Thread: Fishing with my dad this weekend - nervous

My prize from Friday! Not bad for 6'lb test and a 10' crappie rod..29" 12 lbs 4 oz...

Way to go Quacker very nice catch!!!!!!!!Well me amd Thrill didnt get to do as we planned today.Had things happen so we didnt get on the water till late this evening and we got fish that is all we can say.

Very nice fish.........hurry up and loan it out too "Black Crow"
so he can impress his dad

Originally Posted by crappietime

Way to go Quacker very nice catch!!!!!!!!Well me amd Thrill didnt get to do as we planned today.Had things happen so we didnt get on the water till late this evening and we got fish that is all we can say.

Had things happen? More like **** happens. I'm afraid that I might be a jynx to every boat I set foot on. Is there anyway to reverse this?

Well...how did the trip go with Mom and Dad?

Well guys, here's the rest of the story...

I mentioned in my original post I just got my motor back from the mechanic who had it for two weeks. He rebuilt the carb and replaced the spark plugs for $230. Fine with me, it's a 90's model two stroke Mercury and it's probably time to replace the carbs anyway. He gave it back to me Thursday and said it was working fine and that I was set to go. Great!

Well, I put the boat in the water and cranked it up. It ran beautifully for about 15 seconds and then sputtered out . I cranked it again, it ran for about 10 seconds then died again . Cranked it a third time with the same results . I have a very low patience threshold for mechanical problems with my motor - especially after letting it sit in a mechanic's shop for two weeks paying $230 for new carbs. So with my blood about to boil I pulled the boat to the bank. After 30 minutes or so of me and my dad tinkering with it on the water (tinkering defined as manually opening the throttle, checking the fuel filter, removing and blowing out the fuel lines) we decided to take it back to the house to look at it.

I parked the boat in my driveway and filled my 50 gallon trash can with water and cranked it up. It ran 15-20 seconds then died - same result as at the lake. Next time I cranked it I pulled the throttle with my finger and it ran for about 30 seconds, but here I noticed something important - the motor was not cycling water. At this point I attached my hose flushing kit to the motor (you know the thing attaches to a hose that forces water into the water inakes) and it did cycle water; however it still would not idle without pulling the choke in and out while simultaneously pulling the throttle. So now, after a thorough troubleshooting session that the mechanic should have done, I have determined there are at least two remaining problems:

First - There may be a problem with the impeller, which would explain why it will not cycle water. This would cause the motor to overheat and lock up, which partially explains why it will only run for 15-30 seconds.

Second - There is a problem with the choke/throttle. The motor will not idle without manually pulling the throttle with my finger while pulling the choke in and out at the same time, which made me feel like I was playing an accordion.

Anyway, I called the mechanic and left a polite message despite my frustration and explained that I would be bringing the motor back to him today at lunch. Hopefully he'll be able to tell me what's going on and truly fix it this time.

Sorry about the lenght of this, but I wanted to let you guys know what happened after all the buildup and hype I made last week about this weekend. I hope all of you had nice weekends with better luck than me. I know quackermasher sure did, NICE FISH my friend! Also, Thrillseeker and crappietime, I'd love to hear how things turned out for you guys at Easter Seals and also how you, Thrillseeker, think you are a jynx :D.

That sucks Crow sorry to hear about the troubles!!

Sorry we all are having bad luck with our boats.My boat has a bent shaft on the trolling motor and needs to be replaced makes it real hard to turn and work the calf muscles.For some unforsaken reason I cant remember to lift the trolling motor lately.Seems Thrill is haveing fuel pump problems.