Look what I did tonight.

[bassboy1]

This is what I saw once I got to the ramp in the dark. No biggie, running this river, I'm due this a few times. I'll get a used/rebuilt one and be good to go. Worst case scenario, a new one is 80 bucks.

Then I get home, and in better light, this is what I see.

Furthermore, the prop shaft is bent. I haven't yet put the dial indicator to it, but it is bent far enough to be noticeable turning it by hand. There is a chance that the shaft was bent beforehand, as I never put a dial indicator to it, but my dad and I had the gearcase apart and resealed it, and I can't imagine both of us missing a bent prop shaft as we reinstalled everything.

The good news is that the shear pin is still in perfect condition. :roll:

Whats more is that I have a parts motor for this engine. However, the reason it is a parts motor is that certain parts are damaged. Those parts include: prop shaft, skeg, among other things (pinion gear, flywheel).

 

[HUSKERBOATER]

so you hit a log or grounded it?

 

[bassboy1]

Rock, I believe.

I was fishing a notoriously shallow/rocky river, that when the dam just upstream is generating, is fine to run a prop rig. (when the water is slack, you've gotta have a UHMW bottomed jet rig, and even some of those guys won't run it, after tearing too much stuff up). I had measured how long it took the water to drop in this area after generation had stopped the past couple times I had been up there. However, tonight, either they stopped the flow early, or conditions were different and the flow dropped quicker than it had the last few times I had been. Either way, the river dropped about around 45 minutes sooner than I had figured on, and I didn't take notice of the lower water level.

Anyway, I'm making a short run upriver (made this same run 2 hours before, as well as numerous times over the past 3 weeks), and a couple hundred yards short of my destination, WHAM. Great, that's gonna leave a mark. I then notice the river is lower. At this point, it is only 1 or 1.5 ft. lower than it was when generating. Still enough water to navigate relatively easily, but you have to be careful. I knew that there would be nothing I could do to fix anything on the water, and I still needed to get back to the ramp on the motor (not to mention beat the falling water, as I have never been out during falling water to know how fast I was to loose the rest of the water), so I didn't even bother to check the damage up there. At the ramp, I thought the only damage was the prop. It wasn't until I got home to find the skeg torn up (not a big deal - I can fix that without too much trouble), and the bent prop shaft (little bigger deal).

 

[Jim]

ouch man!

 

[Captain Ahab]

**** - you slammed that


Glad you enjoy fixing stuff :LOL2:

 

[cajuncook1]

Sorry to hear and see that. Hope your up and running soon!!

Best of luck!!

cajuncook1

 

[BaitCaster]

Ouch! #-o

How do you pland to fix the skeg? I have a similar bend in mine (fortunately no cracks) and I have learned that you can bend them back using a couple of sledge hammers, as long as you go slowly.

Cheers,
BC

 

[bassboy1]

Ouch! #-o

How do you pland to fix the skeg? I have a similar bend in mine (fortunately no cracks) and I have learned that you can bend them back using a couple of sledge hammers, as long as you go slowly.

Cheers,
BC

If I do decide to fix the skeg (as oppose to slap a complete used gearcase on), I'll see if I can't persuade it straight, then TIG the crack back up with 4043 filler. If I can't persuade it straight, I'll cut it smooth, and fabricate a new skeg out of a scrap of plate and weld it up.

Glad you enjoy fixing stuff :LOL2:

Har har har. :roll:

Fixing stuff ain't the problem. Paying for parts is.

 

[wolfmjc]

Well you know its not IF but WHEN for any of us, still hate it when it happens! last time for me was a submerged block a trotliner left in the shallow part of our exit slew to the main river, that one cost a prop ....... #-o

 

[Quackrstackr]

Dang. :shock:

All of you guys whacking props and skegs is making me glad that we are taking my buddy's boat in the morning. :lol:

My prop is $400 to replace and I've already scuffed the face of it once on a sandbar that I didn't know was there. :shock: