WTF??
I got the bill for "repairs", a bit over $1,200. After looking it over, I realized that I am being WAAAAAAAY overcharged. And yesterday I tried to start the engine, with no results. The new starter cranks the engine just fine, but nothing else happens.
I got a call from the shop owner on Monday, the 20th, telling me it was "fixed"...after replacing the starter, he said the boat would not start. So, he replaced the ignition coil, the distributor cap, the rotor and the electronic module beneath the rotor. Basically half a tune-up, minus spark plugs and wires. So, how much would a reasonable person pay for a tune-up?
How about $716???? How about three hours of labor charge? Really? my seven-year old daughter could change out the coil, distributor cap, rotor and ignition module in under an hour, maybe 90 minutes. Never mind all this was done without my consent; I was told about this after the work was done.
So far, I got a crappy carb rebuild (took 3 tries) and half a tune-up for a bill of $1216. Completely unsatisfactory, except for one little detail...
It still does not run!!!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Salvaging this season
Well, the barge is STILL out of commision with a frozen starter,and work has yet to begin...it's only been two weeks since we got on the calendar for the repairs, but the shop is so busy they have not started the work yet.
I hope we can still salvage some of this season, as we normally run the boat until late October or early November. Even so, I can't believe we have lost all of spring and summer waiting for a few simple repairs to be completed (correctly).
I am capable of doing nearly all maintenance on the boat with the exception of the engine, and that is where we have had problems. I chose our marina because it has a service shop on site, but it seems that one must schedule their breakdowns a few months in advance in order to get fixed in time to use one's boat.
Paience is indeed a virtue, and greed and sloth (shortcuts) are still sins. Still, I am without use of my boat. still paying for the slip it sits in, insurance, registration, etc.
I hope we can still salvage some of this season, as we normally run the boat until late October or early November. Even so, I can't believe we have lost all of spring and summer waiting for a few simple repairs to be completed (correctly).
I am capable of doing nearly all maintenance on the boat with the exception of the engine, and that is where we have had problems. I chose our marina because it has a service shop on site, but it seems that one must schedule their breakdowns a few months in advance in order to get fixed in time to use one's boat.
Paience is indeed a virtue, and greed and sloth (shortcuts) are still sins. Still, I am without use of my boat. still paying for the slip it sits in, insurance, registration, etc.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Why do you head for the water?
Even though the barge is out of commission for now, we are hoping to make the best of the time available this season. Instead of getting underway, the family and I will be hanging out at the marina pool and kicking back with our slip neighbors this weekend.
We head for the water looking for an adventure. Folks take to the water for many reasons; some look to relax and unwind. One of my acquaintances tells me he uses his cruiser to watch NASCAR races over satellite TV! Others buy or build a fast craft and live for the rush of a rough ride at high speed. Of course, a large number of boaters use their craft to pursue fish in salt water or lakes and rivers.
As before, we use our boat for adventures, but nothing dangerous or risky. Simply going to the same cove to party every time would be fun once or twice, and boring after that. Same with fishing or other activities – we need a change of scenery! Sometimes we anchor offshore and swim, sometimes the fishing is a bit more serious. Still, changing locations is a big part of our boat use. After all, some places have bald eagles, some don’t…another place we visit has great fishing on an incoming tide, but after it begins to turn, forget it!
So, what about you and your crew? Why do you take to the water? Do you and the others you go with have the same ideas about what is fun on a boat? Feel free to share in the comments!
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Stranded yet again!
After a long time and a few false starts, the carburetor rebuild is complete and the engine allegedly runs fine. Saturday last I went to the boat in the slip and she fired right up, idled normally and sounded and looked good. I gave it a good cleaning and applied protectant to the vinyl seats. I finished about 30 minutes before the skies opened and a thunderstorms passed through quickly.
I decided to wait out the storm in the marina store, talking with the dock master. "So, did you find out why your boat was sinking?" they asked. What? My boat was sinking? When was this?
Apparently the week prior, during rainstorms on back to back days, the engine compartment filled about halfway and the repair techs pumped it out the day after. The boat was never in any danger of sinking, since the engine compartment is separate from the pontoons, which are foam-filled and have their own auto bilge pumps. So, why didn't the pump in the engine compartment do the job? And why didn't anyone tell me?
Most pontoon boats use outboard engines for power like the one pictured above, but mine has an inboard/outdrive, or I/O powerplant. Here is the engine compartment after the old engine was removed during the repower three years ago...
A quick call to the service folks revealed that answer..."somehow" during the testing of the carb repairs, the battery was cranked until it died. That left the battery with no juice to run the bilge pump. I put the battery on a charger, but it was too far gone. I replaced the dead battery with a new marine cranking battery; the boat started right up and ran great at the slip, so I gave my beautiful wife the go ahead to go for a ride after church.
We loaded our gear and bait, and the boat started up after a short squeak when I first hit the switch. We headed down river, the engine running fine except for not reaching max RPM, about 800 short. The boat hit 3600 RPM at a little more than 3/4 throttle, but advancing the lever produced no increase in power. That could wait until we got back, as it was likely just an adjustment and we seldom use that much power and gas.
Anchoring was uneventful as the boat idled beautifully. We swam and fished for about three hours and decided to call it a day as the skies darkened with approaching storm clouds. I aired out the bilges, turned the key and...SKREEEEECH and nothing. The battery was fine, but the starter was locked up.
After a try with a booster pack, the starter was declared dead, and a slow tow home had us back in the slip before the storms arrived.
More on this later as we investigate the flooding and what killed the starter.
I decided to wait out the storm in the marina store, talking with the dock master. "So, did you find out why your boat was sinking?" they asked. What? My boat was sinking? When was this?
Apparently the week prior, during rainstorms on back to back days, the engine compartment filled about halfway and the repair techs pumped it out the day after. The boat was never in any danger of sinking, since the engine compartment is separate from the pontoons, which are foam-filled and have their own auto bilge pumps. So, why didn't the pump in the engine compartment do the job? And why didn't anyone tell me?
Most pontoon boats use outboard engines for power like the one pictured above, but mine has an inboard/outdrive, or I/O powerplant. Here is the engine compartment after the old engine was removed during the repower three years ago...
A quick call to the service folks revealed that answer..."somehow" during the testing of the carb repairs, the battery was cranked until it died. That left the battery with no juice to run the bilge pump. I put the battery on a charger, but it was too far gone. I replaced the dead battery with a new marine cranking battery; the boat started right up and ran great at the slip, so I gave my beautiful wife the go ahead to go for a ride after church.
We loaded our gear and bait, and the boat started up after a short squeak when I first hit the switch. We headed down river, the engine running fine except for not reaching max RPM, about 800 short. The boat hit 3600 RPM at a little more than 3/4 throttle, but advancing the lever produced no increase in power. That could wait until we got back, as it was likely just an adjustment and we seldom use that much power and gas.
Anchoring was uneventful as the boat idled beautifully. We swam and fished for about three hours and decided to call it a day as the skies darkened with approaching storm clouds. I aired out the bilges, turned the key and...SKREEEEECH and nothing. The battery was fine, but the starter was locked up.
After a try with a booster pack, the starter was declared dead, and a slow tow home had us back in the slip before the storms arrived.
More on this later as we investigate the flooding and what killed the starter.
Friday, July 13, 2012
At last, it's fixed...we hope!
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Seaworthiness; what does it mean?
Since my toon remains out of commission with a half-rebuild carburetor, I will take a look at a frequent topic among boaters - is a given boat seaworthy?
Seaworthiness is defined as a vessel's ability and suitability to operate in a given body of water in specific weather conditions. Sounds like a lot, but there is a reason for such a complicateed definition. First thing, we are not considering the crew's skills in the equation. Next we have to consider that waterways come in many different types, such as small lakes and rivers, large lakes and rivers, salt water bays, coastal and offshore waters. All of these have different typical conditions as well as differeing types and liklihood of severe weather. For example, most boaters would not expect to find the same weather conditions in a medium size inland lake as they might encounter in coastal Alaska. Given all that, let's narrow our seaworthiness down to three attributes for each boat; suitability, condition and equipment.
Suitability means is the vessel's design suitable for the area or activity the boat will be used in? We could easily spend a few posts just on this topic; for now, let's keep it simple. Some boats are lightly constructed, open to air and water and do not have space for more than basic equipment, such as life jackets/PFDs, a radio or cell phone and other survival gear. Boats like this are suited for areas where conditions are usually nice and, if anything should happen, rescue/assistance is nearby.
Condition refers to how good a shape the particular boat is in. Does it have leaks or other issues with keeping water out? Is the engine reliable? Does it hold enough fuel for the trip, with a little extra just in case? A boat designed to operate offshore in heavy seas loses a lot of its design capability if it is allowed to deteriorate without adequate maintenance - in fact, any boat can lose its seaworthiness without proper upkeep!
Equipment affects seaworthiness a great deal. Like we stated earlier, a boat running around a mid-sized lake on a sunny weekend does not need more than the basic equipment. Venture out into more open waters with bigger waves and fewer sources for help, and you need more and better equipment to keep the water out and your crew's heads above water. Visual distress signals, a VHF radio if within sight of land, a single-sideband (SSB) radio of real offshore work, and Type I PFDs are all upgrades that a lake boater need not bother with.
Keep in mind that if you rely a lot on a piece of equipment, you had better have more than one! Spare radio, backup bilge pumps and additional batteries to power them are just a few examples.
Good stuff... we will discuss this more another time.
Seaworthiness is defined as a vessel's ability and suitability to operate in a given body of water in specific weather conditions. Sounds like a lot, but there is a reason for such a complicateed definition. First thing, we are not considering the crew's skills in the equation. Next we have to consider that waterways come in many different types, such as small lakes and rivers, large lakes and rivers, salt water bays, coastal and offshore waters. All of these have different typical conditions as well as differeing types and liklihood of severe weather. For example, most boaters would not expect to find the same weather conditions in a medium size inland lake as they might encounter in coastal Alaska. Given all that, let's narrow our seaworthiness down to three attributes for each boat; suitability, condition and equipment.
Suitability means is the vessel's design suitable for the area or activity the boat will be used in? We could easily spend a few posts just on this topic; for now, let's keep it simple. Some boats are lightly constructed, open to air and water and do not have space for more than basic equipment, such as life jackets/PFDs, a radio or cell phone and other survival gear. Boats like this are suited for areas where conditions are usually nice and, if anything should happen, rescue/assistance is nearby.
Condition refers to how good a shape the particular boat is in. Does it have leaks or other issues with keeping water out? Is the engine reliable? Does it hold enough fuel for the trip, with a little extra just in case? A boat designed to operate offshore in heavy seas loses a lot of its design capability if it is allowed to deteriorate without adequate maintenance - in fact, any boat can lose its seaworthiness without proper upkeep!
Equipment affects seaworthiness a great deal. Like we stated earlier, a boat running around a mid-sized lake on a sunny weekend does not need more than the basic equipment. Venture out into more open waters with bigger waves and fewer sources for help, and you need more and better equipment to keep the water out and your crew's heads above water. Visual distress signals, a VHF radio if within sight of land, a single-sideband (SSB) radio of real offshore work, and Type I PFDs are all upgrades that a lake boater need not bother with.
Keep in mind that if you rely a lot on a piece of equipment, you had better have more than one! Spare radio, backup bilge pumps and additional batteries to power them are just a few examples.
Good stuff... we will discuss this more another time.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Ready for battle?
Finally the barge is fixed - at least that is what the mechanic tells us. After a new ignition coil, a carburetor rebuild and new fuel filters, I hope the engine is again reliable. The carb and coil should correct the idle issues caused by the carb flooding and weak spark. A new battery will complete the fix, but we have one strong battery and one that can power bilge pumps and radio, but that's all. Replacing that one and adding a solar charger/maintainer and power will be a non-issue!
Sea trials tomorrow or Thursday! Boat US towing service is on standby, just in case!
Sea trials tomorrow or Thursday! Boat US towing service is on standby, just in case!
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