Things don't always go as planned

[tcmers]

Wife and I had a trip planned this weekend....liesurly 3 1/2 hour drive from Indiana to Catawba Island in Ohio. Dinner, movie, relaxing night, then over to Put In Bay for the weekend. Work was a zoo, so got a late start. No biggie. Had just changed the gas tank on the boat last week, and stopped to fill it for the first time. Anything more than a slow trickle caused the filler to overflow. 20 minutes to pump 18 gallons of gas. Another delay, but again, no biggie. Get to Catawba about 7:30, check into the hotel, and decide to go fill the truck, buy ice, etc. Get to the gas station, start pumping gas, and notice a broken weld on the trailer winch post. Closer inspection reveals severe rust from the inside, and the trailer frame is bent and cracked at that point. We go back to the hotel, and decide that we can niether take the boat off the trailer, or tow it home in that condition. We start looking around for dealers with trailers. Find a few to check out in the morning. This morning, we find a trailer, the dealer will lift the boat off of the old one, set up the new one, and set the boat on it. Great! $3000 and two hours later, we are headed to the boat launch. We can still be on the water by noon! Launch the boat, which went well considering a new trailer set up. Wife drives off to park, and I tie the boat up. As I'm waiting, I notice that the bilge pump hasn't shut off since launch. (about 10 minutes, and the pump normally doesn't run 10 minutes in a day) Pull up some cushions and floor boards in the cabin, and find a steady flow of water coming in at a butt joint. Look around, and determine that this is the main source of water, but have more investigation to do. Guessing that the damaged trailer and long drive put some unsusual pressure points and stress on the boat and opened up the seam. Pull the truck back over, and take the boat out. 3 1/2 hours later, we're back home, with an opportunity to learn how to refasten a lap built boat. Soooo....we're changing our weekend plans, and stripping bottom paint this fall instead of in the spring like we planned. Not what we planned, but it's a beautiful day, we're both off of work until Tuesday, and everyone is safe. Things could be worse. Sorry for the long post. Just a minor rant! Everyone have a great weekend on the water!

[pipefitter]

Sounds like someone forgot to install the vent on the new gas tank if it is a permanent other than a portable tank.One other thing I recall happening is that when someone had their old tank out awaiting the new one,mud dobbers built a nest in the vent hose.
Atleast the boat didnt take on water because a drain plug was left out. smile.gif

[ 09-03-2005, 04:49 PM: Message edited by: pipefitter ]

[tcmers]

The vent is installed. Maybe it's plugged or restriced? The drain plug was in. Just wasn't our day. smile.gif

[ 09-03-2005, 04:49 PM: Message edited by: tcmers ]

[Donn]

Your rant was remarkably restrained. I'd have turned the air blue.

[pipefitter]

Could be. Maybe try blowing thru the hose.Maybe there is some kind of a windage tube going from the filler port in the tank that makes it slow filling but what you describe sounds abnormal.Surely isn't for the velocity on which gas comes from the pumps these days.

[tcmers]

I'll try taking the hose loose and blowing through it. Probably won't mess with it for a few days. We're determined to find something fun to do this weekend. lol

[ 09-03-2005, 05:07 PM: Message edited by: tcmers ]

[DrakeChristensen]

Just remember these parts:


Wife and I had a trip planned...to Catawba Island in Ohio. Dinner, movie, relaxing night, then over to Put In Bay for the weekend...Great!...we are headed to the boat launch...on the water by noon! Launch the boat, which went well...an opportunity to learn how to refasten a lap built boat...it's a beautiful day, we're both off of work until Tuesday, and everyone is safe...a great weekend on the water! ...and I'm remembering the saying that goes something like "a bad day on a boat is better than a good day at work"...

[Donn]

"We're determined to find something fun to do this weekend." Most fun I've ever had in Indiana was bobbing about on Geist, fishing in a rental boat with my Grandad. That was over 50 years ago, though, and it may have changed, but I still remember it clearly.

[Gary E]

Holy Crap.. now we know who Murphy moved in with...

Sorta late now but a welder could probably of fixed that trailer..

[tcmers]

Originally posted by Gary E:
Holy Crap.. now we know who Murphy moved in with...

Sorta late now but a welder could probably of fixed that trailer..Yes, but the trailer had seen better days, and we had planned on replacing it next year anyway. Never fit the boat quite right, and was deteriorating in condition. Now there's a nice shiny gavanized trailer sitting under our boat. At least it looks good! lol

[ 09-05-2005, 02:48 PM: Message edited by: tcmers ]