My Boat Journey Begins

[Tom]

The trailer needs some work so i was watching vids last night about how to remove the trailer from the boat without alot of special tools. I will work on that when i get back from my mothers funeral, my dad has had her ash's for a year now and has decided its time to put her in the ground so we are driving back to her little home town in New Mexico (Lake Arthur, a town with the name but no lake there) for the funeral. I will be back on wed.

But on removing the boat from the trailer, there are all kinds of ways but they all share the same similar process for bass boats. Put the trailer nose down to the ground, support the back of the boat, jack up the front end of the trailer, slide the trailer out a bit and support it as you go, once you get near the front, its home free and pull the trailer out. I didnt realize it was so common to do, people even do it in their home garage.

I am ready to go fishing but the boat and trailer are not. Not far from it but i need to do some prep work first, not only for my safety but for others as well, and of course i need a sound boat and trailer before i jump right in.

My dad was joking today and said hey we should just tow it around, because boat people only talk to other boat people lol.....

This is really weird, and not the way I've ever launched a boat. Use your pickup to reverse the boat down the launch ramp, detach the bow and stern tie-downs, and reverse far enough to float the boat. Having a long bow line attached with someone holding the line will make it 'manageable'.

 

[SpencerPJ]

Not much to a trailer. Tires, wheels, bearings, brakes (usually hydraulic), lights. Personally, if the trailer tows fine, I wouldn't throw much money at it. You will find plenty to spend your money on with boating and fishing expenses.

 

[Tom]

Not much to a trailer. Tires, wheels, bearings, brakes (usually hydraulic), lights. Personally, if the trailer tows fine, I wouldn't throw much money at it. You will find plenty to spend your money on with boating and fishing expenses.

BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand.

 

[Edd505]

Are you saying it has to be worn all the time or just made available if needed? Here in NH and Maine, You just need a Coast Guard approved flotation device for every passenger. Up to a certain age it may be required to wear.

Yes all kids and adults depending on craft.

 

[SpencerPJ]

BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand.

Twice that in todays market. lol

A money saver to the OP, and as mentioned earlier, gas is expensive. If taking to and from lakes, fill up with the gas you plan to use prior to hitting the lake. Everything is at a premium dollar on the water. Next question, what engine is on your boat, does it require premix gas? Does it do this automatically or do you need to premix?

 

[jackiemac]

We always wear flotation devices when in the canoe. I'm not a strong swimmer and even if I were I'd still have one on. I've seen scary footage of micro bursts which although rare can happen.

You can get ones that aren't too bulky if you spend a few extra dollars.

 

[Oldgator73]

We always wear flotation devices when in the canoe. I'm not a strong swimmer and even if I were I'd still have one on. I've seen scary footage of micro bursts which although rare can happen.

You can get ones that aren't too bulky if you spend a few extra dollars.

I’m okay in a lake since my belly acts as a floatation device. I automatically roll to my back. Rivers are a different animal. All kidding aside, I will never go out in my kayak again w/o a floatation device.

 

[jackiemac]

In that case we have 2 floatation devices

 

[Hollywood953]

Hi, thanks everyone for the tips and advice. I went back today to the spot where it happened, turns out it was not a pothole at all, it was a piece of the curb that got broken away somehow and the rebar was still there and that is what "i think" busted the tire. The chunk that was broken out by someone was laying in the grass not far away.

Also i was thinking, what if it is just a coincidence and it was something in the road that cut the tire but i just happened to hit that curb that day, and it was not the curb at all. Or what if i have unintentionally exposed a contractor that poured the curb and went el cheapo on the rebar and my report brings light to that, and then months from now some contractor who lost a bid because of me tracks me down lol hee hee

Its one of those "if i had turned left instead of right" things.

As for the boat experience, other than going fishing and driving the boat 3x in my youth i am as green as the lake algea. Mechanically i can work on it somewhat as long as i know what is what. I do work on my truck so i fell comfortable with that stuff. The trick is to learn what is what first, its a 2stroke so ill have to remember to add the oil, they removed the auto oil dispenser for some reason.

My plan is to not take it on the lake until i know every part of that boat inside and out, and until i take a safety course which my insurance gave me a link to, and ill hire a guide to take me around the lake first in his boat so i can learn the ways of this lake.

Lake Fork is about 30 feet down, they drained alot of water out of the lake to fight some non native algea that was doing damage to the habbitat. Also they needed to fix some of the docks and boat ramps. There are so many tree stumps sticking out of the lake you could probably walk trunk to trunk all the way accross. Its normally about 60-70 feet deep but its sooo low right now.

From what i understand from the web is that until the early to mid 90's alot of boat MFG did not do manuals, they just included some basic sheets of paper with some particulars on there and that was it. I have looked high and low, even got on the basstracker website and found nothing. I will take the suggestion and call them to see if they might have it on microfiche lol hee hee.... i just aged myself...

I did learn from on of the videos that you can take the carwash sprayer to the whole boat, everywhere you want to clean it up and this one needs some cleaning. I was shocked in the video when they sprayed down the engine (no cover) and where the fuel tank is and especially the driver console.

I am also going to try to rig up some kind of dry dock. I may build one in my yard where i plan to store the boat. I think all it would take is 6 4x4, some concrete, 3 boat winches (the same kind on the trailer), and some heavy duty straps. That way i could lift the boat slightly, pull the trailer out to work on it. And of course build some kind of padded V-shape padded sawhorses (2) to put under the boat temporarily (just as i do with jackstands for the truck) just in case the straps give out. I really need a way to work on the trailer with the boat off of it. I dont think it would take that much to build a dry dock.

Matt_C - i will remember what the guy that discovered the titanic said on the interview. The ocean is just waiting for you to make a mistake before it takes your life....



if you look close you can see a red mark on the rebar i think. That could be the rebar the way it came from the MFG, that could be an old accident marker, or that could be a paint mark from the city to fix that curb and they never did which would mean they are liable from what the city employee told me. It has to be something they didnt do and were suppose to do.

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The trailer needs some work so i was watching vids last night about how to remove the trailer from the boat without alot of special tools. I will work on that when i get back from my mothers funeral, my dad has had her ash's for a year now and has decided its time to put her in the ground so we are driving back to her little home town in New Mexico (Lake Arthur, a town with the name but no lake there) for the funeral. I will be back on wed.

But on removing the boat from the trailer, there are all kinds of ways but they all share the same similar process for bass boats. Put the trailer nose down to the ground, support the back of the boat, jack up the front end of the trailer, slide the trailer out a bit and support it as you go, once you get near the front, its home free and pull the trailer out. I didnt realize it was so common to do, people even do it in their home garage.

I am ready to go fishing but the boat and trailer are not. Not far from it but i need to do some prep work first, not only for my safety but for others as well, and of course i need a sound boat and trailer before i jump right in.

My dad was joking today and said hey we should just tow it around, because boat people only talk to other boat people lol.....

Some basic add on’s will help too. A depth/fish finder to warn you of shallow water is relatively cheap and easy to install. Have your water pump changed every 3 years, buy a good deep cycle battery and remove it in the off season, remember the lake markers “red right returning” and keep your safety stuff (life vests, throwable, extinguisher, whistle, paddle, flashlights) in tip top shape. In Virginia everyone must have a boater safety certificate to operate any watercraft but that doesn’t stop idiots. Remember boats don’t have brakes. Most of all, use your boat and enjoy it. I have a 1989 Wellcraft Elite. Old boats have fun too.

 

[Reinigm]

BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand.

RV - Break out another thousand.

 

[Ex-Calif]

But on removing the boat from the trailer, there are all kinds of ways but they all share the same similar process for bass boats. Put the trailer nose down to the ground, support the back of the boat, jack up the front end of the trailer, slide the trailer out a bit and support it as you go, once you get near the front, its home free and pull the trailer out. I didnt realize it was so common to do, people even do it in their home garage.

Nice... I would not have thought of that. I would have been jacking the boat off the trailer somehow.

A quick word on groundings. There are those who have and those who will...

When you get grounded just remember the boat is a flotation device. Take people or stuff out of the boat and float it off whatever sand bar you've hit.

I saw a guy hit a sand bar in a go fast. He basically gunned the engine, rooster tails of brown water flying everywhere. He eventually got off but at the expense of a prop and most likely water pump and an engine full of mud.

 

[rjwilliams11741]

Boats are some of the most fun "things" in the world. Just remember however that BOAT stand for Bring Our Another Thousand.

 

[djw2112]

One thing for sure, this restore experience will teach me what to look for in a boat. I gave the old owner alot of trust because he was a GOD fearing man. But he lied to us and he knew all this damage was on the boat. I did a boat report on this boat ($20) and his family owned this boat since the very beginning, one owner, he told us he got it from someone else. So they are the ones that jerry rigged so many things on this boat and also i found a 8 inch crack in the fiberglass under the battery and the wood under that is rotted. I can fix it but that is something else he knew and didnt tell us. They certainly never took care of this boat one bit, they just let it sit and rot and then he got top dollar for it when we came along.

They used a car fuel sending unit and rigged it with the wrong hose, they have wires strung all over the place and even used some speaker wire for other than speakers.

The only thing that might save the deal here is that the engine seems to be in halfway decent shape and we can bring that up to par.

 

[cully]

We always wear flotation devices when in the canoe. I'm not a strong swimmer and even if I were I'd still have one on. I've seen scary footage of micro bursts which although rare can happen.

You can get ones that aren't too bulky if you spend a few extra dollars.

My fishing buddy picked up a kayaker yesterday that had fallen into Lake Merwin WA. The Kayaker had stood up to take a pee and a wave knocked him overboard into the drink. The only think that saved him was his long flag pole and red flag that my friend saw bobbing in the distance. No pfd worn. I bet that changes

 

[Oldgator73]

I gave the old owner alot of trust because he was a GOD fearing man.

Maybe you should deal with Atheists in the future. We are pretty honest folks.

 

[djw2112]

Maybe you should deal with Atheists in the future. We are pretty honest folks.

Sorry gator i did not explain my thought enough as i should have. All i meant was that its so sad that he decided to be a religious hypocrite. I did not intend to say anything negative about religious people, or was not even thinking about how my words could be misunderstood. My apologies.... Yes i know everyone here is good people..

 

[Oldgator73]

Sorry gator i did not explain my thought enough as i should have. All i meant was that its so sad that he decided to be a religious hypocrite. I did not intend to say anything negative about religious people, or was not even thinking about how my words could be misunderstood. My apologies.... Yes i know everyone here is good people..

No apologies necessary. Folks usually think if the person they are dealing with professes to be religious they must be honest. Everyone is an individual. There are bad and good believers and there are bad and good non believers.

 

[arkie guide]

Happiest day is when you buy your boat second is when you sell it.

Got to laugh at that - however its very true. I have enjoyed several boats but the one I have kept-is a 14' flat bottom i bought in 1976. I also have a decent bass boat with a 70hp.
think I will give it to my son and grandsons.

 

[Ernie n Tara]

Two thoughts:
When we were inti sailing (Oday 27) we bought and used the inflatable life preservers wit automatic inflation.
Once, when selling a home we had a buyer who loudly professed his religeous beliefs. Being young and naive, I agreed to hold the house for a week without a deposit. Not only did he lie to me, but he bought the house across the street! People are who they are and religeous affiliation does not make the difference.

Ernie

 

[CityGuy]

Yesterday i finally purchased my first boat. Its a 1988 Bass Tracker 1800. It needs some TLC but its in pretty good shape. Im watching as many youtube vids as i can find on it. Im looking for a owners manual online but not have much luck. From what i understand many MFG back then had a few quick data sheets but thats all, no manuals. I would love to get the boat off the trailer to do some TLC work on the trailer.

Yesterday we were at the bank with the seller and doing some paperwork on the purchase and getting some notarized docs. And we pulled out of the parking lot and hit a pothole, which ticked me off cause i was watching traffing as i pulled out and didnt see it. We got 20 miles down the road and stopped to discover we were riding on the rim. I never felt anything strange from the trailer, it pulled like a dream even with that, surprising.

Tire was gone other than a tiny strip. We put the spare on and got back home. I didnt see it was flat because someone mounted the spare tire on the side of the boat and it was blocking the view of the passenger side tire (that will be moved out of the way now).

What surprised me most is that no other drivers honked or tried to get our attention that something was wrong. I mean we were passing on the freeway and in city traffic and nobody did anything.... No doubt they had a conversation between themselves "hey look at that DA riding on the rim" lol.

I did file a claim with the city for reimbursement for the tire and wheel, we will see how that goes.. I have been warned that the city insurance company will more than likely deny the claim. The man at the city said that most of the time unless it is a case where they were aware of the issue and failed to fix it, that the insurance company mostly denies claims.

So now to try to get as much info as i can about the boat so i know it inside and out before i take it on the lake. Has anyone else gone through similar experience?

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With our car. Making a right turn I misjudged and ran over a storm drain in the middle of the turn of the curb. It had been driven over before and the top cracked, leaving sharp edges. Punctured the sidewall of a good Michelin. Filed a claim with the city. Was quickly told they were not responsible unless it had been reported before and -- of course -- they denied notification., The storm drain damage was clearly old. And remains unrepaiured to this day, years later. Uh huh. Optimism in dealing with petty bureaucrats ain't advisable.