Expensive weekend

[spartacus]

Launched on Sunday morning in pretty fantastic conditions. Hardly a breath of wind, and leisurely start an hour or so before low tide. My brother and I were planning to head south from Stonehaven on the first trip of the season.

Tried to start the engine and my heart sank when the battery could barely muster the energy to turn it over. I'd serviced the engine a couple of weeks ago and even put the battery on a trickle charge the night before.

After a little head scratching, fiddling with connections and obligatory cursing I concluded the battery was goosed. Where's open on Easter Sunday in Stonehaven? Luckily Kwik Fit is just half a mile from the harbour. £106 and 10 minutes later and a new battery was fitted.

Turned over first time. God I love the smell of 2-stroke oil.

Headed down the coast to Catterline and stopped for lunch. As most of you'll have experienced, crab and lobster pots with nothing more than a painted Coke bottle and trailing nylon ropes litter the coastline. We picked up a rope and submerged buoy exiting the harbour with a wooden pole which probably had a flag on it at one point in a previous life and the engine stalled.

Lifted the engine. Aluminium prop was bent on all 3 blades. The 17 pitch prop was second hand, had surface marks and cavitation corrosion but it was balanced and did the job. Can't see this being repaired.

Like a scene from Flight of the Phoenix, I got out my trusty Draper claw grips (every tool kit should have one of these) and I bent the blades back. Not one to have my day ruined, we pressed on to Inverbervie, then back home on half power. 20 miles all in.

[jeffstevens763@g]

It's crap when that happens even worse when the rope is fast as, at least you didn't have to sort it in a heavy sea.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by spartacus

Can't see this being repaired.

You'll be surprised...

[jonp]

What a bummer

I carry one of those little emergancy high power jump kits, which has been used on a broken down boat and two 4x4's at the ramp after lights had been left on.

I remember not only crab pots but gill nets being littered around the coast where I used to live on the IOW. This side of the pond there is a limit of two pots per boat which have to be clearly marked with the owners details, anyone found not complying forfits their boat and tow vehicle if caught twice.

Hopefully your next trips will be without problem

[warder54]

I feel for you. I had a run from Ferryden to Caterline last July, luckily as my friends were in scenery mode we were going slow, I was passing pot markers by going through mid way between them but still managed to pick up 3 floating lines. Luckily no prop damage and managed to free off just by raising the motor.
Returned home well offshore and made it back in 30 min with a tank change at the estuary mouth.

[willk]

Originally Posted by spartacus

Can't see this being repaired.

Quit yer greetin' - you got away lightly! Weren't you lucky it wasn't a new steel prop?

[breezeblock]

this must be a common thing I done the same on loch etive last week got away with minimum damage to the prop last tango passed over the same bit of rope as well both of us were lucky

[Xk59D]

i done same thing at loch lomond at weekend, i think i picked an anchor up or hit a submerged tree trunk, i got off lightly though as only a small ding in prop. was only going 7mph at the time or i'd have been out the boat.

[spartacus]

Originally Posted by willk

Quit yer greetin' - you got away lightly! Weren't you lucky it wasn't a new steel prop?

Indeed willk. A stainless prop - and I could have stripped the splines on the driveshaft! What was I thinking - just away to give myself the birch!