Outboard Sagas

  Shakedown Cruise, June 24, 2023 It rained like hell the first part of the day, and I thought I probably wouldn’t go out. Then the sun came out and I started getting ready. I had two batteries and a trolling motor, so if the 1971 Evinrude failed, the outgoing tide and the trolling motor would get me back. I got it launched and tied up to the dock without too much effort. Leaving the dock, It seemed to be low on power, but maybe that was the difference between a 25 and an 18. I ran straight out, then upstream for a while before slowing down and seeing if I could get it to idle a little. Results were not terrible, so I headed upstream to fish a little. It was then that the motor significantly lost power. After a minute or so, I guessed that it might be running on only one cylinder. I turned it off, dropped the trolling motor and did a little fishing. Using a trolling motor is a new thing for me. This one has a rocker pedal to steer, with a mini pedal in the top right of the ro...

  Outboard Saga I I’m really bad at Keeping records. Forgive me. Or don’t. From my phone records, the best I can come up with is this must have started in February, or maybe late January, though it feels more like March or April. I have a history of burning up, or wearing out, or somehow destroying boat motors. Maybe I just make bad purchases. But my nephew, being aware of my latest [fiasco, disappointment, insert your preferred word here] called me up and said he had a line on two ‘70’s era OMC motors for $125.00. I said I’d come and get them if it materialized. When I went down to Jupiter, Florida, we worked on them for a weekend, and then I put them in my car and headed north. He Refused compensation. Bless you Michael!   II It’s been months, now. The motor is running, the boat floats. Sometimes I catch fish. I worked hard, if sporadically, learned some things, remembered others. Did I tell you that when I was growing up, my dad had a sixteen-foot Chris-Craft,...

  Intro I know*, the intro should come before anything else. Welcome to my world. Stephen** does not necessarily do things in order. Also, I don't do things on schedule. There might be several entries in as many days, then weeks of nothing. This is my blog. Nearly everything will have something to do with boats or motors or fishing. Are there questions?   *Dragons know EVERYTHING. If you get this reference, you deserve something. ** One of the signs of incipient madness is speaking of oneself in third person. But this doesn’t bother Stephen a whole lot.

  My Old Spinning Reel Circa 1964, I purchased a spinning reel. It was a DAM Quick Finessa, made in Berlin West. That’s what it said on it. It was the hottest thing! It was, as far as I know, the first to have a quick-change spool, so you could have more than one spool, perhaps with different weight lines. It didn’t come with a spare spool, but over the years, I’ve acquired two more. It was also the first to be convertible, to right or left handedness. Unlike today’s reels, it required you to disassemble it and replace a part with the other-handed one, which came with it. Yesterday, while I was out fishing, the bail spring broke. This is the third time this has happened! Can you imagine! Luckily, I had one in reserve. I installed it and now all is well. But I’m worried. At this rate, I’ll need another one by the time I’m ninety-five years old.  So I did an on-line search. Not only can you find them on ebay.com, but also from other sites as well. And that isn’t all. Aft...