TRAILER REHAB DAY

Boat trailers are designed to be “rode hard and put up wet.” They better be - at least mine better be since I put several hundred miles on my trailer weekly and may dunk it into the lake twice daily, day after day after day.

But things that get used and abused wear out and the wooden, carpet covered bunks that support my boat were well worn. In fact, many of the supports under the bunk-boards were rusty and weak.

So a repair day was scheduled at Dick McNeely’s workshop near Attica. Not only does Mack have all the tools needed and welding equipment, I was able to recruit another mutual friend, Jim Eason, to pitch in on the work.

There was one downside to the location: no nearby lake to offload the Brother Nature so we could get at the trailer.  Our first chore was to jack up the boat high enough that it was suspended above the trailer. Some begged and borrowed jack-stands helped, a bit of blocking and crawling around under the rig and inch by inch, the Bro ascended and the trailer pulled free.

The old boards were removed and the metal work started, first removing the old board supports with torch and grinders, then welding new ones in place. A spritz of Rust-Oleum and they were good as new. Using Mack’s utility tractor, we tilted the trailer to make it easier to fasten the new bunks securely.




Repositioning the trailer under the boat went very smoothly and soon the rig was again road-ready!  A few Heinekens to reward ourselves for a job well done finished the job in style.

HAT TRICK

There was an amazing incident on the boat yesterday that I decided would make a great blog posting. However, as those of you who have ever heard me tell a story can attest, sometimes my tales become a bit lengthy.   

By the time I was done, the story was long enough to be a full column for my regular slot in Michigan Outdoor News called “Great Lakes Logbook.”  So here’s the downsized version of the event.                                                  

While in the middle of a Great Lakes Fire Drill (the confusion that occurs when 2 or more salmon are hooked at the same time) and in 3 foot waves, my hat dislodged and fell into the lake. We couldn’t stop or turn around and by the time the fish were boated, the lines redeployed and the fire drill over, we’d trolled a half mile or so from the location. 

No, I didn’t mark the spot on my GPS and even if I’d done that, the hat would have floated off in the waves from any waypoint I’d created. Still, we had to fish somewhere and I knew there were active fish back where my hat was floating; so I made mental calculations of what heading would put the boat on course and steered a gradual turn. 

As we approached ever nearer to “ground-zero” a salmon bit on a long line trailing over 100 yards behind the boat. Those take a while to reel in, but the angler handled the chore admirably. Just as I scooped the fish into the net, one of the other passengers said, “There’s the hat!”  

Yes indeed! About 10 yards off the starboard bow, the bright yellow hat floated soggily awaiting rescue. The fish was in the boat, my white forehead saved from the sun and my lucky hat was saved.