S/V WILLIAM BLIGH OFFICIAL VOYAGE THREAD!

[Antioch]

Lava the Cat's New Amazing Trick
By Robin Scott Johnson

Lava the cat has always been considered highly intelligent by everyone who meets him.  Since he was a kitten, he has always been able to figure out how to work door knobs, open cabinets, strategically open the tops of cat food bags to allow himself and Elvira to eat, climbing ladders to get into sailboats, and a myriad of other not so extraordinary, but impressive feats that prove he has a basic understanding for physics and the way things work.  So yesterday I was going back and forth, moving things from the Kenworth to the Bronco, and at some point lost my keys.  This was not an emergency situation, as they were either on the ground, in between the front seat and console of the Bronco, or somewhere in the Kenworth.  I looked all over the ground, and couldn't find them. Then I checked the Bronco thoroughly, no luck there either. So I went back and climbed up into the Kenworth and sat in the driver's seat, looking at Lava who was sitting on the dash board looking at me.  I wasn't really thinking about it seriously as a command or order, but I locked eyes with Lava and said, "Lava, Where are my keys?"  Then I looked around the seat and couldn't find them.. they were really lost!  A few seconds after I spoke to Lava, however, he jumped into the sleeper.. I didn't watch him, but all of a sudden, I started hearing my keys jingling.  Turning around, I saw Lava, batting at the covers on my bed, drawing them back slightly as he batted my keys which were then revealed!  It took me a moment to realize that Lava had heard and understood the command and found my keys.  I was literally dumbfounded and speechless as I grabbed my keys and petted him and rewarded my cat with a treat.  Worried that nobody would believe me, I mentioned it to a couple of my friends who had no trouble accepting the amazing feat of Lava the cat.

[Fortis]

I think it was the tuna flavoured keytag that did it.

[Antioch]

Some lady I didn't know at the brew-house I frequent here in Kearney took this... so I apologize for the quality... didn't feel right asking her to take more.

Robin

[Norm]

Next... send us a picture of it flying over the yellow pratique flag in St Georges, please

[Antioch]

Surely I will! I'm sure it won't be difficult to find a WiFi signal in this day and age, even in Bermuda!

Robin

[AdriftAtSea]

Very cool... :) I second Norm's suggestion. :)

[Antioch]

Looks like I need to change my home port.. Nebraska let me register s/v William Bligh here... the new registration expires Dec 31,2010..

Robin

[Antioch]

So I arrived in Portland after a grueling 1750 mile drive, which I made having left at 8am Thursday, and arriving at the s/v William Bligh  at 2am Saturday morning. It was rainy... I was halfway wired from too much caffeine, and dead tired but unable to sleep. An hour and a half earlier I had been pulled over by a Massachusetts State Trooper who had either seen me weaving around on the 495 in Boxboro as he claimed, or was suspicious of an out of state Ford Bronco tooling along at 54 mph at midnight with cars wizzing by it in the all of the lanes to its left. 

"License and Registration." The trooper began, in a very cold manner.. it seems they're not as cordial when you're driving  four-wheeler as opposed to my usual eighteen wheeled Kenworth.   Not only didn't he ask for insurance, I didn't ask why he'd pulled me over. I was just hoping he would not want to look over the single shot New England Firearms 12 gauge, in its case and original wrapper in the cargo area.  Some of you who followed my last voyage will note that I don't have the "arsenal" as some described it, as I did during my Pacific voyages... but since I know what's going to happen in Bermuda with it (The boat won't clear because of the cats, so it will sit in Powder hole... and the flare guns and the shot gun may be confiscated and returned upon my departure, according to the guy on the phone I talked to.).. and since New England has tighter gun laws.. I thought I'd carry the least offensive thing that I could still have fun with.. Very few shells too.. a box of bird shot and 5 single-shot slugs for the odd shark that might spot Lava and not leave the boat alone until he has a feline feast.. but I digress to the events of Friday evening....


He disappeared to his patrol car with my credentials, and when he came back he fired off:

"Where are you coming from tonight?"
"Nebraska."
Where are you going?"
"Portland, Maine."
"Are you a little tired? You were weaving around a bit back there."
"Perhaps, it's been a long day."
"Where was the last place you stopped?"
"New York, just prior to the Mass Pike to fuel."
"Where are you going after Portland?"
"Bermuda."
"Huh?"
"My sailboat's in Portland.. I'm sailing her there."
"Is this your current address, in Nebraska?"
"Yes."
"Are you from Maine originally?"
"No."
"Where are you from?"
"England."
"England?"
"Yes..."
"How long did you live there?"
"Not long."
"Where did you live before Nebraska?"
"Arizona."
"So you've lived all over."
"Yeah."
"Ok.. I'll be right back." The trooper said as he went back to his car.  A few minutes later, he returned. "Are you awake now?" He asked.
"Yeah, thanks."
"OK, I'm going to give you a warning, you drive carefully to Portland."

There was oddly no paper warning, it was a verbal.. so I carefully restarted the Bronco and merged back onto the 495, grateful that that had all gone smoothly.

When I arrived at the boat it was raining, dreary, and I was not in a good mood. I took the ladder out of the back of the Bronco and set it up behind the Paceship East Wind.  Then I removed the bungees and ropes that held on a tarp over the cockpit which had been put there to keep the Winter snow out in case I returned earlier... I hadn't, this was the first I'd seen of my boat in nearly six months, and I was dreading what I thought I would find inside. I suspected that not only was the melted bilge ice still there, but so would be additional inches of rain.  I hoped it wasn't too deep.  Climbing the ladder I scaled the stern pulpet and entered the cockpit, fiddling with my keys to then unlock the companionway.  When I slid the companionway hatch open, I was relieved not not see any water, just that familiar musty smell that anyone who owns a boat has enjoyed before.  Down the four steps and down into the salon, I pulled the steps and looked back behind the batteries in the vacant engine compartment.. the bilge water was still there all right, but no higher than it had been when I had left her in January, although then it had been ice.  I connected the leads to the batteries and with careful resolve, I turned the master switch, which activated the switchboard.  The lights inside the boat flickered on... next I reached out and flicked the bilge pump switch, which I fully expected NOT to work, as it had been fully encased in ice previously.. but in fact I heard the bilge pump awaken and gurgle slightly.. then the swish and splash of water shooting out of the back of the transom and onto the pavement below.

Clearing out some things from the v-berth, I made myself a place to stretch out for the night.. I didn't plan to sleep very long, but just wanted to rest my eyes.  Before doing this though, I walked out to the cockpit and pulled the ladder up onto the boat.. before returning inside the Bligh. The rain began again, as it had briefly stopped, but this time it was heavier.  I closed the hatches and went up to the v-berth and lay down, closed my eyes, trying to get comfortable--trying to fight the effects of 12 pieces of Jolt gum and two bottles of NOS which I'd chewed and drank during my long journey.  It seemed like moments later,  but I opened my eyes to find it very blue inside the boat and shining in through the windows.. dawn was approaching.  Had I slept? I hadn't felt it... but as I lay in my berth, under an old blanket I realized that I did feel a little better, so I must have slept. 

I left the boat and drove over to Becky's for eggs and sausage... the returned to the boat yard where the manager had shown up to work.  He greeted me asked me if I wanted to stay on the boat while I was in Portland.  My answer was slightly evasive, as I have been to too many places where this wasn't allowed... but I think he knew what I meant or was doing when I replied..."I'm... not sure."... as he quickly said, "You can if you want!" 

After explaining my proposed itinerary to leave the cats in the boat over the weekend of the 7th and the 8th and launch on Monday the 9th.. he suggested we try and put the boat in the water on the 2nd or 3rd.. so that the cats would get used to the boat.. and that I'd know it was going to stay floating.. then on Thursday night I could drive down to Newport News, Virginia... returning by train and arriving at 2am Sunday the 8th... and I could leave that day if I wanted to, rather than waiting until Monday.  He gave me a parking permit and a key to the rest rooms after I came around to his idea as being the better one..

Anyway... I'm still dead tired.. it's pouring down rain... and I've got a list of projects and organizational items I have to attend to, but I should have time to do it tomorrow and at least finish up Monday.. today, it's "Iron Man" at the Falmouth Cinema.

Robin

[Manannan]

thank you Robin for sharing that arrival at your boat knowing how tired you must be. You will be very busy the next days so enjoy your week-end and your movie !

[Antioch]

So tired I made some typoes, some of which, I fixed.

[Marc]

Hey Robin!  Glad to hear that you finally made it to Portland.  You must have left Kearney befor the storm last Thursday night.  Homes and businesses were destroyed by tornadoes.  I live in Des Moines, Iowa now but originally from Grand Island, Nebraska.  Went to school at Kearney State College before it became part of the University of Nebraska.  I'll be watching for your posts on your voyage.  Marc

[Antioch]

Yeah, funny you should mention the storms in Kearney, actually a tornado, as my dispatcher called me Friday and told me that it had happened a few days after I'd called him to ask what to to do if one came around and I was in my truck... LOL

Robiun

[Antioch]

Dictated but not read... LOL

Sunday 1 June 2008

I finally got a full night of sleep aboard s/v William Bligh, though I still set the alarm to wake me after eight hours.  Then I set about getting some work done.  I mounted the EPIRB so that nothing would hit it, but so that it was in a place I could get to it easily if I needed to.  Next I began preparing the cabin for keeping the cats, which included making sure that there were no sharp objects anyplace that might come into contact with them. In addition, I had to block off four access holes under the berths so that the cats couldn't either go underneath the v-berth or through the quarter berths to access the cockpit. 

Sail Organization:

On the voyage I only intend to use a Main, Jib, Stormjib, and Genny.  The boat has two mains, two gennies, a jib, stormjib, and a spinnaker.   So to avoid confusion and streamline the task of changing sails, I thought I'd have a look at them.  Out of the two main sails, only one of them is heavily reinforced and has reefing points, the other is a very light cruising main, both of them have the East Wind logo on them though, which surprised me. So of the two mains I'll be using the one I can reef, although both sails appeared to be in excellent condition.  The genny I took out of the boat happened to be the one that wasn't reefable, but I have decided that I'll use that one first if the winds prove light during any part of the trip... The jib is in excellent condition, and so that'll be in the quick bag, and the storm jib also seems to be in great shape.  So for the quick sail bag, I have the storm jib, working jib, and the genny. The cruising main will be kept on the boom, which I have a sail cover for. 

Yesterday evening, I took the cover off the Honda 9.9 and inspected it inside the boat... as a novice with outboards I can only say that the oil was very, very clean on the dip stick like that in your car the day they service the motor, and it all seemed to be in tact.  I'm not sure of what else I can check on it, and I didn't try and start it, and won't until it's on its mount.

Had dinner Saturday night at a nice little Indian restaurant located in a back alley off the waterfront in Portland... paid a little more for the request of Chicken Vindaloo, which wasn't on the menu.

I know this is a little erratic time-frame wise.. but that's more or less the frame of mind I'm in right now.. jumping forward to tomorrow, my boat may be launched!

Here are some pictures.. the captions are ABOVE each one.

Here's a new shot of the port bow with the new Nebraska registration number... also the danforth anchor hangs from the stern pulpet, and is also held against the nose plate with a commercial bungee cord.

Elvira cat up in the v-berth.

Lava and Elvira in the v-berth.\

The two Main sails.. the nicer cruising one on the left, the light one on the right.

The East Wind logo that appears on both mains.

The Storm Jib, left, and the working jib, right.

The unreefable genny.


Like I said, I also have another genny which stayed on the boat and that is reefable, and there is also a lovely blue spinnaker, but they're not pictured because as I said, I left them on board.

[Antioch]

Blog for Monday 2nd of June & Tuesday 3rd of June.

Monday

TY-Champagne
Finn-Rum-Advice

Happy birthday to Aiona, first off.  My friend in Texas who I've sailed with aboard her boat had a birthday today, and also shared in the good news of the day... and what a day it was! 

I awoke around 4:30am to the sounds of Lava attempting to tear into the bag of catfood that I keep in the starboardside cupboard, and so I had to get up to feed Lava and Elvira breakfast.. once I was up, I was up.  My preliminary plans were to shower and then get started on some of the other projects including replenishing some of the liquid stores I'd exhausted, such as Newcastle Brown Ale and Coca Cola.  I planned to stop by a pharmacy at Wal-Mart in Falmouth and buy a bottle of Dramamine, before going back to their sporting goods department and buying a couple more seven gallon H2O containers to replace the two that I destroyed last night when they fell overboard and onto the hard ground as I intended to lift them over my head... I feel very weak, so perhaps Muscular Dystrophy is starting... I've had a hard time of late in that regard, but perhaps it's all in my head.

After my shower I drove up to a little city park that overlooks the Bay from the top of a hill, I think it's named after a little Fort that looks like it's Civil War era, kind of like the one you see when you're crossing over to Maryland's Eastern shore via the Bridge out of Annapolis.. I'm pretty sure that's a Civil War fort too.   So anyway, a few gulls were flying around, and one landed on the bonnet of my Bronco, and the peculiar thing is, he only had one foot! He stayed there for quite a while, eating the bread that I through to him, and it almost seemed like he wanted the position of being the only friend I have in Portland.. but soon he flew off... turned my XM to 202 and listened to O&A for a little while.. they were broadcasting from Boston and it occurred to me that it was only an hour away, and that I could go down and maybe watch the show, too much to do though...and an hour later I then drove back down to Portland Yacht Services and took a walk out to the statute of XXGeorge XXCleeves, who came over from England in the late 1600s and founded the city.  There is a bench behind him that faces the harbour, and I took a pew and began to think about the voyage ahead of me.   

Then a man came up who worked for PYS and asked me if I was "Mr." Johnson, a title I'm not used to.  I told him I was anyway, and then he asked if I'd like to launch today.  He went on to explain that they'd do it right away if I was ready, frankly, I wasn't, but I told him I was, and went off to make sure that fenders were hanging over the side of my boat, and dock lines were laid about the decks in strategic places, although I had no idea which side of the boat would be dockside.  In preparation for having the mast put up, I inserted all of the pins into the turnbuckles and chainplates that are on deck, whch is eight, since there are two stays and six shrouds.

A few moments after I was finished getting the boat ready, they backed an old Ford cabover towing a hydraulic boat lift up to the bow of s/v William Bligh.  I climbed down and took some picture as they picked the sailboat up off its stands and moved it to the boat ramp.  Would she float, leak like a sieve, or would she be fine?  I had no way of knowing since I'd never had the boat in the water before.   The hydraulic lifts lowered and William Bligh bobbed up and down slightly in the harbour in the small waves, before a small motorboat tugged it away and around to the dock where she would have her mast stepped via a 15 ton crane. As I was walking down the dock to the place where s/v Bligh was going to be tied to, a man walked up to me and handed me a half a bottle of Champagne.  He introduced himself as Ty, and he had just launched his Choy Lee 33 ketch, and was also waiting to have his masts stepped.  He told me to pour the Champagne on the bow of the William Bligh, and was very complimentary of the way that the East Wind looked, saying "she has really beautiful lines."

I talked with Ty on and off, but soon he left to attend to his masts, as the riggers were preparing to begin the step work on his.  My eyes went to the Honda 9.9 Four stroke, which is mounted to the transom of my boat.  I connected the fuel line and the cut off switch, and squeezed the pump from the fuel tank to prime the line.  Then I stood up at the aft end of the cockpit and gave the flywheel a turn by pulling its cord.  Nothing.  I pulled the choke out, and tried again, and it the motor whirred to life, even as I turned the throttle down slightly.  A few minutes later I pushed the choke back in and was amazed that the little outboard ran so smoothly after such neglect for a what I imagine must be a couple of years.  A man walking by that worked for PYS commented that as far as he was concerned, the Hondas were the Cadillacs of outboards.  I turned the motorbike style throttle down to zero and it actually hesitated, like it didn't want to turn off. 

Lava was looking a little ill at this point, and I was already getting the prevoyage naseau myself.  West Marine had sold me some ginger gum which I had a couple of pieces of.. I'm not sure if it worked, or I just got used to the rolling motion of the endless wakes of Irving oil tankers, container ships, ferries, tugs, and motorboats that were going by like a parade, but I stopped feeling sick at some point, even below decks.  Lava, as I mentioned, had started getting that glazed over look that he gets before he starts vomiting, which is something I've had to deal with since I first took him sailing on a lake in Arizona, five years ago, but it's something he gets over in a day or two. Elvira, on the other hand, looked just fine, although she slept most of the day up in the v-berth.

It took all morning for Ty's boat to have its masts stepped and her rig tuned, and then it was our turn.  It didn't take them as long with my boat, not only for the fact that my boat only has one mast, but the decision I'd made earlier that morning by placing all the pins where they needed go.  After the mast was up, the riggers did a static tune, which honestly, I just had them do for my own piece of mind, as it's the same kind of tuning I do on my own anyway.  They said they don't measure in pounds unless the boat is going off to race or the owner specifically asks them to, regardless, everything was so slack that it saved me some work doing it all myself.  After the riggers were finished I put the boom on, tied one end to the topping lift, and installed the mainsheet control on her traveler. 

Dinner tonight is somewhat celebrartory, as it'll be our first night in the water, albeit tied to the dock.  So it's dinner at Becky's Diner on Hobson's Wharf: Italian Baked Haddock with tomatoes, basil, and olive oil, that was served with a salad, baked potato, and corn on the cob. 

Tuesday:

Tuesday began as a beautiful Summer morning.  William Bligh rode the waves in the harbor while tied to the dock with ease.  I had been awoken one time, a few hours earlier, when the cat litter box tipped upright after a large wave, possibly and most likely a wake from some ship coming in from Casco Bay caused.

After my morning shower I returned to the boat and disconnected and partially disassembled the goose-neck and gave her a proper inspection.  Next I put the main sail up and replaced the missing baton in its sheath.  Lastly I sat on the deck trying to fish out the trim line, which was stuck in the lowest section of the main, but as I sat in the Sun, I realized that my sunburn from yesterday was really not taking the morning light well. 

Lava kept me company on deck and was very good for most of the morning, remaining on the deck and trying to scare some of the dogs that went by with their masters.  Lava will meow at the approach and presence of a new person, mainly for attention, but also to let me know that somebody is around that might be a threat... at least this is my theory.  Around 9:30 he decided to jump off the boat, however, and I had to chase him up into the boatyard and carry him back to the dock.  I sat him down and he obediently returned to the sailboat, so I assume now he knows which one is ours... funny how quick both Lava and Elvira figured out what their new home was, and have both taken to it very quickly.  Lava was then confined to the V-berth, which has a locking door, and which I refer to as, "The jail" when Lava is forced to stay in there.  Elvira is more trust-worthy in that she won't run off, and hates to leave her living quarters, so I've never had to chase her down.

It was around 10am when I was told I'd have to move to one of the slips, as they needed the dock space to put up some more masts.  I started the Honda motor in preparation, and after letting her warm up, put her into forward gear.  She produced a nice wash, and so I tried the reverse gear, which promptly knocked out the motor.  I was annoyed, though she restarted on my first pull again.  Again I tried reverse, and she died again.  One of the PYS men came around in their little tug, and I told him that I was having issues with the motor, and that I'd likely need help getting her over to the slip, as I have yet to know how tight a turn William Bligh's rudder will turn the boat.  He tied onto the sailboat and towed her over to the new slip, where I secured her.  After he I tried the reverse gear again, as I had left the Honda idling.  She kicked back and up for some reason, but didn't die.. Unfortunately, I noticed that the reason she'd kicked up, and remained up was because wooden outboard mount was broken.  If you looked down on it from above, you would see a long crack running side to side, and an exposed support bolt.  This was a heartbreaking turn of events, and I really didn't know what to do, although I was glad that I'd tied a very large cable through the handle and up through one of the stern cleats.  In the event that the mount had failed completely, it would have not slipped underwater.  Still, I was mad... so I locked everything up and headed to Falmouth for the day to think, and see "Iron Man", which I didn't get to see the previous Saturday. 

By the time I arrived up and parked at the Regal cinema along Route 1 in Falmouth, I knew that I'd better call Portland Yacht Services and let them know what had happened earlier regarding the motor.  The manager said that he'd send someone down to take a look. 

"Iron Man" was excellent, and I really enjoyed the time that I had to NOT think about my current problems.  I'd checked my bank account and I'd had a pretty good pay cheque desposited, so I was okay I thought.

When I got back to the marina I had intended to immediately install the Zodiac and get the Evinrude 4 Horse up and running, the motor that I knew would be very temperamental after a couple of years of not running.  Before doing this, however, I stopped by the office and got a shock that the work to fix the mount would be nearly three-hundred dollars, and that didn't include removal and reinstallation of the motor, which the manager suggest I try to do myself.  Despite my mal-feelings at that moment toward the guy who had sold me the boat a year before, I was again grateful that the problem had been discovered prior to departure.  So I signed the work order and departed for the boat, grabbing a dock boy on the way down to help.  The motor is heavy, some say over a hundred pounds, but it's more awkward than anything else, and is well clear of the transom.  I tied a large rope to the front handle and led it up over the stern pulpet, and back to a tacking winch and cleat.  I then made a smaller rope that acted as a handle, but that was about two feet long, so I wouldn't have to bend down as far.  I grabbed the hold on the back of the motor, and the little rope on the front, and had the dock boy pull the larger winched rope as I lifted the motor straight up, this way if I dropped it, or slipped and went into the drink, the dockboy would still have the motor at the end of the other rope, and could simply cleat it.  All went smoothly with my plan, and we lay the outboard down in the cockpit.

I was still rather depressed, and didn't want to do the Zodiac, even though I knew it had to be done on this or the next day at the latest.  Inside the cabin I finished wiring up the VHF.

"Vessel Bligh requesting Radio Check on One-Six."
I waited about ten seconds, not knowing if anyone had heard me.  Then... from gosh knows where came a reply, "Vessel Bligh, we hear you loud and clear."
"Thank you, Bligh Clear and Out."

Wow, I had actually accomplished something.  I took the transducer out of it's box and began looking at it, but there is still somethingI can't figure out as to its installation, perhaps how to measure the angle that it wants down inside the bilge...

I finally decided to walk back up to the Bronco at low tide and grab the Zodiac and some other gear that I wanted to move down to the boat.  The reason I mention the tide is that Portland has some pretty severe tides... and I'm going to estimate that the gangplank down to the dock at low tide probably goes up or down at least 10+ feet on average, making the control of a dock cart very precarious when you're trying to move 200+ lbs of gear down it when the harbour is that low.

When I finally reached the William Bligh I was drenched in sweat, as it had become very, very muggy.  My sunburn stung, and so did my eyes as the perspiration leaked down from my soaked beanie.  I left the boxed Zodiac in its box on the dock and went inside and opened up the hatches and sat in the shade in the salon, cursing, and feeling very unhappy.  Lava didn't help as he kept jumping up through the front hatch and then, after sitting on one gunwale or another would jump to the dock and begin the long walk to the gangway.  I eventually just started throwing water at him when he jumped up and through the hatch, to the extent that all I had to do was lift a water bottle up and he'd return down below. 

The Sun went away a few times behind clouds, but every time I came out to even think about assembling the dinghy, it would emerge and my skin would burn. 

Around 7pm I finally outside and assembled the dinghy, using corn starch on the floor boards, which seemed to slip in just fine.  I had just applied the Nebraska registration stickers and was about to put the license number on the bench, when it began to rain heavily.  A dock worker helped me carry the Zodiac to the dinghy dock, where she is still tied up, until tomorrow, when Fletcher will have her first maiden voyage around the harbour.  As for Bligh, well she'll just have to wait until the motor mount is fixed, which is a real shame.



Here are some pictured from Mon and Tue, all of them have the description above the link or image.  Sorry there are no pix of Fletcher yet, but I will post them soon.

The one footed sea gull.

Ford Cabover pulling hydraulic lift.

Launch (3) of the William Bligh

She floats! (It floats with reeves behind... and toggle best bligh)


Christening 1 and 2



Ty, on Port side of his Choy Lee 33, helping with his vessel's mizzen step.


The motor works!

A Loony under the mast.


The mast is up!

[AdriftAtSea]

Just as an FYI, if your mast base fits into the mast step, put the Loonie in plastic, as any saltwater getting into the mast will cause it to turn the mast step into a battery.  Coins tend to be made of fairly noble metals, and the baser metals used in mast steps, like Aluminum, tend to suffer for it.

[Antioch]

Yeah thanks..

Here are some more pix..

The broken motor Mount..




Lava on deck in the rain.


Fletcher the Zodiac.


Two pretty tame ground hogs that came out when I walked by.


A bottle of Antiguan rum from the skipper of the schooner Lion's Keeper.


Maine Narrow Gauge Railway.

[Captain Smollett]

Ah settled on the name Fletcher for the dink, I see.  Good choice.   :)

[Antioch]

It won the polls I posted...  although I am thinking of referring to it as, "Fletch." just for short.

Robin

[CharlieJ]

If they charge you anywhere NEAR 300 to fix that motor mount, they'd better kiss you afterwards cause they are sure screwing you.

There''s about 15 bucks worth of materials there. The wood and  two long bolts, or better, one piece of stainless all-thread sawn in half and four nuts. The wood doesn't HAVE to be teak ya know. Even if you had to buy a long drill bit it shouldn't take 30 minutes to an hour replace. And the whole mount slides off so you can work on it on the dock.

[AdriftAtSea]

$300 is a bit ridiculous for the repair.  It is as Charlie said.... $15-20 in materials and maybe an hour if you're clueless

If they charge you anywhere NEAR 300 to fix that motor mount, they'd better kiss you afterwards cause they are sure screwing you.

There''s about 15 bucks worth of materials there. The wood and  two long bolts, or better, one piece of stainless all-thread sawn in half and four nuts. The wood doesn't HAVE to be teak ya know. Even if you had to buy a long drill bit it shouldn't take 30 minutes to an hour replace. And the whole mount slides off so you can work on it on the dock.