| Having worked with Joel to establish that clear
title was obtainable and working out the figures so we could both be happy, payment was
made, pickup date established. Memorial weekend would be it, plenty of time to get it back
here, 4 days to be exact. Why didn’t I think of people wanting to go away, like
crane repair man or operators????
But before that, let’s talk preparation. Prior to heading back to ftl to pick the
my project boat I had to get ready. Here are some of the things I had to do.
I have a great ’85 ¾ ton Chevy Suburban. Paid $3,500 for it in Texas 5 years ago,
kept it through the divorce and moved to Florida with it. A truly great truck, look good
as well. But the years had taken some toll on it and I knew I had to invest a little money
in it to feel confident about 175 mile pull from ftl. Here is the list:
- 2 new tires for the back (10ply, class E), good all purpose Goodyear - $225.00
- New lugs and nuts for rear wheels (old ones were rusted and 2 missing) - $60.00
- New spark plugs, wires, distributor cap (top of the line) - $85.00
- Oil change (Mobil synthetic) and lube - $36.00
- New carrier bearing and drive shaft straightening - $180.00
- New trailer hitch (Category 4) - $225.00
- Transmission serviced - $70.00
- Transmission oil cooler - $75.00
Not wanting to enjoy this choice experience alone I asked my step-father, Pete, to go
along. It didn’t hurt that we loaded up enough tools from his collection to build a
house and a car go in the garage. But spare parts we did take, along with a couple quarts
of oil, transmission fluid, and a couple of gallons of water. I felt these items were
necessary incase we developed problems along the way. Sure, there are gas stations, road
service, and the Florida Highway Patrol but I tend to be self-sufficient when it comes to
stuff like this. Besides it is a very long way across "Alligator Alley".
We need to be there on Friday morning so like good planners we left Thursday night.
Plan was to touch base with them Thursday evening, check out the boat, make sure it was
loaded and head back first thing Friday morning. But as we all know, Murphy and his laws
run the boating world. But little did I know…
We arrived at his house to meet him, granted we were a little early, but he was not in
town. He had flown to Tampa for other business and was not back yet. OK, I can deal with
that, we even went and picked him up from the airport. On the way from the airport to the
yard where the boat was being hauled out Joel talked about the boat being ready to go, he
had left his men to see after it while he headed to Tampa. Here comes Murphy again.
As we drove into the yard I noticed something wrong. Even though I had been away from
boating a while, I could tell that all was not well. There was the Hunter sitting lopsided
in the boat slings hanging precariously from the crane and tilting off the bed or a boat
trailer. I knew it was worse when no one was around.
Seems that the crane had not been used since a reconditioning and the brakes and clutch
had teamed up to make a relatively easy operation somewhat of a problem. However, Joel
assured me all would be well in the morning and to go back to the hotel, get a good nights
sleep, and come back in the morning ready to head home with my new boat. Way too easy,
Murphy would have something to say about this as well.
We took an hour or so and worked on the trailer, airing up tires to the stated presure
requirements, greasing ever zerk fitting we could find. I never knew "buddy
bearings" could hold so much grease, found out late they don’t. Well, I would
rather leave some behind oozing to the ground then not enough.
9am came the next morning and as I got out of my truck and looked at the particular
angle that the Hunter still hung at. Well, this was going to be a very long day, I could
see that. Remember what I said about a holiday weekend? Well, don’t take delivery of
your boat on a weekend, holiday or otherwise. Make it a Wednesday or Thursday. Monday or
Tuesday pushes them for time and could make them rush things. Friday – Sunday and you
run the risk of needing something and the appropriate business is closed. So take delivery
on Wednesday or Thursday.
We had to get the Hunter out of the slings before anything happened because the crane
was in the way of hauling out my boat if another crane was needed. It was becoming
increasingly clear that this crane was not going to lift anything let alone my boat.
Finally we got the Hunter settled into the trailer having gotten a veteran crane operator
in from somewhere he’d rather be. This guy was good, been around, knew what he was
doing, kinda like your uncle.
| Well, no other crane was available (remember the holiday thing?) and this
veteran seemed to feel confident he could get it hauled out and loaded. He promised me
before anything though, that if he felt the crane couldn’t do it once the boat was
clear of the water he would set it right back it before any damage could be done. I felt
reassured, besides this boat is a tank remember? I felt it could take quit a pounding
without getting hurt too badly. So we positioned the boat and began rigging the slings. |
|
| Yes, I helped though out the process. I had done this kinda work for 4
years in the navy and wanted to be involved. After all, it is my boat. We positioned the
slings correctly, making sure they balanced the boat and were as close to the structurally
strongest points of the hull. |
|
| The operator lifted the boat out of the water just enough to take a load
on the crane but not enough height in case the brakes failed and it fell back into the
water. |
|
| But the brakes help and up she came, but not too high, just enough to
clear the sea wall with Joel and I keeping her straight. |
|
| We went about setting her into the trailer cradle that we now realized was
a little too small and the roller support arms were not quite tall enough. As in not even
close. But when did a bunch of deck hands ever let anything like that stop us. Set her
down… |
|
We strapped her down, shored up, placed a couple large chunks of
Styrofoam strategically and we were ready to go and so was everyone else. Money was
exchanged, papers signed and we loaded up. That’s right, I did not hand over the
check until the boat was safely loaded onto the trailer.
Did I mention that we found out that even though this was a heavy duty ¾ ton truck
with a towing package that I was riding very low? That meant I must have had well over
1,500 lbs on the hitch. Guess the trailer and boat was not balanced right. Duh! So much
for planning. Oh well, we only had 175 miles to drive on the hottest day of the year so
far, on a holiday weekend, with half the trip in an area that is some of the most
uninviting in the country (the Everglades) with a boat that is too big for the trailer,
hitched to a truck that is too small to handle it comfortably. No problem, we can make it!
We headed out 5 hours later than we expect. Later that would come to be a blessing.
We went about 10 blocks and I stopped to check straps, blocks, and what-have-you, so
far so good. I may be foolish but I am not dumb, once on I-75 we did not speed (40 –
45MPH) and we stopped at the first roadside rest to check our load again. Man am I glad we
did! The boat had shifted a lot. We had loose straps, blocks had fallen, wood was missing,
and the tires were roasting. Pic7
Rule of thumb says the trailer or truck tires can be warm, even hot, to the touch, but
you should be able to put your hand on them. Not here, not now, way too hot with this
load.
Well, we just took our time, shored her back up, strapped her back down, greased the
bearings again, added a quart of oil, 1 pt of transmission fluid, cleaned up (again), had
a cool drink, called home, and head out again. A sailboat going 40 MPH would be impressive
out at sea, but on I-75 on a holiday weekend that is not what I would call it. I learned
some knew phrases by reading lips of those that were passing and trying to pass us. I love
to learn new thing!
Couple hours later Alligator Alley was finished it was time for another break, for the
truck/trailer and me. This kinda driving stresses me out. Besides we needed gas. We pulled
under one of those covered pump islands, filled the gas tank, washed the windows, greased
the bearings, checked the oil, transmission fluid, had a cool drink, went to the bathroom,
and cleaned up. Sound familiar?
Tires were still hot but no signs of failure or unusual wear. I have no idea for sure
how hot they were, but the air temperature was 94 degrees with clear skies. I would guess
that would make the roads about 130 degrees, you guess the temperature of the tires.
An hour later another stop, this time for food, we forgot we had not eaten since
breakfast early that morning. Smart again, we ate light and took our time (tires cooling,
remember?). By now the sun was dipping a little and it was now the ideal time of the day
to be driving with this load.
Seven hours later we pulled into the Seffner-Mango Volunteer Fire Department, the new
home of the Character during her refit. PIC9 It was very helpful to have a
place to put this size boat because I did not have the room myself. Besides they had shade
trees and for $25.00 per month, it was a real deal. PIC10
So we made it safe and sound, so big problems, but we were prepared and took every step
we could to get us back safe and sound. Once back it did not take long for the family to
start climbing up into the boat to look it over. Pic11 |
