I'm gonna use my 1000'th post to tell you briefly about my lastest fishing trip..<br /><br />It all started the day before the trip.. I once saw a trailer boat that had a leaf spring snap while driving at 60miles and it wasn't pretty.. so I've always been paranoid about mine.. and always got under the trailer to check things out before going for a tow.. <br /><br />This time around I noticed that main (and only) steel beam between the trailer body and the tongue was completly rusted out from the inside.. I freaked and the 20mile tow was replaced by the local boatramp.. no problems I would just have to drive the distance in the boat instead.. a good test... (got allot of weilding to do on the trailer.)<br /><br />Got the boat in the water and engine running.. <br />wouldn't run over 2500 without dying.. stopped to check plug leads were all firm and both float chambers full.. no problems there.. was starting to panic when I noticed that the manual choke on the moter was out.. (I never use the manual lever so no idea how that happened..) quickest fix I've done, motor running perfectly now.. only wasted 30 minutes and about 10 liters of fuel on that.<br /><br />Head down river at a good rate of knots and proceeded to fish.. <br /><br />several small low rev repositions to find a good spot.. night approaches.. <br /><br />fish most of the night and doze off in the boat.. next morning I relocate to another spot to continue fishing.. everything is still fine..<br /><br />go to move again and the battery no longer has the power to start the main motor..<br /><br />no problem I think, I'll use the kicker to get to shore and ask some nice person to borrow a powerpoint to charge the battery.<br /><br />The kickers pullstarter needs retensioning so i use a rope around the flywheel.. no probs.. we beach the boat, and I go to find someone with a powerpoint.. I eventually do.. so time to use the kicker to get to the shore near their house...<br /><br />Its very windy this day with a bit of a swell and strong current.. kicker struggles to get us upsteam but we get there eventually, go to beach the boat near the house, but at the last minute discovered the water is full of razor sharp rocks..<br /><br />managed to get the boat turned around and instead head over to the small jetty and try to dock..<br /><br />just as I get close, several huge bow waves from a big boat hit us side on.. in addition to the wind and current, and I had not enough power in the kicker to compensate.. boat smashes into the jetty diagnally and not only is my favorite rod snapped, but the canopy hits the jetty as well and tears off too.. plus my brand new reel fell into the drink when the rod snapped.. (and I got a gang hook in the back of my hand when it happend..)<br /><br />I chucked a hissy fit at this point, swearing, screaming and throwing stuff around, and succeeded in knocking what was left of the canopy overboard as well.. <br /><br />I then head straight for shore, tilt up both motors and manage to get over the rocks with no damage done, beach the boat and go diving for my reel and canopy.. recovered both from 15-20 feet of water.. cut my feet up pretty bad getting back to shore though..<br /><br />I get the battery out, and head up to the house where I could charge it.. set that up and head back down again.. now I notice that all the big bow waves from other boats where washing up the back of mine and into and over the splashwell.. my boat had about 50 liters of water in it...<br /><br />I manage to turn the boat sideways abit to lessen the effect and bail most of the water out..<br /><br />My mate has been massivly hung over from drinking to much while fishing the night before, so he has spend the morning hurling over the side or into bushes when we are on shore.. no help at all from him..<br /><br />Battery is charged.. back in the boat, and its time to go.. <br /><br />now the problem, we cant' tilt the motor down because of all the rocks.. and so we can't test and make sure it will start till we get out in deeper water.. <br /><br />If it doesn't start, we'll be washed straight onto the rocks again.. <br /><br />After much pulling of hair, I decided the anchor was the solution, so I picked up my 12 pound anchor, 4 meters of chain and about 50 foot of rope, and tried to throw it out as far as I could.. got about 20 feet.. probably less.. ok, throwing won't work, what about swimming it out there.. that worked, was **** hard though.. managed to get the anchor about 50-60 feet out.. and dropped it.. I swim back to the boat, load everything in.. and turn it around.. I pull the boat out to near where the anchor is and all is well, we are in deep water, and anchored stably..<br /><br />Motor starts great.. I thought our troubles were ended.. decided at this stage that I'm just too tired to fish anymore, and decide to head home.<br />(had about 1 hour sleep in 2 days).<br /><br />heading home, upriver for the 20-30 mile trip back to the boatramp.. fishfinder is a hummingbird, so it was useless for telling me the depth when we're going over 10 miles.. (actually the hummingbird has problems telling us the depth when we are stationary)...<br /><br />I was so tired, I had stopped paying much attention to the water and was just heading upsteam at about 30 miles an hour.. <br /><br />managed to get about 800 meters into an area where the water is only 1 meter deep and full of rocks..<br />how I didn't hit anything at that speed I don't know because once I realised and turned back on path and tried to get out. (at a much slower rate) we hit about 5 rocks.. snapped a prop blade and the hydroelectric gearcase wouldn't go back into gear.. bummer.. <br /><br />So I go to fire up the kicker, only to discover that it just didn't want to fire.. nothing happening.. after about 30 minutes of wrapping a rope around the flywheel, I gave up...<br /><br />Sat there for a while thinking all manner of dark thoughts.. I was tired, sunburnt, feet bleeding badly.. when it hit me.. hydroelectric gearcases default to forwards when there is no current.. so I pull the cover off the big motor, disconnect both the wires to the gearcase and fire it up.. good stuff, we are in gear.. (with no neutral or reverse) motor is vibrating pretty badly due to the missing prob blade, but we are moving again and manage to get the last 10 miles home without further mishap.. <br /><br />Get to the boatramp, there are about 100 speedboats/PWC there and every spot on the beach is taken.. except one.. so we head over there. and at the last minute discover that a 5yo kid is swimming right where we will be in 20 seconds, and we have no reverse or neutral... much yelling later and the mother has retrieved her kid and our boat is beached again. the retreval of the boat was fine,, back on the trailer and back home.. by this stage I can only hobble my feet are so messed up.. get home.. and try to detach the boat from my car and push it into its customary place.. only to discover I wasn't able to lift the boat anymore.. turned out where was still a geat deal of water in the bilge and it had been sitting in the deepest part of the hull. (near the front of my flatbottom half cabin) therefore not draining from the bungholes in the back.. was lucky the extra weight didn't snap the rusted trailer beam. tilted it up and flooded the backyard with salt water.<br /><br />After all the cleaning was done.. and all packed away.. I fell asleep and didn't wake for about 20 hours.. <br /><br />Can't believe I actually want to do this again.....<br /><br />On the upside. the new cable steering and throttle cable I installed before this trip performed brilliantly.. 
<br /><br />Also realised 3 days after the trip that I had mistakenly topped up the tilt motor with brake fluid instead of tranny.. so had to flush that as well.<br /><br />Almost forgot to mention the worst bit.. only caught 2 undersize fish.. <br /><br />Some days you just shouldn't get out of bed.<br /><br />rgds<br /><br />Franki
<br /><br />Also realised 3 days after the trip that I had mistakenly topped up the tilt motor with brake fluid instead of tranny.. so had to flush that as well.<br /><br />Almost forgot to mention the worst bit.. only caught 2 undersize fish.. <br /><br />Some days you just shouldn't get out of bed.<br /><br />rgds<br /><br />Franki