I was not gonna post this, but...

[Chilly]

It may remind someone to be careful.

I got to go fishing at Grenada Sunday morning. The water was at the same basic level as it was this spring, so I decided to go try some stake beds out from North Graysport. I put in at South graysport and run under the bridge and get about to the Dummy line rd bed and WHAM! the tiller is snatched from my hand and the boat does a hard right. I gather the boat and slow down to a snail pace and check my drawers for...well you know what. Well I was clean, but I got extremely lucky, because if I would have had a partner fishing, he/she would have gotten wet for sure. If the boat had kicked left instead of right, I would have almost for sure gotten wet. I had my life jacket at my feet and not hooked to the kill switch, the last place it needs to be in an emergency situation. I was almost over confident in my abilities on Sunday. If I would have gotten thrown my boat would have had to run in circles until it crashed into another stump/ rock/ god forbid someone else, or at best run out of gas before I could have gotten back in it. So this is just a reminder to wear your kill switch and your life jacket. Just because the motor is only a 30 horse, things can still happen. Just because you have fished a lake for a while and know it well, does not mean a tickers damn, accidents still can and will happen.

I proceeded to fish for a couple more hours, but got no bites. I put-putted to Buttputter creek to try to catch something, but it was too shallow. I then put-putted back under the bridge and went north and since it was out of the wind, I gapped her wide open to see if I may have hurt something in the lower unit. It ran great just like always.
I get the boat out and load it up and I see this when I am putting the transom saver on...








I see that there is a forearm size chunk of cast aluminum knocked out of the fin. What can be done to fix this?


Chilly

[BigRiverMarine]

Take it to a good welding shop and they can re make it. WB or someone down there ought-a know somebody that can weld it.

[majflyboy]

Just glad you're OK Chilly.

[Wannabe...]

Well....you're gonna get a bunch of "great post" replies and "just glad nothing bad happened to you" replies, but I'm gonna jump out with sumpn speshul just for you from me........................................

You ignernt gewber death wishing hill billy loving dirt nap wanting cant float for nuthin to smart for your own britches idjit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T DO THAT NO MORE!!!!!!!!! Else I'm gonna call you bad names.

Other than that, glad you're OK.

Now, on the motor.....yeah....I ain't got a recommendation for welding cast aluminum around here. And shipping it ain't gonna be cheap to a shop that can handle it that I know of....won't kill ya, but won't be cheap with shipping. TN would be the closest place....not sure where Titus is, but that'd be my first check via phone. Past a weld repair, wonder if you could put a small whale tail on it and get away with it...you said it was running OK and I assume you couldn't detect any handling problems, but I'd still be a littl worried about it doing something unexpected at speed with that much of the cav plate missing. I'd feel better about it if not repaired if you put a whalet tale on it.

Wannabe...

[BigRiverMarine]

[QUOTE=Wannabe...;1670207]Well....you're gonna get a bunch of "great post" replies and "just glad nothing bad happened to you" replies, but I'm gonna jump out with sumpn speshul just for you from me........................................

You ignernt gewber death wishing hill billy loving dirt nap wanting cant float for nuthin to smart for your own britches idjit!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T DO THAT NO MORE!!!!!!!!! Else I'm gonna call you bad names.

Other than that, glad you're OK.

What a mind, or lack of one. LOL
REFRESHING to say the least.

[EmptyStringer]

Glad you're ok.

My dad's old rig had a 50 merk with a chunk close to that size missing. We never touched it since it handled just fine

[duckhunter]

chilly, glad thats all that happened...........i have a tiller handle 40 on my wareagle, and when it hits a stump, the torque is so powerful it almost yanks my shoulder off. ALWAYS idle in the greysport area when the lake is below 207 or so, there are also bridge pilings there at the dummy line.

["G"]

A good welding shop can fix that just fine

[Minnerman]

Columbus Machine & Welding in Columbus, MS can do it.
Theys a shop in indianola that might can do it. I think it's Jennings Welding.

[Minnerman]

Oh yea, what WB said plus you a maroon.