immediately checked the props, and they are perfectly fine. The skeg was barely scratched (only the very bottom, and very very little at that). I wanted to re-launch the boat to take it out for a spin, but didn't have the time.

Did I do any damage? As I understand from reading online, the drive should "kick up" when striking objects. Would my outdrive have basically "riden on the skeg" as I drive out? Can I sleep easily tonight?

Thanks, John

 

[cribber]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

Been there done that three times so far... my equivalent of forgetting the plug. You should be able to sleep since it only scraped the bottom of the skeg. Just check the level of your trim fluid if you have a hydraulic trim setup after the next time you go out.

 

[Mason78]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

I made the same mistake once last year. I was fortunate that nothing actually struck the ground. I assume it was the ramp/trailer combo just happened to work out for me.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

Hasn't everyone done that? You should be fine.

 

[rschap1]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

You may want to have the outdrive/engine alignment checked.
Maybe during the off season at least.
If you feel vibration on your next outing, sooner.
The entire weight of the boat, engine, trailer, etc was not meant to be supported by the transom assembly.
If anything did get shifted the coupler and gimbal will be getting more wear than they should.
Not a bad idea to have alignment checked periodically anyways, especially after an episode like you describe.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

That incident should not cause the alignment to go out. If it did you have WAY bigger issues.

 

[jdag]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

Ironically, I have a service appt scheduled for tomorrow anyhow...it was planned before my mishap. So I will speak to the dealer.

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

Ironically, I have a service appt scheduled for tomorrow anyhow...it was planned before my mishap. So I will speak to the dealer.

If all you did was scrape the bottom of your skeg, don't worry about it. The dealer might want you to leave it and have it checked out for only $90.00 an hour labor rate even if there isn't anything wrong. Get what your going to have done and leave and enjoy the boat.As Bruce said if you have an engine alignment problem you got bigger problems and it wasn't caused by a scraped skeg.

 

[oldjeep]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

Ironically, I have a service appt scheduled for tomorrow anyhow...it was planned before my mishap. So I will speak to the dealer.

I sure wouldn't worry about it if you just scraped it. Everyone has done it at least once or will soon

 

[Husker-Q]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

I did that once and said I'll always remember to trim up in the future - and I have, right up until the second time I did it. So far no third time! Stuff like that seem to happen when I get in a hurry - or I have different people with me and I do everything. Normally my son drives boat onto trailer and trims up while I pull the rig out. I've experience no problems other than damaged pride!

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

I had no issues when our boat had an outboard as it is staring at you when you put the boat on the trailer but since having an outdrive on this one and the fact that the boat is docked most of the time it is just a question of time till I do it. Maybe I will put a note on the dash to remind me.

 

[Edge180]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

I can count on one hand how many times I have actually REMEMBERED to pull it up. (Not too proud to admit that). I pull out pretty slow, so it's evident within the first foot of movement. It's almost laughable now. I'm better off when my wife pulls the boat on the trailer. She remembers better than me. :facepalm:
Yeah, my skeg is scratched and gouged a bit, but no damage to the fin luckily.
I guess I need to check the trim fluid...maybe that's why my gauge doesn't work until it's all the way down or all the way up. Suddenly the gauge springs to life and tells me where it's at.

 

[RedMan1973]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

I have never owned an I/O and the first time I helped a friend take his boat out the water we did the same thing, I forgot to tab up and yeap sccccrrrrraaaaap is all I hear when she came out the water :facepalm:

 

[Thalasso]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

It's when you backup while it's scraping that you might cause some damage. Trim cly's. are designed to let the drive come up when you hit something

 

[RedMan1973]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

It's when you backup while it's scraping that you might cause some damage. Trim cly's. are designed to let the drive come up when you hit something

Yea I know, we did not back up thank god. Just hit the trim up and up the outdrive came. Come to find out the friend I was with had done this many time as he is really knew to the boating community

 

[jdag]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

I went out on the boat yesterday for the 1st time since my mishap...everything seemed great. The engine ran well and there were no vibrations, steering issues, etc.

 

[RedMan1973]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

Always a good sign

 

[jkust]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

I've never not trimmed all the way up as I approach the ramp mostly because they can be shallow and the docks are never long enough. Some docks are so short, it's like the DNR is just playing a trick on us. Even if they are deep it's a habbit now. You must have long docks or deeper water to not need to trim it up far to ever have this happen.

 

[marcoalza]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

I can never understand people who do this.
I mean it's so simple to raise your drive before pulling away.
Shouldn't be allowed to captain a boat.........:facepalm::facepalm:

 

[NYBo]

Re: Forgot to Trim Up Drive

I can never understand people who do this.
I mean it's so simple to raise your drive before pulling away.
Shouldn't be allowed to captain a boat.........:facepalm::facepalm:

You realize you have just jinxed yourself, don't you? Poseidon will be demanding a pound of skeg from you any day now!