Boat launched - failed... heh

[RussGW270]

Launched the boat on the water a couple hours ago. Wow, it has been a whilr..

First off, too windy and too new to this boat. I am laying down, falling asleep lol. Took a couple crazy pills because my arm started hurting.

Brake locked up again. Had to crack the brake line to get it to back up.

Boat alarms going ogg, i think low water pressure. Nothing too too bad, easy fixes...but need time.

Had to load her nack up....winch strap broke.

I have got to figure the trailer thing out.

Will go into more detail later.

R

 

[RussGW270]

We dropped in the south end of lake Bastrop... turned out to not be such a great day lol.. but.. that was why we neded a close lake.. heh

The trailer, which I had just replaced the brake pads, master cylinder, reverse lockout, and 30ft main brake line on... locked up again.

We got to Bastrop.... hubs were at 220 degrees again...i.e. the pads were locked up, which is why I replaced everything.

We went ahead and dropped it in the lake, and seemed to be "okay"... but, this is a new boat... my friends took too long getting out of the truck and getting back to the boat.. so, what was a cleared out ramp, started to fill up and the wind started pushing me. I could not keep the boat lined up to get to the dock. Slowly, I was surrounded by kayakers and a couple boats that wanted to load up.

Then, the engine alarm went off. I am not sure why... have not looked at the engines yet.. no indication as to wth was happening...I restarted them... one at a time, they would go off. I checked the fuel valves, seemed to be on..swapped tanks, it felt like they were not getting gas.. but, could have been the fact they were not getting water flow and were too hot.

Finally, I told them get the truck, we were going home.. and... the brakes locked up.. they had to bleed the brake fluid to get it to back down the ramp... by that time, the engines failed, and i had let a boat that was there, pull us into the trailer 20 ft away.

So, still have my hands full, and am tired of this trailer.

The engine, I can fix. I will see if the code reader and software I bought will tell me anything about it. the trailer.. ..not sure what the hell to do with it.

Just do not have anyone that will touch the trailer as it is either surge brakes or they did not sell it to me.

As for the engines, I bet it it something small.. but, I noticed last time I started them they were not peeing water, so... may be an issue there. I do not have a yamaha mechanic around me I trust for that.

So, will see what "I" can do, and try to find people I can afford and trust.

All in all, had fun.. did not sound like it.. but I did. This was a test and while it sucks.. it gets me a step closer to getting it right....just wish more people with Gradys lived closer to help

R

 

[RussGW270]

Btw, only “Round 1”. This is why I took it to the lake 15 minutes from me. I will figure it out and if it takes me till next year, I will have it working like a champ.

In the meantime:

We took every orange life vest and added a whistle to a lanyard, added a whistle to the fishing vests we use more often as well ( I like having our daily life vests plus like 6 extra orange ones for emergencies), then made sure all the flares were new, installed a second large fire extinguisher into the cabin (1st one was next to the helm), stowed the large distress horn and flag and the person overboard kit in with the life vests, and installed my hula monkey

So, while it was frustrating, we accomplished a lot today, just a few minor setbacks is all.
R

 

[ocnslr]

How long since those engines had been run? Or, how long had they sat idle? The impellor blades can take a 'set' and either not move water well or worse they can break off and pieces can go into the water passages.

Had you previously dropped the lower units? Looked at or replaced the water pumps? If not, when were they last done?

Sorry if you've done that and I missed it.

When you noted above that the last time you started them they weren't peeing, how were you supplying water to them? They can be run on double-sided muffs, but not on the flushing connection, as there is not sufficient water going down to the pump to lubricate it.

 

[RussGW270]

All very good points and all points I have debated, even before today. Bottom line is this:

The boat will not be on the water for a while, till it is ready. That is fine, more time to go through her and make sure everything works right.

She starts - check!
She runs - check!

Continuing to run is a lot easier to fix than not running at all, imo heh

So, my new checklist is:

1 - That trailer and/or how it interacts with either the solenoid and/or the electronic braking system needs to be fixed. We know it “works” because if we bleed the brake fluid low, it tows. So, the electrical system is the culprit, either the solenoid itself or the wiring to/from the solenoid, or the Ford electronic braking system and how it interacts with a surge brake system, or a combination of the above. The boat will not be dropped till the trailer functions correctly or it it replaced....the trailer

2 - The engines. I need to drop and repair/replace all the lower end stuff....i.e. water pump, impeller, oil, the whole maintenance cycle of things. Again, not a huge deal...was planning on doing it this winter, so a darn good thing to do now instead. That should allow me to inspect the engine etc for anything else I may need to look at.

3 - I do not care if I have to fly someone down here or meet someone on the coast, I need/want someone experienced with this boat, or one very similar, next time I take her out, to help me run her through trials. I am going to treat her the same way I would a Navy vessel and make sure I test her systems, but I want someone there that knows Yamahas, knows Grady, is more confident with larger models....to make sure we get het launched, moving, and go through the steps to get her safe and set up.

4 - I want to go wire by wire and clean up the ends and connectors to make sure the electrical system does not have a failure 30 miles off the coast.

So, I have a long slow road ahead of me, gents...my “season” is over lol...but she will be ready for the next season....I hope

I have the holidays coming up so this cannot be my priority....but, my shop will be ready soon and while I cannot fit the boat in, I can back the engines into the door to get shade

Stay tuned!

R

 

[Ky Grady]

Setbacks are inevitable on a used boat. After 2 years of ownership, I still get setbacks, I'm replacing my second fuel tank as we speak. I'm hoping for a better year next year with no setbacks and can enjoy the boat with no issues. I've replaced everything that I can so I'm feeling comfortable in the fact that it will be a good year next year. If I get the opportunity to upgrade motors at the end of the season next year, I don't count that as a setback, I see that as a positive.

Hang in there, it will get better, it takes time to dial everything in until you trust it each time you go out. After the second fuel tank goes in, I think I'm around 90% at the trust level.

 

[RussGW270]

Lol, it is all good. The big thing was getting it in the water and seeing this stuff, which I got to do.

Now, time to make a list and get it fixed. Since I know the guy before me took care of it and it ran well, part of it is due to sitting for months. Another part is due to the trailer never getting used in years, and lord knows he tried to have that repaired...but I think there is something else going on.

Also, the hard part about trailering was 2-fold....not being able to winch it up and no guides to keep the back end on the rails as we tried to winch it up.

Gotta figure that one out as it took 2 people in the water and 20 minutes to get it on the trailer due to the back end floating while we winched.....then, the winch kept stretching when we pulled it out of the water....so, lots to work on, none too major, but all important.

R

 

[RussGW270]

Oh, also turned pumps on and some water started coming out by the windshield washer dial to my lower right, so need to look at all that stuff. Not sure how to test a lot of intake pumps without dropping her in the water.

R

 

[Legend]

Oh, also turned pumps on and some water started coming out by the windshield washer dial to my lower right, so need to look at all that stuff. Not sure how to test a lot of intake pumps without dropping her in the water.

R

Some people connect a water source to a hose to a plunger cup and run there washdown and live well pumps to test or to run anti freeze through in cold climates. The windshield wash is powered by the fresh water as you found out. Sounds like a hose running to or from the on off knob is loose or broken

 

[Ky Grady]

Need a set of trailer guides on the back to keep boat centered while loading.

 

[RussGW270]

My thoughts exactly. I was curious about the pumps. May try that out.

Threw some clorox in the fresh water tanks. Will fill it with water tonight and let it sit a while and clean that out then run fresh through it a few times.

This is not a setback, simply part of the process, so no worries.

 

[RussGW270]

So, was debating the trailer guides. That is a no-brainer with the past boats, but lord.. this heavy boat.. wouldn't they just bend off when the boat drifts?

Actually sorta fun... if you think about it.. while I may not get her back on the water soon, when she does get on the water, she should be pretty solid.

R

 

[Ky Grady]

So, was debating the trailer guides. That is a no-brainer with the past boats, but lord.. this heavy boat.. wouldn't they just bend off when the boat drifts?

Actually sorta fun... if you think about it.. while I may not get her back on the water soon, when she does get on the water, she should be pretty solid.

R

No, they wont bend off. Mine are square tubing with PVC cover. Not that much force against them just to hold boat from drifting off the trailer sideways. Now, if you come in hot while loading and hit the guides, they'll bend.

 

[Uncle Joe]

Russ.......sorry for the trouble you are having bro. One thing I might add though.....Grady's are notoriously hard to handle at low speeds in a breeze until you get used to it. I might have avoided a busy ramp on Labor Day weekend for my first cruise. I have run Offshores for many years and I still have trouble docking in tight places with certain winds.....add in traffic and you have your hands full.

Good luck.

 

[RussGW270]

No worries, it was pretty sparse till my buddy took forever to get out of the truck and to the dock. By that time.. small lake.. the kayakers were crowding me and moving all around and behind the boat, regardless of the fact this fat pig was in front of them lol

I needed to throw water into it and 15 minutes from the lake, seemed like a good idea.

It's all good. I got the experience I needed on the water, so now can move to the next phase.

When I finish with her, she will be running like a champ.. just have to take it slow so as not to spend all the fun money on a boat in one month and thus have to live in it .. lol

Good to know about the guides, KY. Will add those to the list....they would have helped greatly.

I also have years of experience with a single engine, zero with twins, so all new to me. I was much better at handling her when I turned one off

R

 

[SCW]

God Bless you Russ. You have more patience than I would I think. I kept wanting to tell you to stop messing with it and go use it. (stop cutting bait and fish already) But that's always easier said than done and your cautious approach is safer and better in the end! Good luck we are rooting for ya!

 

[RussGW270]

lol! Thanks. I keep telling my wife, "Hell, I have people all over the world going, "oh for crying out loud, get it wet already!" lol

Eh.... she'll be ready... just have to really get the trailer issue resolved... then, get the engines to cool right. After that, she'll be fine

R

 

[Uncle Joe]

Russ......was there a reason you couldn't power up onto the trailer at least partway, to take some stress off the winch?

 

[RussGW270]

Engines were stalling with a warning alarm.. my guess, too hot. they were not running cooling water out the back, so.. probably clogged.

I tried to get him to back the truck down a little more, but.. I had hurt my arm and was having problems trying to keep the boat straight.

Arm was not with that... thought it was healed but evidently, trying to push off a 4ton boat aggravated it.. whoda thunk.. lol

I was already worried about the winch.. not a huge deal, wanted to replace it anyway, looked too small. Looking at 3200-3500lb winches now.

R

 

[ocnslr]

3 - I do not care if I have to fly someone down here or meet someone on the coast, I need/want someone experienced with this boat, or one very similar, next time I take her out, to help me run her through trials. I am going to treat her the same way I would a Navy vessel and make sure I test her systems, but I want someone there that knows Yamahas, knows Grady, is more confident with larger models....to make sure we get het launched, moving, and go through the steps to get her safe and set up.
R

I think I made that offer a while back. If Austin is the nearest city to you, the airfare is about $250-$350, round trip. But you might be able to find someone closer. I only have about 3000+ hours on an Islander.

And I don't think there is anything wrong with using a nearby lake for initial "sea trials" and systems tests.