MrSimon
Well-known member
Thought you guys might get a kick out of this story.
Last Spring I found a Craigslist add for a 16' Grumman with a 40HP Johnson and all aluminum trailer for $1500. I jumped on it and bought the rig for $1,200 the same day. I was pumped. What a killer deal!!
I put new tires on it, mounted a trolling motor, and built a basic casting deck up front. I was ready for my upcoming trip to Canada.
Before taking it to Canada, I went to a local lake for a shakedown cruise. The motor ran like a top and the boat really flew. I did notice it was taking on some water, but I flipped on the bilge pump and didn't think anything of it.
We loaded up and headed for Canada.
The first morning we launched the boat and headed out on the lake. I was having to run the bilge more than I'd like, but tried not to think about it. We fished all morning and pulled the boat up on a sandy beach for lunch. When we went back to the boat after lunch, the back third of the boat was filled with water and the entire hull was sitting on the the lake bottom. The rear bench seat was almost completely under water. My batteries were under water. My gas tank was floating. I didn't know what to do, so against my better judgement I switched on the bilge pump. Even with the batteries completely under water it started pumping. 30 minutes later the boat was dry and floating again.
We pulled the boat out of the water, took the floor up, and found this.
Pulled up the brace and found this:
We drove to the nearest hardware store and got some patch material .... propped up the boat and did a darn good job I'd say.
Feeling good about ourselves, we launched the boat and headed back out for some fishing. It was a beautiful evening of fishing ..... but the boat was still taking on just as much water. WHAT?! After fixing an 8 inch crack its still sinking?? I was frustrated. We just ran the bilge a lot for the rest of the trip and never left the boat in the water on its own. We managed, but I got rid of that boat as soon as I got home!
Last Spring I found a Craigslist add for a 16' Grumman with a 40HP Johnson and all aluminum trailer for $1500. I jumped on it and bought the rig for $1,200 the same day. I was pumped. What a killer deal!!
I put new tires on it, mounted a trolling motor, and built a basic casting deck up front. I was ready for my upcoming trip to Canada.
Before taking it to Canada, I went to a local lake for a shakedown cruise. The motor ran like a top and the boat really flew. I did notice it was taking on some water, but I flipped on the bilge pump and didn't think anything of it.
We loaded up and headed for Canada.
The first morning we launched the boat and headed out on the lake. I was having to run the bilge more than I'd like, but tried not to think about it. We fished all morning and pulled the boat up on a sandy beach for lunch. When we went back to the boat after lunch, the back third of the boat was filled with water and the entire hull was sitting on the the lake bottom. The rear bench seat was almost completely under water. My batteries were under water. My gas tank was floating. I didn't know what to do, so against my better judgement I switched on the bilge pump. Even with the batteries completely under water it started pumping. 30 minutes later the boat was dry and floating again.
We pulled the boat out of the water, took the floor up, and found this.
Pulled up the brace and found this:
We drove to the nearest hardware store and got some patch material .... propped up the boat and did a darn good job I'd say.
Feeling good about ourselves, we launched the boat and headed back out for some fishing. It was a beautiful evening of fishing ..... but the boat was still taking on just as much water. WHAT?! After fixing an 8 inch crack its still sinking?? I was frustrated. We just ran the bilge a lot for the rest of the trip and never left the boat in the water on its own. We managed, but I got rid of that boat as soon as I got home!