yip, saw it at Maraetai public ramp on Mother's Day this year. A very nasty crunch that we could hear from the wharf a fair distance away. They had two people in the 5-6m glass boat as it was backed down who got the fright of their lives. But I reckon the guy backing felt worse, presuming he owned it.

hi everyone,just a quick update from me, dad and i got out boat our today for a wee putter around. it actually took us two goes, the first trip to the ramp we had some problems but the second go we actually managed to drive the boat around, anchor up about 50m from the beach, drop lines for about 30 mins and then anchor up and back to the ramp. just wanted to say everyones help & advice was spot on, saved a lot of heartache and worry but i still learned something about my boat (stabi 459 & 40hp 4s yamaha) on both trips.

tildefish wrote: hi everyone, just a quick update from me, dad and i got out boat our today for a wee putter around. it actually took us two goes, the first trip to the ramp we had some problems but the second go we actually managed to drive the boat around, anchor up about 50m from the beach, drop lines for about 30 mins and then anchor up and back to the ramp. just wanted to say everyones help & advice was spot on, saved a lot of heartache and worry but i still learned something about my boat (stabi 459 & 40hp 4s yamaha) on both trips. things i learned: 1) painter ropes are a godsend. i don't know why more people don't use them, we found them useful in launching and retrieving just holding the boat in position. we had two, one attached to the rails up front and one to the cleat at the back. 2) the self-draining scuppers need to be hooked up before heading out if not beach launching LOL. remembered the bungs, but didn't know scuppers had to be done up as well. was wondering why there was water in the boat at the back...   3) my motor does have a backup support thing... despite reading the manual didn't find the paragraph that mentioned it and on the first go, the motor didn't go down far at all  thank goodness for glen (mac420 owner you know who you are) who kindly pointed out that we needed to remove it before tilting down. 4) the tote tank vent valve needs to be opened quite a bit for fuel to flow... we had it open, but obviously not enough that fuel cut out the motor. 5) you can't start the engine in gear, needs to be back in neutral. found that out after the 4) happened.   anyway, a few more basic questions. 6) i flushed the motor with the muffs for about 2 mins, is that long enough? 7) the digital tacho doesn't have knots on the display, only rpms. how do people know how fast they are going?   ps. there was one sad incident that happened though... my dad had my phone in his pocket, when he jumped in the water during boat retrieve it got waterlogged and now it's sitting in a bowl of rice.  looks like its a goner...

thanks for posting - yes all that happened was familiar - sorry forgot to remind you about cell phones and water - I use ziplock bags and store in dry spot in boat not in pockets especially launching and retrieving!

Ideally , source a 1/2 plastic 200L drum for flushing.
 Far more efficient, and impeller is wetted/ lubed sooner.. its only rubber, wears easy.
 And put a hose connection in about 1/3 rd of the way from the top.
 This makes filling easy without the hose doing a snake trick... and drains enough out to move/ drag easy.
Also if kept on a sheet of old ply, even easier to drag.

7) the digital tacho doesn't have knots on the display, only rpms. how do people know how fast they are going?

 A tach measures rpms of the engine.. not speed.
Simplest and most efficient, with huge 'side benefits'
 As Mac says above.. navionics app on a phone or cheap tab.
 you know your speed, where you have been, where your (within a couple meters), distance, tides, general weather, current flow rates, and a few more bits... and can log trips add notes etc.
App is about $20 1st yr renewal about $10 there after.