Expensive, but not as bad as it could of been!

Got up to Rayburn Thursday night, charged the batteries a went out Friday mid morning. Ran up the Attoyac to the high lines but hit the muddy water so turned around and headed back towards main lake. Fished a few piles then moved into the timber. When I was coming in I noticed the big motor started making a strange high pitch sound, then it shutdown hard like I had hit a stump, but didn't hit anything. Fortunately the TM batteries had a good charge on them because I had to go by trolling motor for quite a ways before a couple of guys came by and gave me a pull back to Jackson Hill. Hauled it up to Center on Saturday, they called this morning and said the lower unit was locked up. It's gonna be an expensive fix, but not near as bad as it could of been. Decided to have them go ahead and put on a Hamby's Keel Guard while it was there. They said they should have it finished and ready to go well before I get back up there on the 14th.

happy it wasnt any worse.........

Me too chuck. I was thinking the worst, so the cost of a new lower unit is considerably cheaper than what I had braced myself for!

I hope you have better luck next time you get here. Did they say what may have caused the lower unit to fail?
Still under the weather here, getting ready for some work on the main pump in Dec, don't have any idea how long I'll be down but shouldn't be long. They think they found the culpret causing the problem and should be able to fix it then maybe I can get back to fishing next year. Ferdi

They didn't say Fred, but I'll ask them when I go pick it up Friday week. I'm glad it happened where it did, because there were very few boats out that I saw, if I'd have been on down past the long bridge or up around Hanks creek I might not be back yet!
I hope they get you all straightened out my friend, so you can get after them crappie next spring. I'm going to be up there the 15th through 17th, 22nd through 24th, and 27th through the 1st, so if I can beg some into biting one of my jigs I'll bring you a mess or three for the freezer. Yes, I'll fillet them for you so all you'll have to do is eat em or freeze em!

I appreciate the offer Russ. Do remember if you are on the lake like that again I can get there and get you to shore or have someone if I can't but it takes a call before I can know it though. The house number is 9threesix 8seven2 threeJAMESBOND and I think you have the cell phone in yours.

LP I went through the same last year with my lower unit although I was able to limp back to the ramp at idle from just in front of the Damm all the way back to LHM.
I pass over the Attoyac on 103 heading to my hunting grounds & have always said how fishy that part of the lake look.
Good luck on your motor repair & getting on those slabs!
Come visit us sometimes on Houston, it's gonna be on fire when the water temps get down a little more.

Ferdi - I have your house number in the phone also, I was going to give you a call if I wasn't going to be able to make it in with the trolling motor, but those two guys gave me a pull.

SK - The guy that owns the park on Rayburn where we have the 5th wheel lives right there on site and keeps a close eye on everything, so I leave the boat there and don't pull it back and forth with the exception of a couple of white bass trips to Livingston. I like going up there whenever we have the chance and get as far away from the hectic stuff around the city as possible. With the boat up there, all we have to do is grab some clothes and stop in Woodville for groceries and we've got it made for the weekend! I used to think that I was far enough away from Houston where I live, but each year that goes by it keeps getting closer! Once I can figure out how to catch crappie on Rayburn in the summer, and a few more years pass we'll probably just move up there. So much more peaceful and laid back!

Glad to see you found that shop that works on your motor and in the basic area. I have been gown for a couple days and then they found that I had a water leak in my slab so had to have water cut off since Tuesday while a plumber replaces my water lines and this time in the attic with the Pex pipe. May get a tolit back today, but hope all back tomorrow some time. This was costly, something around $3000, ouch! I didn't need this because we have several other things we need to have done.
Thankfully I have a really good neighbor that had another neighbor light his hot water heaters and get very thing going so we could use his shower and bathrooms. Still at least one more shower over there tonight. I have not been able to do kore than look in on the jig board and have not even tied anything this week and I need to.

not a good week for ya skiptomylu.........sorry to hear this.......

Dang Skip, that's not a good thing to have happen at all. Thank goodness for good neighbors though! The shop up the road from you supposedly didn't work on Yamaha's, so I talked to a buddy of mine from San Augustine and he told be about the shop in Center, he had used tem a few times and said they did good work so I hauled it to them. They were quick about getting to it, and it should be ready and waiting for me when I get back up there next week.

That's a good thing you having a place close enough to get help with you motor when needed. Glad you found them!

I actually just got off the phone with them, the new lower unit came in yesterday and they have it finished, checked out, and she's ready for me to come and get it. I have to work this weekend so I'll be up there bright and early next Friday to get it. I was talking to the mechanic that worked on it and he was giving me a lesson in how the whole thing worked and what typically happens when lower units fail, he also said he'd go over more stuff when I get there to pick it up. I really appreciated him explaining stuff like that so it sounds like I may have found a place to take it back to should the need arise later on.

congrats on the new lower unit and also finding a shop near you to handle your problems............

Bummer Skip, sorry to hear about that. All will be well before long.

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Originally Posted by Tracker123

Bummer Skip, sorry to hear about that. All will be well before long.

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Thanks Randy, it's almost all done now, actually was this much done as of Saturday and he has not really done much since. Only a couple things left to do, but still costly. At least he said he would knock off what it cost me to fix my ceiling he messed up. So have to find out what charge he is going to be.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lonestar Proud

SK - The guy that owns the park on Rayburn where we have the 5th wheel lives right there on site and keeps a close eye on everything, so I leave the boat there and don't pull it back and forth with the exception of a couple of white bass trips to Livingston. I like going up there whenever we have the chance and get as far away from the hectic stuff around the city as possible. With the boat up there, all we have to do is grab some clothes and stop in Woodville for groceries and we've got it made for the weekend! I used to think that I was far enough away from Houston where I live, but each year that goes by it keeps getting closer! Once I can figure out how to catch crappie on Rayburn in the summer, and a few more years pass we'll probably just move up there. So much more peaceful and laid back!

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Trust I know what you mean, I can't wait till I can get away from that thing called
"work" & real country here I come!!!