09-19-2014, 04:24 PM
Can you walk on water? I can... Almost...
I live in Saratoga Springs and pay $100 a month for my HOA dues. Hardly ever use the pool, and seldom use the boat ramp. I'm planning a fishing trip on Monday to Strawberry so I figure that it would be good to give the boat a quick spin.
I needed an activity for my 11 year old scouts on Wednesday night and figured I'd kill 2 birds with one stone. So, the other leader and I met the scouts at our Saratoga Springs Marina at the North West corner of the lake (about 1 mile south of the northwest corner).
We arrived there at the marina and I noticed my cell phone was sitting atop the boat bow ready to take a dive. I had put it down before we drove to the marina and it hadn't budged.. Good thing. Cell phones don't like falling off boats. It was still safe and sound.
Anyway, I should have read it as a bad omen when we were backing the boat in and it dropped 1 foot off the end of the boat ramp about 3 feet from the water's edge. The water was a bit low, so only about 3 feet of the ramp actually was covered with water, then it just dropped strait down. Lucky it didn't pop my tires.
So, we backed the boat into the water and drifted back from the trailer, while the other leader pulled the trailer out of the water with his truck. He did have some trouble and had to pull really hard to get it up over the lip of the end of the ramp. Good thing we used his truck because it's much beefier than my Mountaineer.
Anyway, we're drifting back from the ramp and trying to start the motor when problem one rears its ugly head. I have a really slow leak of hydraulic fluid in my engine's lifter and lowerer (or whatever you call the hydraulic system that raises and loweres the outboard out and into the water). So, I heard the hydraulic pump spinning, but the motor wouldn't go down. Our marina is pretty shallow, so you can't drift very far without hitting a few rocks and such. So I had one of the scouts climb out on the bow of my boat and put in the trolling motor. I hooked up a battery to it and the battery was dead. I always carry 2 batteries for the trolling motor and one more for the main motor in the back, so I hooked up the other battery and the trolling motor worked. We were able to troll the 40 feet we had drifted back to the docks and tie up to the side.
Well, I'd had this problem before and knew how to top of the hydraulic fluid so I moved all the scouts to the front of the boat and had the other leader drive us out of the marina with the trolling motor whilst I commenced repairs. I popped off the back bench and crawled back there to add some hydraulic fluid. Now, that's not the easiest thing because I weigh in at 290, but I managed it. Unfortunately, I was ALMOST out of spare hydraulic fluid, so I used all I had on the boat and put back in the stopper screw. Had one of the scouts push the right button and WALLAH !!! The motor lowered :-) Happy day. UNTIL....
Happy day, until the motor started bumping the bottom. Well, this is coming out of the Marina and so I figured we'd hit something deeper than the 1-2 feet my fish finder was reading as soon as we exited the marina mouth. Well, I was right. We got into the deep 2-3 feet of water after exiting the marina. I figured it had to get deeper, so we pulled up the trolling motor and started slowly working our way further from shore with the main motor. Now, I have a 150 HP Mercury 1500 motor from back in the olden times. Well, it made a nice mud trail wherever we went. We even saw an occasional 4' show up on the fish finder from time to time, but were usually in 2-3 feet of water.
So I figured I'd put fear into all the scouts on the boat. [sly] I turned off the main motor and let us sit still in the lake about 1/2 mile from shore. Then I announced to the boys that we were going to practice safety and rescue techniques and told them that all of their parents had approved this activity. I asked which one wanted me to toss them into the lake first. I never saw those raucous noisy boys clam up so fast and never saw their mouths drop and their eyes open that wide with terror. It was AWESOME !!!!! They were looking around back and forth and asking "Are you serious?". I let the ruse go for about 30 seconds telling them that it's only a useful practice drill if it's a surprise. So when I got up and walked toward the back of the boat I told them I was just kidding. I know scout masters should never lie to the boys, but they are allowed from time to time to tell a TALL TALE... [
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I did however allow them to attempt to ROW us back to shore with the oars that I carry on the boat. It was interesting to see that they didn't have a clue how to properly use a paddle. Well, we taught them how and they put their hearts into rowing as hard as they could, but we were ever drifting further and further away from the shore. We prompted them with which way to row to get the boat to change direction, but honestly, I don't think the moved us an inch forward..
So the other leader and I took the paddles and showed them how it was done !! We got the boat pointed in the right direction and began paddling to shore. We made pretty good progress (well, really slow). Have you ever tried using 2 paddles to move an 18 1/2 foot boat with a 150hp motor, 2 adults and 5 scouts on board? You'd better hope the wind is at your back..
So we stopped and talked to the boys about the importance of having a backup plan or two whenever you're on a boat. Also, we decided to test the depth with the paddles. It was a good 3 feet deep out about 1 mile from shore..
So, on my boat, I have the main engine, an electric trolling motor, 3 batteries, and 2 paddles as a last resort. Pretty good backups I must say. So after the lesson in being prepared, I start up the main engine and blazed a muddy trail in the water back to the marina. UNTIL...
Until I started bonking on the bottom. Hit a couple rocks and so I stopped. Propellers don't like rocks.. Neither do outboard motors. So I pushed the hydraulic buttons to lift the motor, and guess what. It didn't lift.. I had no more fluid to add, so we experimented by rocking the boat extremely to the left and trying then to the right and trying, and it started catching some traction leaning to the right. I guess that's the side of the hydraulic chamber that needs the fluid. So with much coaxing, we got the outboard out of the water and propped up correctly. The boys weren't panicking, but they were concerned.
Anyway, back to using the trolling motor. Well, almost.. We tried, and it was hitting the bottom too. Stuck a paddle in the water and found it was just 1' deep at the marina mouth. So I had the other leader climb up on the bow and pull the trolling motor up so that the blades were just under the surface and we trolled back to the docks that way. Always good to have a backup plan.
So back at the docks, we let the scouts off the boat and onto dry ground. I'm surprised that none had the presence of mind to kiss the ground now that they were safe from the brutal dangers of the 1' deep Utah lake. Really, we could have almost WALKED ON WATER !!! It was so dang shallow. I don't think it would have gotten up to my waist anywhere we went.
Now, the adventure gets fun !!! Ever try to trailer a boat when the trailer is at a 45 degree down angle and you can't use your main motor to drive onto the trailer? It ain't easy... I tied a long rope to the front of the boat and pushed it out from the ramp. Keep in mind, the ramp ends with an abrupt 1 foot drop-off about 3 feet from where the water touches it. Had my friend back the trailer gently (THUMP) off of the ramp so I could manually pull the boat onto the trailer.
An 18 1/2 foot boat with 150 hp motor is kinda awkward and heavy when trying to pull it up onto a trailer that is planted at a 45 degree down angle. But I got it into position, hooked the rope from the trailer and wound it up onto the trailer. I hadn't noticed, but the boat had drifted to about a 40 degree angle from back to front. I had thought that the trailer was directly under the boat, but it was not to be.. When I had the other leader pull the truck forward, I quickly noticed the back end of the boat quickly lifting out of the water as the guide post of the trailer was directly under it and tipping it over. It didn't tip all the way over, but probably got past 60 degrees before I got him to stop and back up again. (when I got home, 2 of the big 12 volt car/trolling motor batteries had tipped over. They don't tip over unless the boat almost tips over.
Anyway, I decided it was time to take off my shoes and socks and get a bit wet. Luckily, I had the presence of mind to feel gently with my toe for the edge of the ramp under the water. If I'd have stepped off, I probably would have broken something and released many audible expletives in the process. Anyway, it was slick as snot on a door nob, so I was pretty cautious. Long story short (too late) I got the boat properly aligned, tied up, and pulled out of the water.
So, tying the boat onto the trailer, I noticed that the post that supports the bottom of the motor while in transit had evaporated. It was nowhere to be found. Probably broke off under water at the base of the ramp.. Oh well, home was only a 3/4 mile flat drive away, so it was good. I need to get me one of those motor supports now..
So now I know pretty much all the things that I need to fix up on my boat and trailer for a successful jaunt to Strawberry on Monday. It should be fun.
So lessons learned...
1. Utah lake is WAY TOO SHALLOW FOR BOATS right now.
2. Whenever you take along 11 year old scouts, you will have boat problems.
3. BE PREPARED with alternative modes of propulsion.
4. If the fish finder says that it's 2' deep, believe it and skip the boat ride.
5. Scouting activities are ALWAYS FUN !!!!
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I live in Saratoga Springs and pay $100 a month for my HOA dues. Hardly ever use the pool, and seldom use the boat ramp. I'm planning a fishing trip on Monday to Strawberry so I figure that it would be good to give the boat a quick spin.
I needed an activity for my 11 year old scouts on Wednesday night and figured I'd kill 2 birds with one stone. So, the other leader and I met the scouts at our Saratoga Springs Marina at the North West corner of the lake (about 1 mile south of the northwest corner).
We arrived there at the marina and I noticed my cell phone was sitting atop the boat bow ready to take a dive. I had put it down before we drove to the marina and it hadn't budged.. Good thing. Cell phones don't like falling off boats. It was still safe and sound.
Anyway, I should have read it as a bad omen when we were backing the boat in and it dropped 1 foot off the end of the boat ramp about 3 feet from the water's edge. The water was a bit low, so only about 3 feet of the ramp actually was covered with water, then it just dropped strait down. Lucky it didn't pop my tires.
So, we backed the boat into the water and drifted back from the trailer, while the other leader pulled the trailer out of the water with his truck. He did have some trouble and had to pull really hard to get it up over the lip of the end of the ramp. Good thing we used his truck because it's much beefier than my Mountaineer.
Anyway, we're drifting back from the ramp and trying to start the motor when problem one rears its ugly head. I have a really slow leak of hydraulic fluid in my engine's lifter and lowerer (or whatever you call the hydraulic system that raises and loweres the outboard out and into the water). So, I heard the hydraulic pump spinning, but the motor wouldn't go down. Our marina is pretty shallow, so you can't drift very far without hitting a few rocks and such. So I had one of the scouts climb out on the bow of my boat and put in the trolling motor. I hooked up a battery to it and the battery was dead. I always carry 2 batteries for the trolling motor and one more for the main motor in the back, so I hooked up the other battery and the trolling motor worked. We were able to troll the 40 feet we had drifted back to the docks and tie up to the side.
Well, I'd had this problem before and knew how to top of the hydraulic fluid so I moved all the scouts to the front of the boat and had the other leader drive us out of the marina with the trolling motor whilst I commenced repairs. I popped off the back bench and crawled back there to add some hydraulic fluid. Now, that's not the easiest thing because I weigh in at 290, but I managed it. Unfortunately, I was ALMOST out of spare hydraulic fluid, so I used all I had on the boat and put back in the stopper screw. Had one of the scouts push the right button and WALLAH !!! The motor lowered :-) Happy day. UNTIL....
Happy day, until the motor started bumping the bottom. Well, this is coming out of the Marina and so I figured we'd hit something deeper than the 1-2 feet my fish finder was reading as soon as we exited the marina mouth. Well, I was right. We got into the deep 2-3 feet of water after exiting the marina. I figured it had to get deeper, so we pulled up the trolling motor and started slowly working our way further from shore with the main motor. Now, I have a 150 HP Mercury 1500 motor from back in the olden times. Well, it made a nice mud trail wherever we went. We even saw an occasional 4' show up on the fish finder from time to time, but were usually in 2-3 feet of water.
So I figured I'd put fear into all the scouts on the boat. [sly] I turned off the main motor and let us sit still in the lake about 1/2 mile from shore. Then I announced to the boys that we were going to practice safety and rescue techniques and told them that all of their parents had approved this activity. I asked which one wanted me to toss them into the lake first. I never saw those raucous noisy boys clam up so fast and never saw their mouths drop and their eyes open that wide with terror. It was AWESOME !!!!! They were looking around back and forth and asking "Are you serious?". I let the ruse go for about 30 seconds telling them that it's only a useful practice drill if it's a surprise. So when I got up and walked toward the back of the boat I told them I was just kidding. I know scout masters should never lie to the boys, but they are allowed from time to time to tell a TALL TALE... [
]I did however allow them to attempt to ROW us back to shore with the oars that I carry on the boat. It was interesting to see that they didn't have a clue how to properly use a paddle. Well, we taught them how and they put their hearts into rowing as hard as they could, but we were ever drifting further and further away from the shore. We prompted them with which way to row to get the boat to change direction, but honestly, I don't think the moved us an inch forward..
So the other leader and I took the paddles and showed them how it was done !! We got the boat pointed in the right direction and began paddling to shore. We made pretty good progress (well, really slow). Have you ever tried using 2 paddles to move an 18 1/2 foot boat with a 150hp motor, 2 adults and 5 scouts on board? You'd better hope the wind is at your back..
So we stopped and talked to the boys about the importance of having a backup plan or two whenever you're on a boat. Also, we decided to test the depth with the paddles. It was a good 3 feet deep out about 1 mile from shore..
So, on my boat, I have the main engine, an electric trolling motor, 3 batteries, and 2 paddles as a last resort. Pretty good backups I must say. So after the lesson in being prepared, I start up the main engine and blazed a muddy trail in the water back to the marina. UNTIL...
Until I started bonking on the bottom. Hit a couple rocks and so I stopped. Propellers don't like rocks.. Neither do outboard motors. So I pushed the hydraulic buttons to lift the motor, and guess what. It didn't lift.. I had no more fluid to add, so we experimented by rocking the boat extremely to the left and trying then to the right and trying, and it started catching some traction leaning to the right. I guess that's the side of the hydraulic chamber that needs the fluid. So with much coaxing, we got the outboard out of the water and propped up correctly. The boys weren't panicking, but they were concerned.
Anyway, back to using the trolling motor. Well, almost.. We tried, and it was hitting the bottom too. Stuck a paddle in the water and found it was just 1' deep at the marina mouth. So I had the other leader climb up on the bow and pull the trolling motor up so that the blades were just under the surface and we trolled back to the docks that way. Always good to have a backup plan.
So back at the docks, we let the scouts off the boat and onto dry ground. I'm surprised that none had the presence of mind to kiss the ground now that they were safe from the brutal dangers of the 1' deep Utah lake. Really, we could have almost WALKED ON WATER !!! It was so dang shallow. I don't think it would have gotten up to my waist anywhere we went.
Now, the adventure gets fun !!! Ever try to trailer a boat when the trailer is at a 45 degree down angle and you can't use your main motor to drive onto the trailer? It ain't easy... I tied a long rope to the front of the boat and pushed it out from the ramp. Keep in mind, the ramp ends with an abrupt 1 foot drop-off about 3 feet from where the water touches it. Had my friend back the trailer gently (THUMP) off of the ramp so I could manually pull the boat onto the trailer.
An 18 1/2 foot boat with 150 hp motor is kinda awkward and heavy when trying to pull it up onto a trailer that is planted at a 45 degree down angle. But I got it into position, hooked the rope from the trailer and wound it up onto the trailer. I hadn't noticed, but the boat had drifted to about a 40 degree angle from back to front. I had thought that the trailer was directly under the boat, but it was not to be.. When I had the other leader pull the truck forward, I quickly noticed the back end of the boat quickly lifting out of the water as the guide post of the trailer was directly under it and tipping it over. It didn't tip all the way over, but probably got past 60 degrees before I got him to stop and back up again. (when I got home, 2 of the big 12 volt car/trolling motor batteries had tipped over. They don't tip over unless the boat almost tips over.
Anyway, I decided it was time to take off my shoes and socks and get a bit wet. Luckily, I had the presence of mind to feel gently with my toe for the edge of the ramp under the water. If I'd have stepped off, I probably would have broken something and released many audible expletives in the process. Anyway, it was slick as snot on a door nob, so I was pretty cautious. Long story short (too late) I got the boat properly aligned, tied up, and pulled out of the water.
So, tying the boat onto the trailer, I noticed that the post that supports the bottom of the motor while in transit had evaporated. It was nowhere to be found. Probably broke off under water at the base of the ramp.. Oh well, home was only a 3/4 mile flat drive away, so it was good. I need to get me one of those motor supports now..
So now I know pretty much all the things that I need to fix up on my boat and trailer for a successful jaunt to Strawberry on Monday. It should be fun.
So lessons learned...
1. Utah lake is WAY TOO SHALLOW FOR BOATS right now.
2. Whenever you take along 11 year old scouts, you will have boat problems.
3. BE PREPARED with alternative modes of propulsion.
4. If the fish finder says that it's 2' deep, believe it and skip the boat ride.
5. Scouting activities are ALWAYS FUN !!!!
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