Boat & Vehicle Failure...

[T1]

'To knowingly take dodgie cars and boats out is thoughtless and is unwarranted of sympathy when they break down.'

A fellow AF'er placed this 'hidden' post in an obscure section. What i want to know is if anyone has never experienced a mechanical failure of some description?

Yes for Never! No if you have! I'd bet both my nuts on the results...:o

It just astounds me how someone can form an opinion on what is dodgy and that perhaps that is all what people can afford! Because of this, they are undeserving of our assistance and sympathies? Even NEW equipment fails but because it's new, they can easily be deserving of help more so than others? Gee guys, if you can't afford 'new', don't leave home!

Take Care T

[Tinn]

Thanks T1 on starting a new thread.

I myself have had a few break downs in vehicles that are in A1 100% mechanical order with mega $$$$$ spent on engine parts etc and still things go wrong.

Dont bet or you might lose to BAT he's never had any problems

Oh sorry That is a no for me

[finga]

Anybody who says they've never broken down either on the water or road either lie or have never been out the front door.

[blaze]

maybe the question should be "how often" cause never could not come into the equation
cheers
blaze

[Chris Ryan]

It's like saying "Who has never hit a sandbank?" - everyone has at some stage in their boating life.

Even new boats/engines sometimes have issues along with the old donks. Me, I have blown a thermostat out on the water, I have had a steering cable break on the water and a new electric winch go bang on me at the ramp. Nothing like swearing like a merchant sailor with a family load of relo's onboard and pulling your engine apart on the broadwater whilst your drifting. Ahh the memories.

[mini696]

I have had failures, both car and boat.

Boat - never been stranded, I have always had the luck to still be able to get home under my own power (even if it was at 3 knots). Touch wood.

Car - Breakdowns, and bad luck with punctures, I have never been in the position where I have had to wait for hours (or overnight) for assistance.

[Mattg68]

Went out on my father-in-laws brand new (2 hrs on the clock) Whittley from Hervey Bay a few years ago & was 3/4 the way over to Coongle Ck on Fraser & the head gasket blew. Luckily we were able to motor back home at 2-3 knots because the weather was a bit ordinary.

What seems dodgy to one might be ok to another. Some folks spend alot of cash on their boats & that's fine, it doesn't always mean that their boat is more reliable (although I will digress & say it does help).

At the end of the day everyone does something foolish in their lifetime.

Matt

[seatime]

'To knowingly take dodgie cars and boats out is thoughtless and is unwarranted of sympathy when they break down.'

A fellow AF'er placed this 'hidden' post in an obscure section. What i want to know is if anyone has never experienced a mechanical failure of some description?

Yes for Never! No if you have! I'd bet both my nuts on the results...:o

It just astounds me how someone can form an opinion on what is dodgy and that perhaps that is all what people can afford! Because of this, they are undeserving of our assistance and sympathies? Even NEW equipment fails but because it's new, they can easily be deserving of help more so than others? Gee guys, if you can't afford 'new', don't leave home!

Take Care T

I didn't see the post and don't know who made it, but they did say "knowingly take a dodgy car or boat". They may not have meant accidental, unavoidable breakdowns and unforseen mechanical failures to be included ??

[thatp1g]

I remember big noting my hole on a baffle creek trip once about how my old black anchor had never broke down. One of the young blokes on the trip with us had had his relatively new Mercury stop on him and had to be towed back to camp so I lorded it up with boasts about how my motor was old as the hills but solid as a rock.

Took him back out in my boat to fish the afternoon and I must have needed some cosmic slapping cause on the way back in that evening the rubber tore out from the guts of the prop at full song.

Motor never stopped though....

I copped a canning when i was towed into camp.

[the gecko]

I gotta agree with the first guy. I also have little sympathy for those who KNOWINGLY take dodgy boats out.

My next door nieghbor bought an old second hand bargain boat from seller unknown on ebay. He told me he wanted to get into offshore fishing on the goldy.

I suggested he get the motor serviced first, do a few test runs in the broadwater, join VMR, and do a few runs in and out of the seaway in different conditions.

He ignored my advice, went out to the 24s and broke down twice in a row. Now the boat is sold already. I think this sort of thing is what the original poster was getting at.

Andrew

[Herm]

I didn't see the post and don't know who made it, but they did say "knowingly take a dodgy car or boat". They may not have meant accidental, unavoidable breakdowns and unforseen mechanical failures to be included ??

I don't think many would have sympathy for someone KNOWINGLY taking out an unroadworthy/seaworthy boat/vehicle but that is totally different to being out and about and the car/boat etc - just stopping!

Just to fill you in on the previous posts that have lead to this -

The quote is from a thread in Boating - "What boat to buy?" by Tinn and BAT is refering to T1 - and and fact that on the way to the ramp a while back T1's car broke down!::) I have no idea why you would get stuck into someone like this about their car breaking down??? No where in that post was T1 out to cause trouble or harm to anyone! "

Quote from T1 - Pulled up at lights and motor on the tow car starts sounding a bit lumpy… Hmmmm still running, has fuel, temp ok! No need to worry? Pull up at the Freedom Servo at Thorneside only for the old hilux to lump itself to a stop. Turn, turn and turn but it didn’t want to kick over. Pop bonnet, check fluids etc etc to no avail. Bugger! Call RACQ – upto 60mins wait but as I was blocking bowsers, ‘we’ll try and get someone there asap’! Bing Bing and TINN’s on the phone. ‘I’ve left home. Where are you?’ ‘Ummm, broken down at the servo…’ ‘Can you come and get me? We’ll leave the car here and take the boat on your car!’ Never let a ‘minor’ thing like a breakdown stop us! ‘I’ve haven’t got that car!’ So TINN does a u-turn and heads back home to swap cars. Meanwhile, the mood is getting darker and darker while I’m thinking that we should have the burley in the water doing its stuff right now… Nonetheless, while my car/boat is causing mayhem at the Servo blocking one side completely, RACQ turns up. We moved the car and got it started and he says ‘it appears like a carby/fuel problem but you should be right to get it home! Home?! Man, I’m going to Wello! So in the car and a quick call to TINN who was only a few minutes away and off I went. Phew I’m thinking! But NO NO NO, get to just before the Quarry/Brikdale Rd roundabout and 50mtrs short, same thing again! This time though in the left turning lane right in the middle of peak hour! TINN who had done a u-turn and caught up pulled in behind me. Now, people never seem to amaze me! I had my hazard lights blaring on both car and boat and TINN likewise! Not sure whether people are blind or what but you could see them screaming up in the left lane before realising there’s a series of hazard lights and stopped cars! Sensing that we needed to get out of there asap (funny enough), we made the call to unhook the boat and put the car up on the footpath and leave it there (hopefully someone will just take it and I’ll buy a new one)… So, we quickly unhooked the boat, rolled the car on to the footpath and hooked the boat up to TINN’s car. What a palaver!! At least we got out of there safely and at the ramp by 6.30pm – an hour late but better late than never!

And in TINN'S what boat to buy thread!? it must have some relevance - I just can't see what it is!:-/


Get T to go halves with you so the general public does not have to be inconvenienced every time he breaks down! Yeah and get him a new car to stop people from being held up! when He Konkes out.>:( Cheers BAT


What is BAT on about? He must have been at THAT servo being inconvenienced or at the roundabout??? No idea! ::) I just shook my head and thought "Here he goes again"

Cheers
Janine

[T1]

GELSEC/THE GECKO

It's always 'knowingly' if all you can afford is 'older' or perceived 'dodgy' isn't it? My objection to the comment is that not everyone is loaded with cash that they can afford new - even though they breakdown too! So one of my 3 cars is old & dodgy and i 'knowingly' tow my boat with it - does that mean if i'm unfortunate enough to breakdown, even though i keep it regularly maintained, that i'm undeserving of assistance because i've been 'unthoughtful'? Bit harsh isn't it?!

Take Care T

[BenatCoffs]

We called the coastal patrol for a guy a while back cos his battery went flat at sea, fair enough, that happens (has happened to me but I have pull start too on the tohie) a week and a half later the same guy was at the ramp getting his boat jump started so he could go out.

Who is irresponsible here? The boaty, or the jump starter? I for one wouldn't have jumped his boat for him...

[Mattg68]

well it's certainly not the jump starters responsibility, he's not to know the circumstances of the previous weeks debarcle. you though (BenatCoffs), have the benefit of hindsight and can make that call, but you can't judge someone else's act of kindness based on what you know.Matt

[T1]

Thanks Janine!

BAT's comment was directed at me and I DON'T knowingly set off with an existing problem - what would be the point?! BAT was having a dig at me about inconveniencing people because i broke down and I said that that was harsh having a dig at someones misfortune. He went to say that someone who knowingly sets off in something dodgy wasn't worth sympathy and was unthoughtful of others! I didn't set off to breakdown! I maintain my older equipment regularly to minimise the risk of failures! How he can make that assumption about me is beyond me! I have since learnt that BAT doesn't contribute anything productive to this site and should just dribble somewhere else! Had i have read his previous posts before posting this topic, i probably wouldn't have even bothered...

Ultimately, the older something is, the more unreliable it becomes and that is a fact! I'm smart enough to realise (and lots of others are to) that you may occassionally encounter an experience of unreliability and put measures in place to minimise these - with the exception of the odd clown mentioned in posts above which make the mind boggle!

My poll stands as i'm still keen to know if anyone has never experienced a breakdown of some description...

Take Care T

[charleville]

Would I knowingly ever take a dodgie boat or car out?

Well that depends on the risk and one's finances at the stage of life that you are in, T1.

Way back when I was a young fella with lots of resourcefulness but few resources, I regularly took dodgy cars out on the road, especially in the battery department and with retreaded tyres which often disintegrated.

Indeed, I did 14 000 miles in six weeks driving around Australia in a car that had a prang on the night before I set out and it had to be held together the whole way. It was such an adventure. Would I let my daughter do the same thing now even to go to the next suburb? No way at all! The risks to her if broken down in the next suburb are far more than what they were to me broken down somewhere on the Nullabor Plain.

Would I advise my non-mechanically minded son how to fix the brakes on his car in which he transports my grand-daughter? Not in a pink fit! I would have no confidence in his ability to bleed the brakes properly amongst other things. Would I have done it myself at his stage of life with his mortgage etc? Absolutely yes.

Would I encourage any living being on the planet to take out a dodgy boat ever? Absolutely not! The risks are far too great. As an example, my 5 1/2 year old marine battery faltered once for the first time last week when I was starting the motor in my yard to flush it out. I tested its SG and saw that it was no longer in optimum condition although still working pretty well so today, I went and bought a new marine battery. As a solo night fisho, the risks of being caught out at sea are far to great to frig around putting off spending $121 on a new battery.

What people need to do in relation to high risk machines like boats is to put a little money aside each payday into a boat maintenance account and then when the boat needs a repair or preventative maintenance, the cash is readily available and not part of the commited household expenditure. That way, no guilt or pain is ever felt at doing maintenance that should be done.

Cars are a bit different - although becoming less so in this millenium depending on the risks. It used to be that if you had dodgy brakes, at least if the horn worked, all was not completely lost. ;D ;D ;D

I had many retreaded tyres lose their tread over the years when I used to use retreads. You would not want that to happen on a 115Kmh stretch of the Pacific Highway these days though.

[Tailortaker]

I have travelled in a knowingly dodgy car and would do again if had to but not a boat, If everthing wasnt' "sweet" at the ramp the boat would go straight back on the trailer. The one time I did have a problem I was only about 150m from the ramp, we got back to find a wire was pulled off. I didnt go back out untill I was confident that the problem was fixed.
________
Buy e cigs (http://www.ecigarettes123.com/)

[PinHead]

It's like saying "Who has never hit a sandbank?" - everyone has at some stage in their boating life.

Even new boats/engines sometimes have issues along with the old donks. Me, I have blown a thermostat out on the water, I have had a steering cable break on the water and a new electric winch go bang on me at the ramp. Nothing like swearing like a merchant sailor with a family load of relo's onboard and pulling your engine apart on the broadwater whilst your drifting. Ahh the memories.

I have never hit a sandbank...I have just been in the position where the water gets rather shallow and the sandbank grabs hold of the boat.

[Chris Ryan]

Pinhead - that's gold. lol

[dogsbody]

The old holden threw a leg out of bed once $3000 later ouch!. You can't forsee stuff like this but if you (anybody) think your boat motor is a bit dodgy then don't risk the lives of other people and your own, save up and get it fixed or maybe it's time to take up a hobby that doesn't cost as much.

Nowhere did i read that BAT would not give assistance he just would not have sympathy for you.

C'mon T toughen up mate, water off a ducks back, sticks and stones, etc, etc, etc.


Dave.

[Lucky_Phill]

Can I have a vote each way.

Never had a mechanical failure in a car, but 1 doozey in a boat !!!!!

Phill

[blaze]

I reckon trying to make them swim Phil would nearly constitute a mechanical failure
cheers
blaze

[Lucky_Phill]

NO< NO I turned the motor off and stopped to admire the view.

Sure I had to get towed 200k's but that was because I DIDN'T want mechanical failure. You know the type...... bent con rods, pistons thru the block etc etc. At the very least we'll call it ' electrical failure ". Then there is the ' tree ' failure, but I did keep driving back to Team Sunlovers. That's one tough Nissan ;) :P

Phill

[Dirtysanchez]

Well My old half cab (going back a few years) went in for it's regular service, good as gold mate, they say, so out we go the nect day, full of confidence, only to have the gear selector dislodge in the control box, so the motor wouldn't start, because it though it was in gear.. grrrr :(

Motor wasn't dodgy, but mechanic was..
Likewise a $3000 rebuilt 308 (5ltr) V8 in my commodore at the time, shat itself, so who really can say it is dodgy, or just crap luck ?

[bastard]

'To knowingly take dodgie cars and boats out is thoughtless and is unwarranted of sympathy when they break down.'Everything this guy said i feel is true and the poll is completely irrelevent to his comment.

[T1]

Nowhere did i read that BAT would not give assistance he just would not have sympathy for you.

C'mon T toughen up mate, water off a ducks back, sticks and stones, etc, etc, etc.

Dave.

Dave, not concerned about the original dig but where it was made - hidden in a spot where it is frequented less than say Estuary Reports where i frequent regularly! Personally, the comment was unfair and unwarranted. I don't believe anyone intentionally sets out to experience a failure (as i've stated in previous posts). Anything old is bound to fail at some point so does that mean you are thoughtless by going out in it? Sh%t, there'd be a lot of boats and cars out there that would never hit the water/road if that was the case wouldn't there? You'll also note that i didn't mention the person in question initially - it was highlighted by other AF'ers!

BASTARD, perhaps you should reread the thread where you will note that i said 'i'm interested to know if anyone has never experienced a mechanical failure'.

Take Care T

[bastard]

BASTARD, perhaps you should reread the thread where you will note that i said 'i'm interested to know if anyone has never experienced a mechanical failure'.
No need to shout my name and i did re read the thread.>:(

[Great White]

I have since learnt that BAT doesn't contribute anything productive to this site and should just dribble somewhere else!


Now now T he did catch 18 fish ;D ;D ;D but seems to be very quiet in this post !!!!!!!! Must have taken his bat & ball and gone home :P :P :P

Bat must have voted 6 times, judging from the poll responses :-X

I for one look after my gear and service it well and it generally looks after me but I have had my far share of car and boat break downs.

The one thing I would always try and do is offer assistance to someone stranded in the water or on the side of the road. Just the way I was brought up, even if I dislike a person I would not wish ill fortune on them >:(

[T1]

No need to shout my name and i did re read the thread.>:(

BASTARD, take a chill pill! I write everyones nic in UPPERCASE... Search my posts :o !

Take Care T

[T1]

The one thing I would always try and do is offer assistance to someone stranded in the water or on the side of the road. Just the way I was brought up, even if I dislike a person I would not wish ill fortune on them >:(

Yeah, same here G/W! I'm a big believer in what goes around comes around! Just can't bring myself to bathe in someones misfortune regardless of the circumstances but hey, as they say, each to their own! Doesn't mean we have to understand it though...

Take Care T

[Scalem]

I want to contribute to this post, but it's like playing footy and not knowing where the goal posts are..... I read Tinns thread on advice re: what boat to buy. Then wham, out of left field Bat decides to put a comment like that in there.... Left me thinking what the???:uhoh: So I guess there's a learning curve with respect to where and when comments should be made, some of us will learn that art, some are still learning, as I am, and some plain and simply don't have the desire, and will never learn.

At the end of the day, whether T maintains his car or has a crystal ball to be able to predict when and where the tow vehicle will break down is not the issue in this circumstance. On the way to the boat ramp who is it inconveniencing in the event of a breakdown?? Really.... I've had deckies not even show up and slept through the alarm, deckies who are late ( it amazed me that it only cost T an hour or so and they still went fishing - has to be a record!) and fish that protested at not being caught when they were supposed to, had we kept our original appointment!!;D

A final comment - my boat motor was running fine a few years ago, but I thought it had better go in for a service just to be sure. $1500.00 later it was running worse than when I had booked it in for a service!! So you just never know, sometimes all the precautions in the world won't help when Murphy decides to pay you a visit. That's life, the breakdown was not intentional nor ignorant of mechanical maintenance, we move on ....

Scalem

[finga]

Gees I'm in strife....
The newest thing I own is the motor on the tinny....2000 model...and I got it from the scrapey...true :)
And as for cars Wally the wonder wagon is an '88 model and the rest are at least 10 years older.
I'm going to die. Or worse broken down on the SE Freeway :)

[Jeremy]

There is a big difference between taking something something second hand or old out on the road or water, and taking something dodgy out on the road or water. I have no probs with people taking second hand or old cars or boats out and having unexpected breakdowns. Unexpected breakdown also happen to new cars/boats. I do have probs with people taking out a car or boat which they know is faulty and likely to break down. There is a real risk to the safety of the occupants of the car or boat in breaking down (eg on a highway, at an intersection, crossing a bar), and a real risk to the lives of people who may choose to go to their aid.

There have been plenty of good samaritans killed on the sides of roads when they have gone to assist people who have had a breakdown. The water is even more dangerous.

IMHO it is irresponsible to take out a car/boat which is dodgy or faulty, and then expect others to come to your aid when the inevitable happens.

Go on......shoot me T1 or Tinn;D ;D

Jeremy

[Tinn]

Now why would I want to shoot you for Jeremy that would be a waste of a bullet ;D

I agree with you if you know it is faulty and venutre out then one can not feel sorry if they break down on the water but we still must help one when in trouble because one day it might be ourselves in the trouble.

Plenty of careless people do careless things but you can not leave some one to die because of their stupidity

[T1]

JEREMY, i agree with you completely BUT, how do you determine at the time that someone has intentionally ventured out knowing something is faulty? That is the million dollar question...

I think someone mentioned earlier about helping a boatie who had a flat battery then the following week there he was again trying to jump start it at the ramp. In this case, i'd probably even tell him what a 'fool' he was!

Can you leave someone to die because of their stupidity? If they're on there own perhaps but if they had others with them, then perhaps that's a different story to?

BTW, i hate guns...;)

Take Care T

PS: My definition of 'dodgy' is something 'old' (as opposed to faulty)...

[Leeann]

We had three "black boxes" replaced in a brand new white motor we purchased some 12 years ago.... in the end the damn thing blew a piston (just after the 12 month warranty). Needless to say once burnt twice shy. The four Yamahas we've had since have been incredibly reliable (we've still got three and sold one with our old boat).
Our Toyota Hiluxes and Prados have been awesome... touch wood.

[haggis]

T1 there is acually quite a lot of people out there who knowingly drive unsafe cars on the road . In my job I see it almost every day . When I or one of the other mechanics point out the dangerous faults on their cars the customers think that we are trying to milk them and drive off anyway . New car owners are particulary bad when it comes down to tyres especially the wide low profile people . tyres are worn through the casing on the inside edge but look good on the outer so they think the tyre must be good .brakes are another problem , people think if they get a ninety nine dollar service we rebuild there car . mechanical or electrical components can fail at any time new or old . If some one heads out in a dodgy boat or car isnt it better to help them if you can rather than leave them stranded . cheers fae haggis .............

[Nowhere Bob]

Cars Heaps, boats never (unless you count the occasional predatory sand bank.)

Reading these posts reminds me of my old girl Jen - a SWB series 2 Landy. Got me through year 12 and Uni, but by the time she went on to the next owner had a dodgy list as long as your arm. Some of the highlights included:
Tyres balder than Peter Garret. A hole in the floor that shot water up my right leg every time I drove through a puddle. Passenger side door window frame rusted out to the point that I just siliconed the door shut. Fuel tank rusted out, so a Jerry can in the back, a fuel line (ok really a length of garden hose) over the front seat, out through the little flap hatches under the windscreen, under the bonnet to the electric fuel pump [the mechanical pump on the holden red was one of the first things to go.] Indicator stalk snapped off so I stuck my thumb into the stub to indicate. A kep snapped off in the ignition so bare wires sticking out of the dash panel & hotwire to start every time. Baling twine holding the back window closed, Innumerable bits of fencing wire & gaff tape. Oh and the tow ball at a funnny angle after an attempt to tow a mate tore it clean out of the rust that was once a chassis.
I didn't drive Jen for almost five years because I thought she was cool, because I was lazy, stupid, or whatever.
I drove Jen because I could not afford anything else. Nothing browns me faster than people who look down on others because they cannot afford any better. (Owners of big flash white offshore boats take notice)

Would I let my daughter drive or even travel in such a death trap? No way.
Did it teach me bush mechanic / improvise / bodge / Aussie ingenuity? Dam straight.

[scuze a me]

I am one of the *no I have* voters. Once with an almost new motor which was unlucky enough to pick up a plastic bag ...seized the motor. Some kind soul towed us back to the ramp. Another was a $6,000 motor bought and guaranteed from a reputable boat shop. Blew the gearbox up first trip.
My thoughts on the subject are "do unto others" See someone needing help offer to help regardless..