I'm back !!!

[HitTheClicka]

Since last November I've had to fish from my boat without an engine. Me and my buddy slabseeker was making a run on nolin from dog creek back to moutardier ramp, and my old mercury 'tower of power' finally gave out. Blew the #2 cylinder by Ponderosa. It limped and spluttered and got us back to the ramp right at dark and that was it.


When I took it to my boat mechanic and asked him what caused it, he laughed and shook his head, "It's a 1979 engine. It's 38 years old. It had a good run." When I asked him if he could fix it, he said sure. But the cost to do so wouldn't be worth it. Cheaper to get another boat or re-power with a newer engine.


So since then, I've been limited to fishing near boat ramps. I would still go fishing. And still caught fish. But it takes a while to get very far with the trolling motor. Some days I'd troll for over an hour to get to a spot that held fish...


Loading & unloading the boat was interesting too. To load it, I would get it aimed at the trailer and go full throttle on the trolling motor for momentum, then stow it away right before impact and run to the back of the boat to take weight off the bow. This would take the boat as far on the trailer as possible. Then, I would tight walk the trailer frame until I could get the hook clipped and winch it the rest of the way on. The trick is to do this without falling into the water. Which I thought was a great testament to my athletic ability, since I never fell in...😀But it always made observers nervous.


Well, I finally got an engine for my boat, and this weekend was the first I got to use it. I like my old 1979 ranger 178V. The boat is still sound- no stress cracks and the transom solid as a rock. And I've got it set up the way I want, to fish the way I like. Got a used 2008 mercury 115 four stroke. Very smooth and quiet motor! And it seems that it uses about a 1/3 as much gas as the old one.


If anyone is in the market for a used outboard engine, or needs parts for their existing one, google 'marine parts warehouse'. Or their website is www.obparts.com, and talk to Chris. They're located in Allen County Scottsville, just past the high school. For a boat mechanic, I highly recommend Tim's Boat Repair. Tim is between Moutardier and Ralph's Market beside Nolin. He did the rigging on my new engine.


I suppose the big question is, does the new rig catch fish. The answer- Yes! Went Saturday & Sunday, made a long run to get to my spot. It would have been impossible to get there with just a trolling motor. Broke it in right with a limit each day. Life is good!