About four years ago there was a Jalopnik article about diagnosing a car that won’t start, which prompted me to write one up about boats. What’s funny is I am STILL getting comments on it, even sometimes from people who are googling “boat won’t start” from their cell phones while stranded with a dead boat out on the water. Lots of the comments start with “I just bought ... and now....” which is a scenario I always feel sorry for.
This weekend was no exception, nearly four years later. Sorry I don’t really internet on the weekends, and I’m just now getting around to seeing your question.
In any case, I had a weekend filled with boat shenanigans, including letting my kids drive a 13' Whaler with a 25hp outboard for the first time. I was in the boat with them and within reach of the controls. They LOVED it. My daughter (4) has a lifejacket that happens to say “Full Throttle” on it, and sure enough, after she got it into gear and I said “you can give it some more” she went straight for WOT and giggled all the way. Oh, man I am in trouble with that one.
We also just putted around fishing and meeting up with friends all over the lake, for two days of beautiful sunshine - I took Monday off so we had the lake to ourselves yesterday. We were all totally exhausted but clearly it was worth it. Sitting at my desk right now I can still feel the motion of the boat, it’s a little weird but kind of like sore muscles, I love the feeling.
I’m also having a new cover made for our boat, which will eat up a larger-than-I’d-like chunk of the proceeds from my BMW wagon. But a good cover will preserve both the interior and exterior of our boat, which I intend to keep for a very long time. A good cover will save thousands over its lifetime. I take some pics when I get it on the boat, it’s pretty intense.
Cheers