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, with a 1957 Johnson 35 on it? That was the last year that OMC used pressurized tanks. The 1958 model year had fuel pumps. Much safer. Probably mandated by the fedgov, but I didn't think they were  doing that much with safety regulations back then.

As I’ve said (somewhere, I’m sure), this will not be in chronological order!  Hereafter, I will add dates to this section as I add to this section. For instance this passage is written on 8/16/2023. The first was created 7/19/2023, I think. That’s what the computer says, but it seems longer ago than that.

 

 

 

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