Boat Life
I took our boat out for a spin today. It was satisfyingly successful. We bought the boat about 2 and a half years ago and have only taken it out once previously (and then only briefly).
The long delay for its first trip around the lake truly was not due to laziness. I spent most of the first season getting the boat repaired... rebuilding the gas tank, reinstalling the starter solenoid, and replacing a broken transmission control cable. We got one 30 minute test voyage that first season, then the lake here (well, maybe technically in Veneta) was empty all season last year while they repaired the dam. So, this month really was the first chance.
The good news is that I had plenty of time (20 months) to research ways to correct and improve problems found during our test voyage. It was very rewarding to get out on the water, push a button to start the engine, and have all the controls work perfectly: left, right, forward, reverse, fast, slow. Brilliant!
I really tested my luck and aimed to cross the entire lake. At about 5.5mph, it took about an hour. Once I reached the dock at the opposite shore, I realized the weather and the boat were so perfect that I called Anne Marie to join me on the way back. We took a more leisurely path back, sightseeing around the shore of the lake, but still got back in about an hour, thanks to reaching 6.5mph (due to wind or current, I suppose).
Perhaps describing our boat will explain some of my joy at getting it to do such simple things. It's a 1958 boat, under 14 feet long, with a 1956 Johnson outboard motor. It's just amazing that the Internet has people talking about these motors 50 years after they were made. All praise the Internet! Since all boats need a name, originally, there was discussion of calling her the "Fearless Sea Monkey", but it seems like Anne Marie has now settled on "Baffle Me"! I'm just not certain if that reflects more confidencein the boat, or less.
What's next for our luxury boating lifestyle? Maybe getting some fishing poles. Certainly getting Lauren out for our next trip.
But more impotant than taking Lauren is taking your camera. Next time we need to at least see a pic of the boat.
Comment by Tvindy — 05/15/2006 6:54 PM
Congratulations. "nothing so worth doing..."
Comment by Bob — 05/19/2006 5:20 PM
[...] In response to Tvindy's quite reasonable demand for a photo after my previous boating report, here's the more complete report of today's boat excursion in pictures instead of diagrams. [...]
Pingback by Following Edge » Boating again — 05/19/2006 9:07 PM