Hook, Line & Skillet

It was about 3 weeks ago that I had a horrible dream that my boat sank.
The next day I was telling a friend about the dream and recalled early December of 2008, when I was taking a heavily problem-stricken Kilted Guinea out of the water for the season; It was a horrible mess, the engine was stuck down in the salt water for over a month – gathering barnacles as the salt ate away at the internal machinery. On top of that, the electrical cables were so corroded that there wasn’t enough juice getting to the starter motor to get her going.
A gracious fellow member of my boat club towed her on the almost two-mile trip from the boat slip to the launch – where we strapped her down to the rickety trailer, drove with the engine down at 5 mph (careful to not scrape the road) and brought her home to the boatyard to endure a cold winter without proper winterization and a very high probability of never starting again, or worse, becoming scrap in the Spring.  (we had to dig a hole into the ground so that the engine wasn’t buried in dirt)

As April brought the Spring to New York, we were able to revive the feisty gal with the help of Grant, a highly recommended repairman.
I simply couldn’t afford what it would have cost for the recommended repairs – so Grant and I worked together on a solution.

Problem 1: Engine stuck in the water (salt water jammed the hydraulic tilt system)
Solution: Grant completely cut the engine from its hydrolic tilt system so that I was now a manual job to lift and lower it into the water. (being that it’s only a 70 HP motor, it’s not too heavy)

Problem 2: Starter wont turn
Solution: new cables

By May, the Kilted Guinea was back in full force and brought joy to so many people all summer long.
In late November, I was able to squeeze in one last fishing trip (no catches) on what was the last 60 degree day we had, and it was fantastic.

I was so confident in her stability – that we decided to leave her in the slip over the winter, since the trailer is such a pain.

Then came December 2009.
Thursday, I got a call from someone at the boat club, “There was intense rain over the night, and your boat is starting to sink.”
“How bad is it?”, I asked.
“The engine is just above water, but your starboard rails are about 10 inches below the water.”
Crap.

I rushed to the slip with my friend and co-owner of the boat, Drew. We were able to use our own weight and cinderblocks to counter-balance the water so that the Stern was above the surface to prevent the boat from taking on any more water – we then pumped out what was in there (I estimate several hundred gallons), and she was sitting back on the surface.
Phew!
We decided to call it a night, and come back over the weekend to trailer it.

2 days later, I get another call. More rain, it’s back under, and it’s worse.
Double crap.

Turns out, the Bilge pump gave out, and there is a drain hole that sits under the surface of the water – the seal around the bolt that keeps it from taking in water must have given way.

We head out at 6am, half asleep, and did what we had to do. The weather reports gave us 3 days before the next rain.

Last night, we prepared the trailer and got on the boat to start her up and drive over to the launch and put her away for the Winter.
She didn’t start. Problem was identical to last year – not enough juice to the starter motor to get her going.
It’s 8pm, and it’s dark.
We get on another boat, tow her to the launch in a cold and windy December evening. (special thanks to our buddy Rory for helping with all that)

This morning, she sits on her trailer in her spot on the boatyard. One less problem than last year, no headaches now till the Spring.

Lesson learned:
When she’s running well in the Fall – take her out while you’re ahead.

That said; I have a boat which has defied the odds and overcame so many problems. I have pushed her to her absolute limits, and she has given me so much joy.
People say that the two best days of owning a boat are the day you buy it and the day you sell it.
A true mariner will agree with me, the best days are when you are faced with a problem, find a solution, and beat the odds.
Next Summer, the Kilted Guinea will ride again.

Filed under: Boats and Bottles