Weekend at the coast

[randlemanboater]

I spent the holiday weekend at the coast finally getting to run my V after a long hiatus.

I got there late Friday night so early Saturday morning I uncovered her and started cleaning her up a bit. My Dad was helping me scrub the outside of the hull and noticed the gas tank vent fitting hanging loose. It took about 2 hours and some contorsionist moves, but I got it replaced.

The motor started up on the first crank on the hose, as usual (have I mentioned that I LOVE this motor?) and I slowly pulled her to the ramp, hoping the rusty hulk of a trailer would make it the 1 1/2 blocks without disintigrating.

I always check the steering before I put in and it worked fine on the trailer, it worked fine in the water at idle speed, but at speed, it was hard to steer. I looked it over but everything looked normal. It got worse and worse as I pulled the kids on tubes so I looked again, the top of the motor mount was pulled away from the transom!!!!!!! My first thought was "oh crap, the transom has gone bad over the winter,

I idled back to the ramp and put her on her new trailer (a perfect fit) and further investigated.

I found that BOTH of the top mounting bolts had broken!!! I guess I was lucky the bottom two held or my beloved Johnzuki would have been in the drink. I think the 5200 helped hold the motor on as well.

I replaced the bolts and it worked flawlessly Sunday when my Dad, my boy, and I went out and caught a few Spanish and blues.

I'll post some pics tomorrow, left my camera @ work.

[tsubaki]

The 1/2" stainless bolts??
By the way, good outing! Especially when you return on your own steam!!
Reminds me of returning from an offshore trip. While running the motor (with hose and muffs) for the next trip, I went to the rear to check to see that the motor was pumping water and on the ground lay my prop. I walked next door, got Daddy to see this. The propshaft had broken off, laying on the ground was the washers, nut prop and all! His response was "I never have that kind of luck, if it was with me, it would have fallen off while offshore".

[reelapeelin]

WOW!!...I think very fortunate the lower bolts held...those two top bolts bustin' like that...you better keep a close eye on that MIGHTY 140!!!

[randlemanboater]

Yep, the 1/2 inch bolts....they were the ones that came with the motor and looked like they had been broken a while.

I was very lucky the bottom ones held....I'm going to replace them for good measure too.

[randlemanboater]

Here's a few pics.


While we were out trolling for Spanish, the planer on my sons side popped and he reeled in to find we had caught a live sand dollar. It hooked right in one of the slots, I bet if you tried for a million years you couldn't do that on purpose.



My Dad and son hard at trolling.



While I was dragging the kids around Sunday afternoon, the Nina and Pinta came by, don't know where the Santa Maria was.





Monday morning we went to the "sandy part of the beach" as my littlest one used to say.

[Blue_Runner]

WOW that is frightening! I guess the steering loosened up after replacing the bolts huh.

Very nice. I'll try to check out the pix later away from work. Nice report!