by transomstand » Dec 02, 2012 8:27 am
74vector wrote:....this picture. I was at the Scream and Fly CT river run and boy did they click off a PERFECT picture of my 74 Vector/ 74 Merc 1500......
now wanna hear a HORROR story.....??? On the way home from the river run I stopped to see my mom (89) so I slipped the cover on while parked. I needed gas when I left so, I stopped around the corner to fill up. Guy at station went beserk when I started to remove the cover ( I don't trailer with cover on)...so he helped me. The cover loops around the bow eye so, boat has to be unhooked so we did THAT...in the ensuing flood of gas jockey excitement gassing up oil check windshield wash, cover folding etc...... the winch hook never went back ON.
Miles later...tired...in the dark... on the highway...approaching a bridge.... I noticed (MIRACULOUSLY) the bow of the boat flying in the air....HOLY SH&^%T .... I slammed on the brakes coming to a stop just before the lane restriction at the bridge....I got out and looked at the boat sitting nearly VERTICLE, I mean bow sitting HIGH in the air... smelling burning PLASTIC...tractor trailer trucks wizzing by....I ran to the rear expecting a HUGE skid mark of previously perfect Hydrostream bottom and a mostly missing lower unit/prop BUT, unbelievably the boat had just started skidding on the SKEG, the odor was burning paint on the skeg. The skeg was ground perfectly straight to about 3 inches below the bullet, the paint was burnt in a perfect 1/2 inch strip above the grind line...... the prop, well one blade had just a nick, I mean a nick, like you would not notice it unless you really LOOKED nick...that's it. I hooked the bow and winched the boat back on....pulled my pants off and threw my now dirty underwear away. Holy crap another micro-second and the boat would have been off the end of the trailer..poof, gone....
LESSON: ONLY people who know what they are doing should help, DO NOT get distracted when it matters...Don't do stuff TIRED...DOUBLE check EVERYTHING.
Wow, was I lucky it would have been a tragic end to a great day with the scream and fly guys.
As a follow up, I got a blank Merc skeg cut it down to size and had it welded, all is painted and fine, total cost was about $200 bucks, got off EASY, like nothing happened. Ironicly if the boat blew off the trailer at the instant I was crossing that bridge it might have fallen into the river below....the river I live on...just a few miles downstream from the bridge...no kidding.
Randy
You'll find this (getting interupted) a frequent occurence. Almost every time you stop, someone will be overwhelmed by the boat. I have certain "mandatory" procedures for critical items. When I remove a tie down on the road, I NEVER walk away without securing it, even if it has to be resecured several times. When I arrive at the ramp, I always install the drain plug immediately, even if I have to walk away from someone. It may be seen as rude, but I've found no other way of insuring the boat's safety (plus, I'm a miserable **** anyway, so rude is no problem for me). Same thing working on the boat, I insist on doing everything myself. I'll let somebody put the cooler in, but NOTHING operational, I want to put my own hands on everything.
[quote="74vector"]....this picture. I was at the Scream and Fly CT river run and boy did they click off a PERFECT picture of my 74 Vector/ 74 Merc 1500......
now wanna hear a HORROR story.....??? On the way home from the river run I stopped to see my mom (89) so I slipped the cover on while parked. I needed gas when I left so, I stopped around the corner to fill up. Guy at station went beserk when I started to remove the cover ( I don't trailer with cover on)...so he helped me. The cover loops around the bow eye so, boat has to be unhooked so we did THAT...in the ensuing flood of gas jockey excitement gassing up oil check windshield wash, cover folding etc...... the winch hook never went back ON.
Miles later...tired...in the dark... on the highway...approaching a bridge.... I noticed (MIRACULOUSLY) the bow of the boat flying in the air....HOLY SH&^%T .... I slammed on the brakes coming to a stop just before the lane restriction at the bridge....I got out and looked at the boat sitting nearly VERTICLE, I mean bow sitting HIGH in the air... smelling burning PLASTIC...tractor trailer trucks wizzing by....I ran to the rear expecting a HUGE skid mark of previously perfect Hydrostream bottom and a mostly missing lower unit/prop BUT, unbelievably the boat had just started skidding on the SKEG, the odor was burning paint on the skeg. The skeg was ground perfectly straight to about 3 inches below the bullet, the paint was burnt in a perfect 1/2 inch strip above the grind line...... the prop, well one blade had just a nick, I mean a nick, like you would not notice it unless you really LOOKED nick...that's it. I hooked the bow and winched the boat back on....pulled my pants off and threw my now dirty underwear away. Holy crap another micro-second and the boat would have been off the end of the trailer..poof, gone....
LESSON: ONLY people who know what they are doing should help, DO NOT get distracted when it matters...Don't do stuff TIRED...DOUBLE check EVERYTHING.
Wow, was I lucky it would have been a tragic end to a great day with the scream and fly guys.
As a follow up, I got a blank Merc skeg cut it down to size and had it welded, all is painted and fine, total cost was about $200 bucks, got off EASY, like nothing happened. Ironicly if the boat blew off the trailer at the instant I was crossing that bridge it might have fallen into the river below....the river I live on...just a few miles downstream from the bridge...no kidding.
Randy[/quote]
You'll find this (getting interupted) a frequent occurence. Almost every time you stop, someone will be overwhelmed by the boat. I have certain "mandatory" procedures for critical items. When I remove a tie down on the road, I NEVER walk away without securing it, even if it has to be resecured several times. When I arrive at the ramp, I always install the drain plug immediately, even if I have to walk away from someone. It may be seen as rude, but I've found no other way of insuring the boat's safety (plus, I'm a miserable **** anyway, so rude is no problem for me). Same thing working on the boat, I insist on doing everything myself. I'll let somebody put the cooler in, but NOTHING operational, I want to put my own hands on everything.
