THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS

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!
 
Wow missed posting in here this year.
Boat dropped in on 4/1 and it’s been 35-45 degrees since. :mad::mad::mad:
Almost every year we go through this. Warm the couple weeks before, then BAM. Temp drops for the next month of weekends.
 
Our dock is actually going in the water in April (first time ever prior to mid-May). Boat goes in May 4th. Unseasonably early lake clearing up from winter freeze and record low water levels are allowing this to happen.

A mixture of good and bad in that - particular concern is record low lake levels to start the season. It has many of us worried after coming off of last years low water level issues. Fingers crossed!
 
So first day on lake this year and we got a show with 6 juvenile bald eagles.


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So first day on lake this year and we got a show with 6 juvenile bald eagles.


thanks for sharing Semper. I love seeing eagles. Never seen the kids. A year ago we had one out front on lake hovering stationary like a humming bird (there was a slight wind for him to use). he was stationary for about 4 minutes. I was astounded. Waiting for a small loon or other bird to surface that was diving for whatever he was diving for. The little guy came up and dashed, he must have known what was coming, and got away barely. see eagles somewhat often and always awed. The hovering thing put an additional bonus on them for me.
 
Here’s one of my best young ones from couple years ago.



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Boat back in the water today for the upcoming summer. Had a battery go bad, and went ahead and replaced both of them. Apparently there is a newer batter recommended for the Mercury Verado’s. They were pricey, so we’ll see if that increased price produces a longer battery life, and more robust power.

Ready to go, and resting on the ole Sea Legs:
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My son Jacob always comes up to help me get it in the water and set dockside each year. Treated him to some steak and eggs for a late lunch afterwards:
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Boat and new batteries are good to go for the year:
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I miss that early season excitement! The anticipation is over and the memory bank is set to “load”
 
Boat is going in tomorrow. Weather is not favorable, high of 48* with a chance of rain. We talked about moving the date back, but decided against it. It's been a long winter and can't wait any longer to get out there!!

She’s in! Saturday was windy and cold but we got it home for the season, set up the slip and loaded it up. Now we’re ready for the good weather. We were the first ones in our pier, but I’m sure this weekend it will fill up. I forgot that docking in the wind is always fun!822EB76A-4BC5-4C5E-A56C-A8BE0A19C39B.jpeg
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She’s in! Saturday was windy and cold but we got it home for the season, set up the slip and loaded it up. Now we’re ready for the good weather. We were the first ones in our pier, but I’m sure this weekend it will fill up. I forgot that docking in the wind is always fun!View attachment 29926
View attachment 29927
Awesome! Looking sharp in that slip.
 
Gulf of Mexico water was 84.6 degrees at Lovers Key in SW Florida on Saturday. It looked like 70% of the boats beached there were Benningtons.
 
We were out on ours yesterday and had a blast. Water temps are in the 80’s here as well
 
We have a bald eagle's nest on our lake that is right behind our house and my wife and I love to see them out and we try to take pics. What camera are you using to get such great, zoomed-in photos?

Canon 7D MKII with a Sigma 150-600 telephoto lens. If I’m a little closer or in bright light for decent crispness (cropping ability), I’ll use my Canon 100-400mm lens.
 
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