Sunday, May 25, 2014

What a day!

Having been busy/out-of-town the past few weeks (a trip to the Galapagos islands), this week was finally the chance to take the new boat out.  I picked a nearby (50 miles away) small reservoir knowing that this was a test run with possible complications.  The boat performed well; however, there are still adjustments to be made.  In a few spots at the transom, the red bottom paint came off.  I don't expect it to be difficult to repair; probably just a light sanding and thorough cleaning to improve adhesion.  The engine RPM topped out at 4200 which is below the recommended range of 4500-5500.  I was using a 17" pitch propeller and will need to switch to a 15" or 13", both of which I have on hand.  The indicated speed was 35+ mph due to the speedometer only reading to 35 mph.  I need to decide if I should replace the speedometer.  We had three people and 8 gallons of gas on board with the bimini top up.  The boat accelerates quickly with very moderate bow rise and vision is good from the driver's seat.

I want to view and photograph the boat at speed, but we will need a second boat for that.  On this lake the shore areas are "No Wake Zones".  The reason for the "What a day!" label for this entry is because when we arrived home from the lake, and I was putting away the boat, I developed some stomach discomfort which quickly worsened into acute appendicitis.  We went to the emergency room, and within a few hours my appendix was removed.  Now no strenuous exercise for the next six weeks.
View photo 3.JPG in slide show