SlackwaterJack
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2009
- Messages
- 397
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-24 C (Sterndrive)
- Vessel Name
- Slackwater Jack (2005)
Made it...at last! Please forgive the "stream of consciousness" style ...I'm kinda punchy right now.
Left Lewiston ID. with a friend (last minute recruit to ride "shotgun")and his dog Charlie at 6:am Thursday for Salinas, Ca...drove 16 hours straight and figuring the guy selling the boat wouldn't want me at his door around mid-nite we decided to finish the final 2 hours on Friday morning...arrived there at 9:30 am and checked out the boat and trailer.
Boat.......excellent (he even detailed it, shone like new! engine checked out perfect...sytems all good.
Trailer....Yikes !!! brake actuator?-no fliud, just damp crud , Brakes?-both calipers frozen solid and boots split. All lug nuts were frozen and are now in a pile of snapped lug nuts (it took a 1/2 hour to remove 1 unboken), tires? may make it the 1100 miles back home. By 7 pm seller, me, friend (shotgun is also a mechanic) Charlie the dog (not much help at all really, but he did seen genuinely impressed with our efforts) are dirty and greasy. Earlier we located a place with proper tailight assembly to replace the burnt out sealed unit and re-install lite ... still not right... check all wires , fix shorts (the trailer's) Now the trailer has problems fixed enough to get us home ........hubs re-packed, new studs, wheels on again ( will buy new tires in Portland .. no tax). We locked out the actuator , removed the calipers, plugged and tied off the brake lines. will make trip without brakes (but with a pile of the seller's cash to fix things at home).
Now too late (and too tired )to start long drive home. nite in hotel and early departure Saturday morning.
The R-21 pulls real nice and stops nice too, ( won't miss the trailer brakes in the least on the trip home) biggest concern is the tires. They make it to Portland just fine though we decide to replace them as planned any way. Temps between Salinas and Portland reached 116 from 1:30 until 6:00pm but the Astro Van tow vehicle has zero problems climbing or on the miles long 6% down grades and speeds in the 70's. (glad I installed the monster trans cooler in my days of towing my previous 5700# Adventure Craft)
Arrived home without any incident other than being tired, hungry, ripe and ready to hit a hot shower and cool sheets
One thing I noticed that could be a major safety concern with the R-21 while in tow. Drivers seem to like to linger in the "blind spot" when passing.... while they just stare at the boat and smile.
Left Lewiston ID. with a friend (last minute recruit to ride "shotgun")and his dog Charlie at 6:am Thursday for Salinas, Ca...drove 16 hours straight and figuring the guy selling the boat wouldn't want me at his door around mid-nite we decided to finish the final 2 hours on Friday morning...arrived there at 9:30 am and checked out the boat and trailer.
Boat.......excellent (he even detailed it, shone like new! engine checked out perfect...sytems all good.
Trailer....Yikes !!! brake actuator?-no fliud, just damp crud , Brakes?-both calipers frozen solid and boots split. All lug nuts were frozen and are now in a pile of snapped lug nuts (it took a 1/2 hour to remove 1 unboken), tires? may make it the 1100 miles back home. By 7 pm seller, me, friend (shotgun is also a mechanic) Charlie the dog (not much help at all really, but he did seen genuinely impressed with our efforts) are dirty and greasy. Earlier we located a place with proper tailight assembly to replace the burnt out sealed unit and re-install lite ... still not right... check all wires , fix shorts (the trailer's) Now the trailer has problems fixed enough to get us home ........hubs re-packed, new studs, wheels on again ( will buy new tires in Portland .. no tax). We locked out the actuator , removed the calipers, plugged and tied off the brake lines. will make trip without brakes (but with a pile of the seller's cash to fix things at home).
Now too late (and too tired )to start long drive home. nite in hotel and early departure Saturday morning.
The R-21 pulls real nice and stops nice too, ( won't miss the trailer brakes in the least on the trip home) biggest concern is the tires. They make it to Portland just fine though we decide to replace them as planned any way. Temps between Salinas and Portland reached 116 from 1:30 until 6:00pm but the Astro Van tow vehicle has zero problems climbing or on the miles long 6% down grades and speeds in the 70's. (glad I installed the monster trans cooler in my days of towing my previous 5700# Adventure Craft)
Arrived home without any incident other than being tired, hungry, ripe and ready to hit a hot shower and cool sheets
One thing I noticed that could be a major safety concern with the R-21 while in tow. Drivers seem to like to linger in the "blind spot" when passing.... while they just stare at the boat and smile.