Remediation
Well-Known Member
The community docks went in on Saturday. The nicest weather in years but we had delayed dock day for a month because of -19. After 5 hours of work, went and picked the boat up from storage about 7 miles from the ramp. Inspected tires and trailer after hooking up. Got 4 miles down the road before another wheel bearing went bad. The piece of Sh*t trailer strikes again. It is undersized and only gets used 2 times a year. (It came with the boat). Limped to the ramp and launched the boat. It started great. We had a huge engine repair (I/O boat) at the end of the season and we had not driven the boat since the repair. It went from the Bennington dealer to our winterization mechanic and storage barn. The parking lot was full so I took the trailer to our lot and rode back to the the docks. Got in the boat which had been idling for 15 minutes. Everything sounded good and it was idling great. Gave it throttle and it fell on it's face and would not get above 2300 RPM. Tried 3 more times. Same thing. I was furious at the dealer. I would have called and probably made an ass of myself. They were closed. We had son's family with us and they wanted to swim. Since it was idling OK, I told them we could go out Sunday morning and stay close to the dock. Get out Sunday and now I am hearing noises in the engine compartment and the alternator is not charging at 2000 RPM. At idle it charges. Ok, now the belt must not be tighten properly by the no good mechanics. Raise the engine hatch and there is 2' of water in the engine bay, up to the bottom of the cylinder heads. First thought is what else did they screw up. Get the bilge pump going and the water is receding until it stops going down. Still have 1' of water. Start checking the pump and screen. Water level staying the same. Light bulb goes off. What about the DRAIN PLUG, which the I/O's have. My son jumps in 59 degree water. Yep, Dad, the plug is hanging by a chain. He gets it in and the engine bay is finally pump dry. After awhile, I remember that the storage mechanic normally puts a note on the keys that the drain plug is not installed. Did not see a note or even think about it.
Good news is I ran the boat at idle for 15 minutes to dry everything out and it runs fine. Full power and good acceleration.
I was in the automotive repair business for 25 years and know that even the best Techs can have a repair go bad but I turned into "that" customer. You fixed my brakes and now the battery is bad "What did you do to my car"
Moral of the story for the .5% of Bennington owners with the I/O, check your drain plug before launching.
Have a great and safe summer!
Good news is I ran the boat at idle for 15 minutes to dry everything out and it runs fine. Full power and good acceleration.
I was in the automotive repair business for 25 years and know that even the best Techs can have a repair go bad but I turned into "that" customer. You fixed my brakes and now the battery is bad "What did you do to my car"
Moral of the story for the .5% of Bennington owners with the I/O, check your drain plug before launching.
Have a great and safe summer!