Quote:
Originally Posted by marknfw
I hope you've disappeared from here because you're so busy enjoying your new boat!
LOL, I wish. I just haven't had much to say.
The boat has been a "challenge".
The steering has never been right. My mobile mechanic tried several things but the steering continues to "slip". Whichever way the wind tries to push the boat, I have to constantly correct it because the steering system isn't holding the course. I can go 5 miles and turn the wheel 10 complete times.
I finally took it to another mechanic who was highly recommended. The technical reasons for the issue are quite a lot. The cliffs are "all ****ed up".
If you are interested....
My mobile mechanic also pointed out that there were some spots where the gelcoat had chipped off on the hull. When I got the boat on the trailer I cold see that the gelcoat was completely chipped off the entire keel. After googling it appears that this is probably something you wouldn't want to leave like that for a period of time.
Fortunately, I had a really good fiberglass guy recommended and he was only a few blocks from the mechanic so when the steering was fixed I hauled it straight to the gelcoat guy. This was good because that boat is so huge and a bit scary to haul. I feel a lot better after getting the trailer fixed up, though.
But, as they say, there's more.
When my mobile mechanic pulled the thermostat, an area around it crumbled so there is basically a hole in the engine. He filled it with jb-weld but that is temporary. I've been on a quest to find someone. Anyone, that might fix this. Nobody wants anything to do with it. Turns out everyone has heard about this on yamahas.
Another stroke of luck, though. The gelcoat guy knows a guy who he thinks will do it. I talked to him (the welder) and he knew exactly what the issue is but he said he needed to look at it to make sure he felt comfortable doing it.
Aorn, the boat is at the gelcoat guy's shop. The welder went by there to look but the boat was on blocks and they didn't want to get in the boat until it was back on something more stable. I should get word today or tomorrow.
One more thing. That trolling motor disaster. Well, the guy that sold me the boat contacted the manufacturer. Turns out it might have been a design flaw. The manufacturer sent me a new mount which I will put on when I get the boat back. I had the guy that designed the mount on the phone and took the opportunity to pick his brain about moving the entire trolling motor back a few feet. I've posed this question to anyone I think might know, including several minn kota reps. Nobody could give me a good answer. This guy, however, knew his stuff. He said if you don't have it on the bow, the boat will "crab". Which means it won't be straight into whatever force is pushing the boat (most likely wind). He said it won't be bad at all to move it where I want it, though. He said they have been working on a mount for this very purpose but haven't got everything worked out yet. I told him what I thought might work and he agreed it could but wasn't sure how it would hold up in the long run.
tl;dr I know. This is been a lot of both time and expense but in the end I believe we'll have a really good setup at about 1/3 the cost of a brand new similar boat.