Hitting rock bottom

[New_fisher]

>:(Damm, not even 10 hours old, off the southport swimming pool, and I slowed down cause I noticed I could see the bottom, just as I did - bonngg!! :o I shut her off and had a look, the prop has only a very small scratch, not even through the paint although the bottom of the skeg has a bit of paint off. I motored to shore and inspected the prop closer, it moves as per normal and doesn't show any abnormalities. Anyway, what do you boys recommend I do, is it worth taking to the boat shop? Do I need to paint the bottom of the skeg? Where can I get the paint? I nearly cried :'(, fair dinkum! Cheers boys, Hurlz
P.S. To err is human - to stick to the channels so that you don't scrape the arse off your boat is divine- just my peice of advice for the day ;)

[ShaneJ]

Dont stress about it mate, we have all done it. If the engine is running without any vibrations it should be right, just tell the guys when you get it serviced next and they'll be sure to give it a good going over.

[scuttlebutt]

if it hasn't even scratched the paint on the prop it's unlikely to have done any gearbox damage or seals. After a few hundred hours there probably won't be much paint left on the bottom of the skeg anyway so maybe put it down to experience.

cheers,

steve

[PinHead]

The first boat I had..a rumrunner with a 140 suzuki on it...thought I could be smart and get into Tiger Muller the quick way by cutting the corner...doing a hefty 4500 rpm and straight into the Gold Banks I went...like slamming on a hand brake...backed off and away I went.

Don't worry about it...we have all hit something at some stage..outboards are not all that fragile.

[Fishinmishin]

I have had the motor cut and bounce through a section of reef at 50km per hour when missing a beacon at night around peel. It was fine other then chips and sctarches so I'm sure you have no worries.

[blaze]

May I be so bold and sugest that you go and find a bit of shallow water over some sand and give the prop and skeg a good workout and really put a nice shine on it, it will then look like 99% of other props and not look outa place with paint on it. All it means is you are a normal boatie and to get to some of the better fish you hit the odd bit of bottom, just try and stay away from rocks cause they hurt more.
cheers
blaze

[revs57]

Hey Propdinger...you've got a mate ;D ;D ;D

Sorry Hurlz...couldn't resist...Its like riding a motorcycle...you haven't arrived til you've come off...so welcome to the club!!!! I'm amazed you kept her off for 10 hours well done!!! Hopefully no harm done - but I hate the feeling too if its any consolation

Cheers

Rhys

[Gbanger]

basically did the same thing, but burried mine in mud when it was raining... not too stressed about it

[2iar]

Sounds like you've got out of jail mate. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

I, on the other hand, have not been so fortunate. I picked the new boat up on Saturday and took it out from Nudgee yesterday. Motored over to Moreton, no worries, everything fine. However, now the boat's back on the trailer I've got some nasty dings in each blade, and a couple of them aare a bit bent - it must have been at the boat ramp when I was driving it on the trailer, but I never felt a thing. Strangely, the skeg only has a slight scratch on the bottom.

I'll definitely be more careful in future :-[

Good luck,
Mike

[SeaHunt]

It will most likey be fine, don't waste money painting scratches or you will go broke. :-[
It is all part of gaining experience.
Noticed you could see the bottom??
If you dont have a sounder put any money you were going to waste on painting scratshes towords getting one.

Couple of useful tips that would have helped me out years ago.
Set the shallow alarm on your sounder to around 3 feet.
Dont speed anywhere that you have not been before and keep an eye on the sounder. If the alarm goes off you usually have time to put it in neutral before it hits bottom, better still if in unfamiliar waters follow someone else. Dont speed at night, buy a chart of where you fish and study it before you go anywhere new.
The shallow bits are not always near the shore. 8-)

[New_fisher]

guys, thanks for all the tips and stories, I feel better, I am off to get a sounder asap, just one question, will the exposed metal on the skeg begin to rust if i don't paint it or will the sacrificial anodes prevent this from happening? cheers guys, Hurlz

[bugman]

Hurlz,

MMMMMMMM - my boat hit a reef - in fact bounced across a reef - doing a few kms and hour. The prop was bent like a banana and the skeg was ripped off. The gearbox sheared a number of bearing and was completely replaced.

I think you'll be right with a scratch ;)

Bugman

[major-defect]

Don't lock em down and they bounce over things a bit.Bugman it sounds like you were trying to make a new channel LOL.

[finga64]

New Tohatsu on the little boat, first trip fair dinkum, flying up the Logan and hit a log 8 inches round floating just under the water surface. Motor flies up into the air (literally up in the air off the boat) and on the way down I grabs it. It pulls me out the back of the boat then the cook has to grab me to stop me from going under. (I wasn't going to let go). Gets the motor to the top of the water then the cowl decides to part company so I grab the cowl with the other hand. I finally get back home and straight away spray Inox down the carb and sparkplugs and then procede to pull apart the electricals, carb etc to clean and dry. The Tohatsu was going again that afternoon and never had a problem since. Learnt a valueable lesson. Don't lock the outboard down when going forward.
Funny now and still have the bl--dy broken log just to remind me that sometimes I'm a dope.
Sold me on the toughness of Tohatsu's
Ooh, A little bit of paint missing won't do any harm. Have a look at the boat ramp and see how many boat have still got paint on the skeg and all the paint on the prop.

[SCOTTYGC]

you havent fished the broadwater properly untill you have made a new channel on a sandbank

i guess i dont have to tell you but there are a lot of rocks around near the boat ramp at the back of the southport pool

get your self a sounder and stick to the channels ::)

scotty

[Cruiser]

There's only two types of boaties:-

those that have run aground.... and those that lie about it ;D

Don't sweat it.

[DaveSue_Fishos_Two]

I'm with Cruiser

Everyone has touched bottom to some degree at some time or another. ;) If everything on the prop and leg is straight and with no real visible sign of damage, then I would say you have been lucky. :) You will have many of these brushes, and I hope you always manage to be so fortunate.

Cheers and happy boating

Dave

[bungie]

Two occasions.
Hit the mud bank at the top of Cobby Cobby creek doing over thirty knots (Had the music up high as was in a world of my own) sheepishly dragged it off as the pro crabbers just shook their heads :)
Had a flat tyre on the boat trailer on the Logan motorway, road side. Got RACQ to pick it up and take it home. Warned the tow truck operator to watch the outboard as he dragged the trailer up the truck while I kept the front of the trailer going straight up the truck. Half way up he says that my jockey wheel is flat, hmmmm wasn't before so I got him to stop and I went looking. Bloody idiot had NOT watched the outboard and now the weight of my 17ft fibreglass runabout and trailer are now balanced between the outboard and the jockey wheel. The trailer wheels clean off the ground. Bent the skeg but no other damage.
Small knock and some paint off is ok :)

[Skipsta]

I was punting along on the west side of little Woody in Hervey Bay, with the motor trimmed with the nose pointing up to show my old man how the kill tank drains, then BAMM, at about 12 knots, slammed into "Boon Boon" Rocks. #Just a scrape on the bottom of the skeg, no chips on the blade and motor was fine. #But could have ended VERY badly.

[Burley_Boy]

No offence but a bit of paint off doesn't quite qualify for loosing your broadwater virginity now does it:o
The broadwater has plenty of shifting sands and banks and you may even hit a bank at some points on low tide while in a marked channel :(

I lost my "virginity" one night many years back, missed a marker at night in the coomera at full speed, what a wakeup call! No sounder would have helped me in time there. Hitting rocks or oysters is a worry though so I hope you keep clear of them. Happy boating mate and don't fret ;D
cheers BB

[skippa]

guys, thanks for all the tips and stories, I feel better, I am off to get a sounder asap, just one question, will the exposed metal on the skeg begin to rust if i don't paint it or will the sacrificial anodes prevent this from happening? cheers guys, Hurlz

Hurlz,

Outboard legs don't rust mate, rest easy. Just change you sacrifical anodes before they corrode out and you'll be ok.

As you've already heard, its not christened untill you lose some paint or bent the odd blade. Yep, go get #a sounder or you'll worry yourself sick or you'll do what I did and hit ever bank in the broadwater.

I do paint my prop and skeg #from time to time, but my missus reckons I'm 'compulsive obsessive' .....
what ever that is #::) #;D

Hurlz, enjoy boating mate you'll love it, but just remember .....
a boat is just a hole in the water you throw money into #;D #;D


Cheers,
Tony # 8-)

[joeT]

Yep, I've run into quite a few mudbanks especially in shallow moreton bay. Now that I have a sounder I find that I rarely hit bottom, I have the shallow alert at a conservative 2m and go slow and keep an eye on the depth on areas shallower than 2m.