Finally got the barge back into the water. Its always a bit stressful for me, more so this time since the power trim is not working due to an elusive electrical issue. Still, I could raise and lower the outdrive using jumper wires directly to the battery. With help from my son-in-law,we hitched the truck to the trailer and pulled the trailer out of the hole it sat in. As we did, it was obvious one of the trailer tires had come off the rim! Since the boat only needed to move across the parking lot and still had 5 good tires under it, I decided to keep going. I started the engine with cooling water supplied from a hose to make sure it would start on the ramp. So far, so good.
I backed the trailer onto the ramp; the water was unusually high, which was good for us. The engine fired right up, but the idle was rough, on the verge of stalling. I lowered the outdrive using the jumper wires, released the tie downs, and backed off the trailer. As I shifted into ahead gear, the engine stumbled and only opening the throttle kept it running. We approached our slip a bit faster than usual since i knew once I went to idle speed, the engine would likely die. Sure enough, it coughed and quit as soon as I shifted to neutral gear...we coasted rapidly into the slip with no way to slacken our speed. Suddenly we thudded to a stop as the bows found the rub rail at the end of the slip. Close examination showed no damage at all.
I promise to have pictures for next time...going fishing for Mothers Day!!
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