03-23-2014, 10:41 PM
Got the Tin Can back in the water finally. After some last minute fuel line repair Saturday morning, headed up to Willard, South. Amazing how it can be dead calm in Ogden and 30 minutes later the wind at Willard will be Howling ! Saw the white caps at the south marina entrance to the main body, decided wouldn't be much fishing done there, not by me anyway. So thought I'd take the drive up to Hyrum. Figured I could at least do a recon of the water level. Well, I got there and it was beautiful. A light ripple on the water, beautiful sunny blue shy. OH Yea, I'm getting my boat wet !!
Water level about half way up the ramp, but, the docks not attached to the shore line yet. No, problem. I can beach the bow ok. Got the trailer and boat in the water, motor started up great, ok, here I go.....backed off the trailer....and couldn't stop backing up ! Motor would not come out of reverse, not to Neutral, not to Forward. So I moved out to where water was about 30 ft. deep (backwards)[:/] Shut down the motor and tossed out the anchor. Popped the motor cowling off, thought, this can't be too difficult, it's all mechanical linkage. Moved the shifter back and forth couple times and notice the threaded coupling from under the motor down to the lower foot was unscrewed. Fortunately all the couplings and jam nut was still there. Was able to tip the motor all the way up horizontal, lean over the transom and screw the coupler back on to the upper shaft about 4 or 5 turns. Was enough to shift fro reverse to forward, so up anchor, and motored back up on my trailer.. Pulled up to the parking lot, got out my small travel tool kit. With a 10mm open end wrench and a set of vise grips was able to put all that coupler, jam nut, and linkage back where it all belonged and snugged down good. In less that 15 minutes, was back in the water, beached the boat, parked the truck, shoved off the sand, and was in the middle of the lake one line in the water, and getting the second line lure hooked up when the first started stripping line and heading west toward the dam. OK, not a monster, but a nice healthy Rainbow. Got it in the boat, did the CPR thing, Yea, first day out in the boat this season, all the mechanical issues with the boat are fixed, there is boatable water in the reservoirs (some water in most of them), and I kept the skunk away from the boat this trip. Not a bad day.
Oh yea, I put on a Trolling plate last week. Checked it out yesterday, It really does slow me down. In the full down position I could low idle troll along at .4 to .6 mph. In the 45 degree position (put in by me on advise of others) with throttle just open enough to keep a smooth running of the motor, I could hold a nice steady .95 to 1.2 mph. And with it full up, acts as a nice hydroplane. Boat handles smoother, and planes better. I thinkl it's going to prove to be a good investment.
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Water level about half way up the ramp, but, the docks not attached to the shore line yet. No, problem. I can beach the bow ok. Got the trailer and boat in the water, motor started up great, ok, here I go.....backed off the trailer....and couldn't stop backing up ! Motor would not come out of reverse, not to Neutral, not to Forward. So I moved out to where water was about 30 ft. deep (backwards)[:/] Shut down the motor and tossed out the anchor. Popped the motor cowling off, thought, this can't be too difficult, it's all mechanical linkage. Moved the shifter back and forth couple times and notice the threaded coupling from under the motor down to the lower foot was unscrewed. Fortunately all the couplings and jam nut was still there. Was able to tip the motor all the way up horizontal, lean over the transom and screw the coupler back on to the upper shaft about 4 or 5 turns. Was enough to shift fro reverse to forward, so up anchor, and motored back up on my trailer.. Pulled up to the parking lot, got out my small travel tool kit. With a 10mm open end wrench and a set of vise grips was able to put all that coupler, jam nut, and linkage back where it all belonged and snugged down good. In less that 15 minutes, was back in the water, beached the boat, parked the truck, shoved off the sand, and was in the middle of the lake one line in the water, and getting the second line lure hooked up when the first started stripping line and heading west toward the dam. OK, not a monster, but a nice healthy Rainbow. Got it in the boat, did the CPR thing, Yea, first day out in the boat this season, all the mechanical issues with the boat are fixed, there is boatable water in the reservoirs (some water in most of them), and I kept the skunk away from the boat this trip. Not a bad day.
Oh yea, I put on a Trolling plate last week. Checked it out yesterday, It really does slow me down. In the full down position I could low idle troll along at .4 to .6 mph. In the 45 degree position (put in by me on advise of others) with throttle just open enough to keep a smooth running of the motor, I could hold a nice steady .95 to 1.2 mph. And with it full up, acts as a nice hydroplane. Boat handles smoother, and planes better. I thinkl it's going to prove to be a good investment.
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"OCD = Obsessive Catfish Disorder "
Or so it says on my license plate holder
Or so it says on my license plate holder
