Quote:
Originally Posted by Destroyer
WOW... Someone older than me.!!! I'm 70 Larry, and I thought that I had the title as the oldest here. Guess I'm in second place now. 
And for the record, some of my qualifications are that I also have a South Bend Lathe, and a J head Bridgeport miller, a welder and more tools that I'll ever really need. Oh, and I'm a 1st class machinist, a licensed HVAC mechanic, and a mechanical engineer. I retired from the electric company that brought you 3 mile Island (Although that was not one of my responsibilities [thank God]). My point is I too have been a wrench turner since I was a child. I pulled my first tranny (out of a 53 Chevy) when I was 13, and I haven't looked back since. But when Ferm told me to clean the carbs on my 91 Johnson looper, and Spare told me to change the reeds on it, I did both.. and in the process found that the carbs were melted from a fire and leaking raw gas. Took me almost 3 weeks to get the parts and do the work myself, but that engine is still purring today. Yes, I lost 3 weeks, but possibly saved my life by not having a fire while I was out on the ocean.
So you see, you're not unique, and point of fact, most of these problems pop up around this time of year... because that's when we use our boats. Really, we're just trying to save you time and money... and yes, possibly your life. Red sky's at night.....I'm done.
PS. Oh, and I'm fairly certain that both Spare and Ferm ARE certified also. |
Thanks. Of course my argument isn't that your and other advise was not correct and useful, but that what some suggested didn't factor in the reality of my boat and this time of year in San Diego. Fact, If I didn't get my boat off that trailer, I would not have been able to rebuild that trailer this Summer. Fact, with no trailer, I remained unable to move the boat out of the water. Fact, If I didn't get my boat in the water and into a slip, most likely I would not have been able to use it this Summer. So I had to risk that the engine was ready to run several dozen hours this Summer. If it blew up, it blew up. I had $100 in boat, engine, and trailer and I have both a fire extinguisher and towing insurance. I have the boat insured for $12k. Is it worth that?
Hence during these early discussions I was obliged to ignore what was undoubtedly prudent advise under ideal circumstances. I was working under far from ideal circumstances. Sorry to hurt anyone's feelings.
BTW, I was an NRC Inspector. Back in 1982, I was sent to 3-Mile Island after the incident. I was one of inspectors who interviewed those operators to learn what actually happened. Then I factored that into my operator examinations at other nuclear power plants over the next 2 years I was in the NRC. We learned how to ensure that didn't happen again!
Larry