Absent from the board

[fightingquaker13]

 I haven't posted for a couple of weeks. To my surprise, a few were PMing me wondering why. I guess not having Richard Nixon, er....the Quaker to kick around, was boring. The thing is that my Old Man invited me to visit him and fish. The deal was I had to help him replace a prop and a bilge pump on his skiff. This should have been a 3 hour job, so easy a caveman can do it...........Instead it became a "Three Hour Tour". After discovering that the $400 four bladed, ported, stainless steel wonder prop wouldn't fit, accomplished from a tippy canoe in 15 knot winds trying to get the damn thing seated, we discovered that a (discontinued) retro fit kit was needed. And so instead of giving up, my dad the aircraft engineer, figured out a solution. This took three days, but worked beautifully. As far as a hole shot, the boat will go from from a standing start to a plane in less than 2 boat lengths. Zero to twenty in about four seconds (Mikey likes it!).   Then the bilge pump. A $30 part that should be easily replaceable. Except Action Craft put them in before putting the hull togther and glassed in the housing and cut the tubes to within one inch tolerances. Removing the fuel pump, replacing hoses, reglassing etc., etc., etc......4 days for a cheap part ordered on Amazon. If you think guns can be be bitchy, try boats (I'm expecting an amen from TW here, except he he likes it because it keeps him in .338 Lapua. ). Anyway, 7 days on a one day project before we could fish. Unfortuneatly, buttkiss fish. One small snook, one four foot tarpon and one keeper trout. The cold snap knocked back the snook, the tarpon have yet to show up, which is odd, and the trout are scarce. If you are planning a trip to SW Florida, I would wait till late until late May. Now is not the time to go.
FQ13

[dipisc]

Hello Quaker;

     As I read your post, I was finding myself in your shoes when my Dad would call me up to "help" him in a "little" job. It must be a generational thing, but what should be a short - quick job usually turned into a complete utterly frustrating ordeal. My Dad always use to say to us kids, there is the right way,the wrong way,the Armys way and Johns way! As long as you did it Johns way you were not in the wrong.
     I swear that my grey/white hair did not come from any kids - it came from the "old" man. I will never forget a "project" that my dad made me do, it was an old piece of a 4x8 sheet of plywood. he wanted me to cut the bad parts off and save the good parts for any use in the future.
     To this day I do not who was the dumber participant on that deal. My cutting  or  his insisting I cut. Instead of just going to the Home Depot/Lowes and buying a $15 sheet of plywood - there I was - following his orders. He was from the depression era so his thoughts were always to save for "the next time".
     My dad passed away in 1998, If I could just have 1 more minute with him and talk to him - I would cut thousands of old scrap plywood sheets. I would say to you to "cherish" the "moments" that you have with your dad as much as you can NOW. My dad always use to say that he would have the last laugh when he died and when he did with all the Bull- - - - that went on after, I assure you that he was laughing so hard he Pissed himself.

[McGyver]

B-O-A-T!

Bust Out Another Thousand!   

[tombogan03884]

Sounds like they feel your pain.  

[twyacht]

Hmmmm,....Why do you think boats are referred to as "she"...

Sorry for the lame fishing FQ.

[Sponsor]

[crusader rabbit]

FQ, don't you know every boat job requires another job be finished before the job that needs doing gets done.  Yer probably lucky you didn't have to re-lay the hull. LOL

Was this the fishing trip with Dad that was going to be to some place exotic, unusual, and where you'd never been before?  And it ended up in your back yard?  I'm not complaining.  We need the money to stay here in the state.  Too bad there wasn't more piscine activity to make your rods bounce (now THAT sounds dirty).  Still, if it was a keeper snook, that made the experience worthwhile.  In my book, snook is probably the tastiest, best textured fish I have ever had the pleasure of forking into my mouth.

It's good to have you back, ya commie.   TAB was doing his best in your absence, but there was sure a shortage of nonsensical, loonie left politics while you were gone.  I know both Haz and I missed it and I suspect a lot of others did, too.

[Pathfinder]

Reminds me of the time my ex and I took the kids out to my Mom's for Mother's Day, all dressed up and looking very nice. Mom had a "little" job for me, since she apparently thought I was dressed for it. It involved a large step ladder (small issue with heights here), a loooong flooded rain gutter, and a 3-week old newspaper carefully marinated in said gutter by accumulated water and blown debris.

Wish I had her back, too true.

Instead, we got you back, FQ! Oh well, we did notice the quiet as CR so well put it. 

Glad to hear it was fun parental time and not something serious.

[Teresa Heilevang]

Hmmmm,....Why do you think boats are referred to as "she"...

Sorry for the lame fishing FQ.

She?? ?? ?? ?? ??

    

[twyacht]

Because a ship carries, protects, and eventually delivers her cargo or passengers as does a mother with her child.

And because most boats up until at least 1970 were owned by men  

It's from Wikipedia, that means it has to be true,....

Or was it, she's out of control without a strong man at the helm,
shows her top, but hides her bottom,
always has a bunch of men tending to her
and when back in harbor, she heads straight for the buoys....
Yes dear, the corner does need vacuuming again, I'll get right on it.....

[tombogan03884]

Did some one mention "High Maintenance" ?  

Hell on earth, A boat that will not float and a wife that does