Ever had one of those weekends?

PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
Was supposed to head to the lake early Saturday morning. Going to help my dad finish putting the metal carport over his 5th wheel at their lake home.  At 7am our help called in sick. 

No worries ill still head down and see what we can get done.

Pull out of the drive way at 730, at the end of the road my trailer pops off the hitch.  Luckily I'm doing 5mph and i can turn off the road immediately.   My floor jack is not in the excursion, it's under my car where im swapping a clutch.  I use a bottle jack and my 11 yr old helps me work it high enough to get the tongue back up. No idea how it popped off, it was pad locked on. Once reinstalled i double checked it. Good to go for sure this time.


Pull into the store to get ice and notice a bearing buddy fly off.  Pulled over to orileys to get a cheap dust cap so i can clean/seal her back on later.  They dont have any so i buy a punch set to nearl the hub/bearing buddy in the parking lot.  I jack up the boat( i went and got jack after the trailer jumped off) only to find loose hub bearings.  I then rebuild the hub in the orileys parking lot.

Get to lake at 10pm

Awake at 7am next morning  to find battery 1 is dead because i didn't turn the perko to both batteries and the nav lights killed it running all night. I run my genny all night so im used to waking to full batteries but it will only charge battery number 2 if i don't switch to both batteries.  I need to remedy this. I usually don't keep nav lights on all night but we anchored in a different spot and didnt trust just the led transom lights that i plug into the genny when at anchor. I cannot hear other boats over the AC blowing.

I took my kid to a busy bridge for some magnet fishing and lost an alternator belt.  We found a nail, an AA battery and a bread tie.  Didn't just lose the belt, it was destroyed.


A trip to the auto parts store and now im charging but then notice a trim tab hose is has split. Kiddo wants to go tubing so we boat the rest of today with no tabs.   Now i have spares of both belts and both are new.

Im glad to be home!!! I hope the rest of you had a smoother weekend.

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Comments

  • GMSLITHOGMSLITHO Member Posts: 1,578 ✭✭✭✭
    Yep had some of those too much for me to type but it looks like you got the boat in and didn’t miss the weekend  MEMORIES 
  • boatman37boatman37 Member Posts: 810 ✭✭✭
    Well back in May we went to put our boat in. Get to the marina and back trailer down the ramp. Start the boat and it dies a minute later. Won't start back up. Gave up trying to get it running so decided to take it home to figure it out. Get a couple miles up the road and wife says bimini looks funny in the mirror. Just picked the boat up from getting all new canvas a few weeks earlier. Turns out the one bracket came loose from the windshield frame and bent one tube and 2 brackets. Get home and now can't back the trailer up. Trailer brakes are locking up. Turns out the wire to the lockout solenoid on my trailer is broke. Think there was one more thing that day but can't think of it now...lol
  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    It was nice that i was able to still enjoy the weekend. Luckily my parents having a place on the lake i was able to get it repaired quickly.  My dads tools, my dad's truck for a parts run and their neighbors dock.


  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    boatman37 said:
    Well back in May we went to put our boat in. Get to the marina and back trailer down the ramp. Start the boat and it dies a minute later. Won't start back up. Gave up trying to get it running so decided to take it home to figure it out. Get a couple miles up the road and wife says bimini looks funny in the mirror. Just picked the boat up from getting all new canvas a few weeks earlier. Turns out the one bracket came loose from the windshield frame and bent one tube and 2 brackets. Get home and now can't back the trailer up. Trailer brakes are locking up. Turns out the wire to the lockout solenoid on my trailer is broke. Think there was one more thing that day but can't think of it now...lol
    It always comes in waves of 3 right?
  • IanIan Member Posts: 2,857 ✭✭✭✭
    Yeah, thinking the same thing. We had a good trouble free weekend.

    Regards,

    Ian

    The Third “B”

    Secretary, Ravena Coeymans Yacht Club

    https://www.rcyachtclub.com/

  • Dream_InnDream_Inn Member, Moderator Posts: 7,661 mod
    oh boy, sorry to hear about your weekend.  Was sure one of our best of the summer here!  Boat ran beautifully.  Went with a couple other Rinkers to another marina for 2 nights.  When we got there, they gave us free beer/wine all night.  Next day, local bar gave us our first free drink and free appetizer buffet for a couple hours!!  Live music too.  Unbelievable!  Took water taxi back to marina later and they had a big bash going with beer butt chickens they were cooking all day!  Big spread of food!  Wonderful people too!  Heading back there in a little over a month.  We don't expect all the free drinks and food next time, but still lots of wonderful people! :)

    Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express

  • Dude_HimselfDude_Himself Member Posts: 596 ✭✭✭
    Sounds like my life! Simple oil change on the boat Wednesday: spent 3 hours trying to change the oil. First my vacuum doesn't have a long enough hose for the 8.1, then the built in line won't fit through the transom drain opening (for gravity feed), then the adapter I buy to connect that hose to my vacuum cracks in the first 30 seconds. Finally - 8-ish quarts extracted - close enough.

    Oil filter: 2 more hours. Shop that changed it last didn't use an o-ring, they used RTV sealant. WTF? Ended up ripping it to little pieces and grinding the base plate with an angle grinder. 

    Sterndrive oil was easier to deal with, although it only held half the oil I expected it to, and no burping happened despite trying for the next hour. Stored the remaining 2 quarts in the boat - I'll have to massage it in idle to try to burp it at the ramp.

    Just as I finished I cut my big toe on a hose clamp tail, and by Thursday had a horrible infection. Three trips to the docs before Saturday, no boating over the weekend. Wife got sick Saturday too - stomach bug - so the whole reason I took the day to complete this was shot. Still haven't done the critical stuff required to comfortably spend more than a night on the boat - fans, LED lighting, tuning the genny.
  • Handymans342Handymans342 Member Posts: 10,375 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Sounds like my life! Simple oil change on the boat Wednesday: spent 3 hours trying to change the oil. First my vacuum doesn't have a long enough hose for the 8.1, then the built in line won't fit through the transom drain opening (for gravity feed), then the adapter I buy to connect that hose to my vacuum cracks in the first 30 seconds. Finally - 8-ish quarts extracted - close enough.

    Oil filter: 2 more hours. Shop that changed it last didn't use an o-ring, they used RTV sealant. WTF? Ended up ripping it to little pieces and grinding the base plate with an angle grinder. 

    Sterndrive oil was easier to deal with, although it only held half the oil I expected it to, and no burping happened despite trying for the next hour. Stored the remaining 2 quarts in the boat - I'll have to massage it in idle to try to burp it at the ramp.

    Just as I finished I cut my big toe on a hose clamp tail, and by Thursday had a horrible infection. Three trips to the docs before Saturday, no boating over the weekend. Wife got sick Saturday too - stomach bug - so the whole reason I took the day to complete this was shot. Still haven't done the critical stuff required to comfortably spend more than a night on the boat - fans, LED lighting, tuning the genny.
    Good grief Dude!!! 
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Man, thats a rough weekend.  The led upgrade is high on my to do list.  I have them on my sailboat, solar charge only as the 9.9 kicker has its own independent battery.   It really helped the power usage at night.  I also need fans on the rinker. The 5,000 btu portable ac will run you out but it takes a good hour to get to suitable temps for sleeping.  Fans would help speed this process.  

    Does anyone have any experience keeping a hatch mounted ac on semi permanently?  The ac in the aft berth is a bit of a pain to move around. Luckily only my son sleeps there but if i had guests they wouldn't want to crawl around that thing unless they were acrobats.  
  • boatman37boatman37 Member Posts: 810 ✭✭✭
    boatman37 said:
    Well back in May we went to put our boat in. Get to the marina and back trailer down the ramp. Start the boat and it dies a minute later. Won't start back up. Gave up trying to get it running so decided to take it home to figure it out. Get a couple miles up the road and wife says bimini looks funny in the mirror. Just picked the boat up from getting all new canvas a few weeks earlier. Turns out the one bracket came loose from the windshield frame and bent one tube and 2 brackets. Get home and now can't back the trailer up. Trailer brakes are locking up. Turns out the wire to the lockout solenoid on my trailer is broke. Think there was one more thing that day but can't think of it now...lol
    It always comes in waves of 3 right?

    Actually just remembered the 4th thing. Because the boat wouldn't start and it had slid back about 6" we had to crank the heck out of the winch and stripped the gears. Brand new trailer too. Boat had only been loaded on it 2 times before that. About $50 for the new winch axle with gear to repair that. All in 1 day...lol
  • boatman37boatman37 Member Posts: 810 ✭✭✭
    Man, thats a rough weekend.  The led upgrade is high on my to do list.  I have them on my sailboat, solar charge only as the 9.9 kicker has its own independent battery.   It really helped the power usage at night.  I also need fans on the rinker. The 5,000 btu portable ac will run you out but it takes a good hour to get to suitable temps for sleeping.  Fans would help speed this process.  

    Does anyone have any experience keeping a hatch mounted ac on semi permanently?  The ac in the aft berth is a bit of a pain to move around. Luckily only my son sleeps there but if i had guests they wouldn't want to crawl around that thing unless they were acrobats.  

    No experience myself but I have seen pics of people having multiple rachet straps holding it down but not sure how sturdy it would be or how bad it might obstruct your vision.
  • Dude_HimselfDude_Himself Member Posts: 596 ✭✭✭
    The fans are Siccorio II's from West Marine - our last pair were installed 10+ years and still worked when we sold that boat. Also like a 80mah draw - practically nothing.

    @PickleRick: instead of moving the whole AC get an Attwood Quiet Blower, 10' of 4" hose, and 10' of wire with a cigarette adapter on the end. It's so quiet you won't hear it over the AC, and it'll move a ton of air. Super hot nights it really helps even out the temps inside. You don't need the hose either - that just lets us put the blower on either end (or like last time - cut the hose in half and put the blower in the middle so it wasn't near either sleeping area (it was tap tap tapping where the plastic touched the floor).
  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,747 mod
    Ya think you have it rough?  Don't get me started!
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,395 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I could tell a tale myself...
  • LaReaLaRea Member, Moderator Posts: 7,747 mod
    In July, I "lost" (meaning, I replaced or am repairing/replacing):  my home, half of our personal possessions, my car, my phone, my work laptop, and ... rimshot ... a stolen credit card.  Go ahead, just try to top that! 

    But don't cry for me, Argentina ... you know the only thing that hasn't let me down?  My bulletproof Rinker!  
  • raybo3raybo3 Administrator Posts: 5,501 admin
    @LaRea I cant imagine what your going through. I know one thing you have not lost and thats your sense of humor. Of course the biggest think is that everyone is safe. Prayers sent your way bro. Hang in there!
    2002 342 Fiesta Vee PC Point Of Pines YC Revere MA. popyc.org     raybo3@live.com
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,395 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Dito Raybo.....no matter how bad we have it we don't have to look far to see someone in much worse a condition......good thoughts and hopes heading your way LaRea...
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    When life gives you lemons ask to see the manager.


    I got my trim tab lines placed, boat leveler hose isn't as common a size as I'd have thought. Took 3 trips to different places to get it sorted. I need to pull off the boat leveler tabs and repalce them with the Bennett tabs i have on my scrap boat this winter. 

    Doesnt look like I'm launching this weekend, have work to do at my dad's lake house all day Saturday and then an inspection for a guy buying a VW on Sunday.  So dad needs help and my consultation fee will pay for fuel and beer next weekend. Supposed to be crappy weather this weekend anyway.  My 235 fv doesnt sleep well through a storm compared to my sailboat.  Im always nervous dropping anchor in deep coves that would protect me from all directions, never know what kind of stumps/roots/trees i could foul up on. 
  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Moved (drove with everything in my car) to FL on Tuesday, got here Thursday... boat came out of the water up North and is waiting for shipping. It's been out of the water since last Monday, marina was supposed to take drive off and diagnose the problem, fix it and have it ready for this upcoming tuesday.  

    Got a call yesterday that they were not able to get to it, got this picture sent to me today saying something about a prop shaft seal.  

    Now I had a backup plan...there was a marina here where I'm living that I'd be talking to for 2 months. Asking them if they could fix it if my first marina falls through. They have been saying yes everytime, UNTIL YESTERDAY, and suddenly now their I/O guy is going to school on Monday. GREAT.

    Have been calling around, not many I/O guys in Key Largo apparently...so in the end the main thing is it's going to now cost 1000 bucks in lifting it off the trailer and to a work area and then from the work area to the water after it's fixed. If the original marina would have worked on it they would have waived those fees, but now a 3rd party is coming in.. such is life.  So it'll be 1000 bucks to start....and I'm sure they'll tell me "oh another 10k for a drive sir"

    Whatever!  :D


  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,395 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited August 2019
    I had a prop shaft seal done on the trailer for 350...what is all the in and out of the water? Prop shaft seal would not make any noise...just a leak...
  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭✭✭
    rasbury said:
    I had a prop shaft seal done on the trailer for 350...what is all the in and out of the water? Prop shaft seal would not make any noise...just a leak...
    Ah, I was going with a guy up north who told me that if it's a prop shaft seal they just replace the whole lower.

    At this point I'd think the noise would be caused from water in the drive oil as I've been seeing small amounts of it in that oil for a while, the same guy (marina mechanic/owner) has been telling me to just keep swapping oil every winter. 

    I'd assume maybe some of the gears up top are messed up from water in there? 

    At this point I'm going to have to drop it in somewhere in Key Largo, limp it to my dock, wait there for 2 or 3 weeks and then bring it to the mechanic here to have it taken out and worked on.. gotta love it. 
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,395 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Hey, not no expert on this but a prop shaft seal is just a seal- keeps oil in and water out. I just replaced my prop seal and that was 109 hours ago on the motor so if it is a recent failed seal without water getting in, why replace the lower?
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Getting work done in a timely manner in tbe keys?  Does that exist?
  • J3ffJ3ff Member Posts: 4,096 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Getting work done in a timely manner in tbe keys?  Does that exist?
    That's why I'm already saying that it'll be 2 to 3 weeks before it gets looked at!! I'm sure it'll be months before it's back in the water and ready to go! 
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    No offense to the keys. My favorite place on earth once i get off Hwy 1 and in the water, they just run on their own time zone, the only time anyone down there gets in a rush is when they are behind the wheel of a vehicle.
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Since i wasn't on the lake this weekend i am rebuilding the trailer brake system.  Im tired of towing with no trailer brakes.
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,395 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Rebuild to disc!
  • PickleRickPickleRick Member Posts: 4,012 ✭✭✭✭✭
    Disk are much better as you have braking when wet but with drums you have more pad to surface area so both have their pros and cons.  The biggest pro to me is all i needed was new pads and shock dampers. I was able to get both wheel cylinder pistons free, cleaned, honed and working again without much fuss.  So right now im going for less than 150 bucks!!!   Id honestly like to convert to electric/hydraulic with a breakaway box but i don't plan to keep this rinker long term. Im going to run it a few seasons and flip it.  I'm looking for a 26 to 28 footer. 

    From where i launch to the hwy is a good 20 min drive on long country back roads so in theory my drums should be good and dry by then.  I daily drove a 1967 fj40 for nearly a decade, factory 4 wheel drum brakes and widow maker single reservoir manual brake master cylinder.  I did eventually convert to newer front axle with 4 runner dual piston calipers and a dual reservoir(kept it manual) master cylinder.  After a water or mud crossing or launching a boat you had better pump those brakes a while before needing them.  When i first got it i blew through a 4 way stop after launching a boat!   Even a mud puddle could cause it to pull hard to one side.  Just so we are all clear i converted that fj40 to a sbc v8 then diesel because better. 

    Fingers crossed all my parts come in this week so I can launch on Saturday.  I hate having parts come in on Friday then im up at the crack of dawn Saturday scrambling to get her on the the water by lunch.  If i wanted to rush to get repairs done every weekend id have taken up racing.  On Saturdays the most work I want to do is making my coffee.  
  • rasburyrasbury Member Posts: 8,395 ✭✭✭✭✭
    well good luck with the parts then...I don't think my trailer has ever worked better since I have had it and been a real learning curve to get there...sill need to replace the 2nd set of springs and then wll pretty much be a "new" trailer.
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