My 13 yr old and I took our "new" old boat on its first ride today. We just went to a no-wake lake to idle around and fish a little, and make sure that it did not overheat at idle.
Thanks to a lot of folks here on this forum... my ramp activities were smooth and quick. The launch was fast. Rigged up in the parking area, left the winch strap and safety chain on. Backed down, with the wheels in the water, handed my daughter the bow line, unhooked the strap and chain (forgot to unplug the trailer...) and backed in and popped the boat right off. The courtesy dock was full of sailboats with nobody in sight, so we pulled the boat over onto the sand and I pulled the truck off the ramp. I bet we were not on the ramp three minutes.
Boat ran pretty good, have some bugs to chase out... mostly fuel line related (old fittings for the tanks) and maybe the electrical system is not generating a high enough voltage. I'm not too concerned yet.
Getting back on the trailer was a bit trickier, but not too bad. Sailboats still on the dock (GRrrrrrrrrr....) so we beached again. I backed down (shallow this time, right?) put some slack in the winch and told my daughter to hook it up when I got close. Pushed the boat out, fired it up, and in spite of a quartering tail wind it lined up the first time. We hooked up the strap, winched it tight, put on the safety chain, and pulled off. This was a little longer, but still no more than 4 or 5 minutes. Yes, I still had not remembered to unplug the trailer. Luckily the bulbs all still work.
A no-frustration trip! I think we can do this. Thanks for all the great tips.
Thanks to a lot of folks here on this forum... my ramp activities were smooth and quick. The launch was fast. Rigged up in the parking area, left the winch strap and safety chain on. Backed down, with the wheels in the water, handed my daughter the bow line, unhooked the strap and chain (forgot to unplug the trailer...) and backed in and popped the boat right off. The courtesy dock was full of sailboats with nobody in sight, so we pulled the boat over onto the sand and I pulled the truck off the ramp. I bet we were not on the ramp three minutes.
Boat ran pretty good, have some bugs to chase out... mostly fuel line related (old fittings for the tanks) and maybe the electrical system is not generating a high enough voltage. I'm not too concerned yet.
Getting back on the trailer was a bit trickier, but not too bad. Sailboats still on the dock (GRrrrrrrrrr....) so we beached again. I backed down (shallow this time, right?) put some slack in the winch and told my daughter to hook it up when I got close. Pushed the boat out, fired it up, and in spite of a quartering tail wind it lined up the first time. We hooked up the strap, winched it tight, put on the safety chain, and pulled off. This was a little longer, but still no more than 4 or 5 minutes. Yes, I still had not remembered to unplug the trailer. Luckily the bulbs all still work.
A no-frustration trip! I think we can do this. Thanks for all the great tips.
