sdexcalibur
Seaman Apprentice
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2008
- Messages
- 38
ok we say today is the day the boat goins in the water, Did all our check list life jackets, rope, drain plug ect, It's starts it drizzle while on the way to the ramp but the wife says we are doing it, besides we had a full canvan inclosure, not sure if she was saying that because she knew I really wanted to or not, but we get down to the ramp and try to back in, Must of pulled forward about 6 times, luckly is wasn't the best day and their was no one else their.
We back her up and I say oh almost forgot the drain plug, Thinking haha I didn't forget it like some of the stories I read, so I go to pop it in only to find out it doesn't fit, I try and try but nothing, Then I remember a had a brass plug in the boat and it looks about that size, Sure enough screws right in, I'm thinking YES things are looking good, Just then the EP pulls up drives right down the boat ramp along side us and says you going out or coming in. I say going out, then he goes into do you have life jackets, I say sure do, I pop in the boat and show him the jackets, show him the whistle, flares,fire extinguisher, show him the registeration, and he says ok your good to go have fun, He was really nice through the whle thing So my son (7) pops in the boat we back it up a litte more and push it off, I walk it down then jump off the tire cover on to the boat and I'm in,
It's floating backwards and I go to start it. Nothing, umm ok I try again nothing still floating backwards and to the north side which the sign on the ramp says no boating on the north side because it too shallow, I start getting worried so I throw the anchor over so I don't keep floating over their I try again and the motor starts.Thank god I think, I kick it into forward and go around the dock that's shaped like a T it's about 15' off the water about 200' into the water and the t part is about 80' across , Now instead of going on the side closest to the ramp remember I went around the T, I get my dad and my wife in the boat and the motor dies, I go to start it and nothing again, try try try and nothing, now the waves are pushing us into the beams that support the dock, SO my wife and my dad use the oars to push us off the posts, but the waves keep smashing us into them, I try the blower it works the horn works , but the engine does turn It does nothing no clicks no noise just dead! finally I say the heck with it, and stand on the windsheild and climb up a post to the top deck, They had corss beam which made climbing easy,
Once I get up their they throw me a rope and a start pulling the boat the along side the dock, but once I got to the adjsent part on the dock, things became tricks, I didn't have enough leverage to make it around the side, Finally after a lot of work from them down below, We made it around, now all I had to do was make it around 2 other side, Oh and by the way their is about 10 people fishing that had to pull up their lines so I could pull the boat along, So once we get close to the boat ramp I run and get the tralier back it in and hook up the cable, everyone gets off the boat and my wife and I are in the water up to our chest trying to push the boat on the trailer, She is in jeans and sneakers, me in jean shorts and sandles my dad cranks it in, I thought for sure the cable was going to snap but it didn't, The whole process from when the motor died to we got it on the trailer had to been an hour and a half,
We strap it down and try the motor, again nothing the tilt work as we raised it before trailing it. so off we go to where we keep it, I get it parked and start putting up the canvan top as we took it down before we made our trip to the ramp. after everything is all set, I look over in discust at the instrument panel, and I notice the throtle is pushed abit in the forward posistion not much just a little, so I go over and place it in netural and turn the key, THE ENGINE STARTED!!!!, I didn't run it long as soon as it turned I shut it off, I then put the throtle in the same posistion it was and nothing, Turned the key a few times and nothing, I moved to back and it turned over, I couldn't believe it, My dad is saying it must be the starter, but I haven't told him about the throtle yet, I told my wife once we started heading home that I thought I had it in gear and maybe that's why it didn't start, I'm not sure but I thinik I'm sleeping on the couch tonight,
Oh and the iceing on the cake, while I first started the boat while I was floating backwards and to the north, I dinged up the prop, Not too bad my dad is insistant that he can fix it. Just a few tears from hitting the rocks
So overall our very first time out was an experiance we will never forget, I'm jsut hoping it someone on shore had a video camera and send it in to americas funniest home video we get a cut.
We back her up and I say oh almost forgot the drain plug, Thinking haha I didn't forget it like some of the stories I read, so I go to pop it in only to find out it doesn't fit, I try and try but nothing, Then I remember a had a brass plug in the boat and it looks about that size, Sure enough screws right in, I'm thinking YES things are looking good, Just then the EP pulls up drives right down the boat ramp along side us and says you going out or coming in. I say going out, then he goes into do you have life jackets, I say sure do, I pop in the boat and show him the jackets, show him the whistle, flares,fire extinguisher, show him the registeration, and he says ok your good to go have fun, He was really nice through the whle thing So my son (7) pops in the boat we back it up a litte more and push it off, I walk it down then jump off the tire cover on to the boat and I'm in,
It's floating backwards and I go to start it. Nothing, umm ok I try again nothing still floating backwards and to the north side which the sign on the ramp says no boating on the north side because it too shallow, I start getting worried so I throw the anchor over so I don't keep floating over their I try again and the motor starts.Thank god I think, I kick it into forward and go around the dock that's shaped like a T it's about 15' off the water about 200' into the water and the t part is about 80' across , Now instead of going on the side closest to the ramp remember I went around the T, I get my dad and my wife in the boat and the motor dies, I go to start it and nothing again, try try try and nothing, now the waves are pushing us into the beams that support the dock, SO my wife and my dad use the oars to push us off the posts, but the waves keep smashing us into them, I try the blower it works the horn works , but the engine does turn It does nothing no clicks no noise just dead! finally I say the heck with it, and stand on the windsheild and climb up a post to the top deck, They had corss beam which made climbing easy,
Once I get up their they throw me a rope and a start pulling the boat the along side the dock, but once I got to the adjsent part on the dock, things became tricks, I didn't have enough leverage to make it around the side, Finally after a lot of work from them down below, We made it around, now all I had to do was make it around 2 other side, Oh and by the way their is about 10 people fishing that had to pull up their lines so I could pull the boat along, So once we get close to the boat ramp I run and get the tralier back it in and hook up the cable, everyone gets off the boat and my wife and I are in the water up to our chest trying to push the boat on the trailer, She is in jeans and sneakers, me in jean shorts and sandles my dad cranks it in, I thought for sure the cable was going to snap but it didn't, The whole process from when the motor died to we got it on the trailer had to been an hour and a half,
We strap it down and try the motor, again nothing the tilt work as we raised it before trailing it. so off we go to where we keep it, I get it parked and start putting up the canvan top as we took it down before we made our trip to the ramp. after everything is all set, I look over in discust at the instrument panel, and I notice the throtle is pushed abit in the forward posistion not much just a little, so I go over and place it in netural and turn the key, THE ENGINE STARTED!!!!, I didn't run it long as soon as it turned I shut it off, I then put the throtle in the same posistion it was and nothing, Turned the key a few times and nothing, I moved to back and it turned over, I couldn't believe it, My dad is saying it must be the starter, but I haven't told him about the throtle yet, I told my wife once we started heading home that I thought I had it in gear and maybe that's why it didn't start, I'm not sure but I thinik I'm sleeping on the couch tonight,
Oh and the iceing on the cake, while I first started the boat while I was floating backwards and to the north, I dinged up the prop, Not too bad my dad is insistant that he can fix it. Just a few tears from hitting the rocks
So overall our very first time out was an experiance we will never forget, I'm jsut hoping it someone on shore had a video camera and send it in to americas funniest home video we get a cut.
