TeezXB
05-31-2011, 11:27 AM
After getting new transom straps, repairing the trailer, lubing the steering cables and hours of back-breaking cleaning and waxing, I decide that Lake Tarpon is nothing but a 3-foot wave machine with a 20mph headwind and go for the saltwater ramp 3 blocks from the house. The put-in in flawless and we get underway. It fires right up as i enjoy the stares from the shore crowd....a bass boat in saltwater...all loud and mean sounding. We rip it up to 6k rpm and it's just singing away. We probably did a good 30 miles flat-out on water as smooth as glass around 90 before I noticed the gas gauge at almost empty.
Everytime the gauge reads empty I promptly head to shore, only to fill it up at a station to notice only 12 gallons are needed to fill it up with a 20.6 gallon fuel cell. So this time I balk at the erroneus gauge and check the tank level, sure enough a good 8 gallons left.
A few more speed runs ensue and we're cruising back to the ramp at 62 and all of a sudden the rpm just starts to drop and we lose all speed in about 25 feet and motor abrupty stops. No pre-warning at all, just stops cold.
I'm like, OK, the lower unit just scrambled...wonderful.
I switch to neutral praying the powerhead isn't gone instead and it fires right up. I put it into forward, engine shuts off.
Crap! What could be wrong. My buddy says, "Well lets get the trolling motor down and limp it in. He pulls the release on the Kota and it drops down only halfway and he just starts laughing his ass off.
A sandbar? Are you F*'ing kidding me? An oar? Who needs a stinking oar, this is not a canoe!
Head in my hands, while knowing i just ran across this same spot 2 hours ago. DING* Low tide!! This is why I run it in lakes, aha.
In the middle of the channel, I find out from a passing jetski, has a sandbar the size of a football field in it during low tide. Gahh what kind of crappy dredging maintennance is this in a freaking channel!
It took us two and 3 very selfless jetskiiers to wiggle us off.
The Clearwater Police's marine unit just watched us from 50 yards and did absolutely nothing to help us/tow us off the sandbar, thanks for nothing.
Once we're off the sandbar I'm thanking everyone for their help, we're floating in 2 feet of water, we're good.
Wrong answer.
No problems with the lower unit, I trim it down a bit and attempt to ease it out into deeper water. We're not going anywhere.
The same 3 jetskiiers haven't left because they let us know after the second time we get the boat free that 30 boats a week get stuck in the same place more than once during their trip over the sandbar of doom.
I need to add the fact here that I've had the motor trimmed up of course and have been running it up to 6k and down trying to free up the boat without help at first and right now you're probably guessing the end of this story.
So we're free at last and the shout of YAY can be heard from shore as I look over to see the 100+ people gathered to watch my little escapade.
So we're back to cruising to the dock when sputter, cough, sputter, yep you got it, trying to get off the sandbar used what little gas we had left.
That's why i spent a little extra to get a 24V system for the trolling motor and limped it back in.
Thanks for reading:thumbsup:
Everytime the gauge reads empty I promptly head to shore, only to fill it up at a station to notice only 12 gallons are needed to fill it up with a 20.6 gallon fuel cell. So this time I balk at the erroneus gauge and check the tank level, sure enough a good 8 gallons left.
A few more speed runs ensue and we're cruising back to the ramp at 62 and all of a sudden the rpm just starts to drop and we lose all speed in about 25 feet and motor abrupty stops. No pre-warning at all, just stops cold.
I'm like, OK, the lower unit just scrambled...wonderful.
I switch to neutral praying the powerhead isn't gone instead and it fires right up. I put it into forward, engine shuts off.
Crap! What could be wrong. My buddy says, "Well lets get the trolling motor down and limp it in. He pulls the release on the Kota and it drops down only halfway and he just starts laughing his ass off.
A sandbar? Are you F*'ing kidding me? An oar? Who needs a stinking oar, this is not a canoe!
Head in my hands, while knowing i just ran across this same spot 2 hours ago. DING* Low tide!! This is why I run it in lakes, aha.
In the middle of the channel, I find out from a passing jetski, has a sandbar the size of a football field in it during low tide. Gahh what kind of crappy dredging maintennance is this in a freaking channel!
It took us two and 3 very selfless jetskiiers to wiggle us off.
The Clearwater Police's marine unit just watched us from 50 yards and did absolutely nothing to help us/tow us off the sandbar, thanks for nothing.
Once we're off the sandbar I'm thanking everyone for their help, we're floating in 2 feet of water, we're good.
Wrong answer.
No problems with the lower unit, I trim it down a bit and attempt to ease it out into deeper water. We're not going anywhere.
The same 3 jetskiiers haven't left because they let us know after the second time we get the boat free that 30 boats a week get stuck in the same place more than once during their trip over the sandbar of doom.
I need to add the fact here that I've had the motor trimmed up of course and have been running it up to 6k and down trying to free up the boat without help at first and right now you're probably guessing the end of this story.
So we're free at last and the shout of YAY can be heard from shore as I look over to see the 100+ people gathered to watch my little escapade.
So we're back to cruising to the dock when sputter, cough, sputter, yep you got it, trying to get off the sandbar used what little gas we had left.
That's why i spent a little extra to get a 24V system for the trolling motor and limped it back in.
Thanks for reading:thumbsup: