We have had less than eventful summer. Things with the business and such did not fall into place. So we took a short trip to Myrtle Beach area. We have never been there before and towed the boat along. I have poked around the South Carolina Coast between Hilton Head and Charleston and never been north of there.
We spent a couple days around Murrells Inlet. One of the things I found interesting is how northern SC coast is not loaded with sandy barrier islands and how the mainland just ends up at the beach. Murrells Inlet is a nice coastal niche in the mainland. We enjoyed our days there. Did some fishing inshore caught a bunch of undersize flounder and other fish.
The Wacamaw River is nice and we cruised it down to Georgetown and out to the inlet there at Georgetown through Winyah Bay. Lots of brown water there and in the Wacamaw. Great shelling on the islands at the inlet. The wind was 30 knots out of the south and it was a bit rough outside the jetties.
We motored up the ICW from the Murrells area to Little River Inlet. The Wacamaw River is pretty with its cypress and tupelo lined banks. The ICW through Myrtle is a a big ditch. There are a couple swing bridges along the way which gave us some concerned about being able to go under them. Little River, SC is a quaint town and the scenery is pretty out toward the inlet.
I met a fellow who was the original owner of a 1986 overnighter with the original Yammaha two stroke on it. It was a cool boat, a little rough here and there. Then I met another guy who owned a 1980 Overnighter, the style with the faux lapstrake fiberglass hull. It too was a cool boat.
I think they should call the span of coast the forgotten coast or the lonely coast. There was plenty of water to explore but not a lot of people doing it. I would consider another trip to explore especially north of Littlle River Inlet to Ocean Isle, NC.
On the way home one of my wheel bearings failed on HWY 501 near the Great Pee Dee River. We carry a spare hub and took the time to remove the old one and installed the new one. The trip should have taken us 5 -6 hours to get home, but it turned into a 13 hour drive as after I replaced the hub I went into Florence to find a boat dealer place to buy another hub kit. I discovered i put the wheel bearing retaining nut on a little too tight and it warmed the hub-bearings. So I took the time to jack up the trailer and remove the cotter pin which was an ordeal (lol) and then loosened it a little.
I stopped at Allen's Marine and the guy showed me how much play to leave in the wheel to account for friction and heat build up. I adjusted the wheel set and the new hub ran fine after I did that adjustment. Guys when traveling beyond the local ramp, I am suggesting always carry an extra hub kit along or two for that matter. I am a member of BOAT US and I thought I had their trailer assist program as we always previously paid extra for that coverage. I called them and they found a guy back in Myrtle Beach who could get out to where we were for $125 an hour ( trailer assist members do not pay for that fee) but since I was not a member I would have to pony up over $500 to change the hub out. So I did it myself and while I do not like getting stranded by a trailer problem especially with my family in tow too, it was nice knowing I could make the repair and take of the problem when it happens.
We spent a couple days around Murrells Inlet. One of the things I found interesting is how northern SC coast is not loaded with sandy barrier islands and how the mainland just ends up at the beach. Murrells Inlet is a nice coastal niche in the mainland. We enjoyed our days there. Did some fishing inshore caught a bunch of undersize flounder and other fish.
The Wacamaw River is nice and we cruised it down to Georgetown and out to the inlet there at Georgetown through Winyah Bay. Lots of brown water there and in the Wacamaw. Great shelling on the islands at the inlet. The wind was 30 knots out of the south and it was a bit rough outside the jetties.
We motored up the ICW from the Murrells area to Little River Inlet. The Wacamaw River is pretty with its cypress and tupelo lined banks. The ICW through Myrtle is a a big ditch. There are a couple swing bridges along the way which gave us some concerned about being able to go under them. Little River, SC is a quaint town and the scenery is pretty out toward the inlet.
I met a fellow who was the original owner of a 1986 overnighter with the original Yammaha two stroke on it. It was a cool boat, a little rough here and there. Then I met another guy who owned a 1980 Overnighter, the style with the faux lapstrake fiberglass hull. It too was a cool boat.
I think they should call the span of coast the forgotten coast or the lonely coast. There was plenty of water to explore but not a lot of people doing it. I would consider another trip to explore especially north of Littlle River Inlet to Ocean Isle, NC.
On the way home one of my wheel bearings failed on HWY 501 near the Great Pee Dee River. We carry a spare hub and took the time to remove the old one and installed the new one. The trip should have taken us 5 -6 hours to get home, but it turned into a 13 hour drive as after I replaced the hub I went into Florence to find a boat dealer place to buy another hub kit. I discovered i put the wheel bearing retaining nut on a little too tight and it warmed the hub-bearings. So I took the time to jack up the trailer and remove the cotter pin which was an ordeal (lol) and then loosened it a little.
I stopped at Allen's Marine and the guy showed me how much play to leave in the wheel to account for friction and heat build up. I adjusted the wheel set and the new hub ran fine after I did that adjustment. Guys when traveling beyond the local ramp, I am suggesting always carry an extra hub kit along or two for that matter. I am a member of BOAT US and I thought I had their trailer assist program as we always previously paid extra for that coverage. I called them and they found a guy back in Myrtle Beach who could get out to where we were for $125 an hour ( trailer assist members do not pay for that fee) but since I was not a member I would have to pony up over $500 to change the hub out. So I did it myself and while I do not like getting stranded by a trailer problem especially with my family in tow too, it was nice knowing I could make the repair and take of the problem when it happens.
