Outboard Resurrection

I got pissed one night shortly after New Year, and drove my little dinghy from the boat I was visiting back to mine and stuffed up majorly. Instead of just hitching the dingy to my big boat and leaving it there for the night, I did a stupid thing and tried to pack it away. I lifted the little motor off and nearly fell overboard whilst doing it, and then nearly fell into the water once again lifting the dinghy onto the back of the boat!

 

I didn’t think much about the moment at the time (except just not to fall in) and locked the boat and motor into their respective places on the boat. Well I didn’t use the dinghy for a few weeks, nor the motor, and when I came to use it the other day, the motor had seized. Can I use the word FUCK?.

 

The motor cost me $770 TWO MONTHS AGO, and was brand new. Now the guy at the workshop said it wasn’t worth repairing, and was my fault so warranty wouldn’t cover it. He showed me the dissasembled motor and there was rust throughout. (Did I already say this motor was BRAND NEW???)

 

Apparently, I had introduced salt water into the cylinder head by tipping the motor upside down and allowing salt water to run backwards into the exhaust pipe. Corrosion happens quickly with salty water and within two weeks the piston, bore, main-end and small end bearings, as well both sets of crankcase bearings were seized from corrosion. Shall I say it one more time? FUCK!

 

I took the rusty pieces of my new motor home and rusted the rest by crying over them for the next day or so.

 

“Bring it over here”, Craig said, “I’ll get it going!”

 

Bring it I did, work on it we did, get it going WE DID!

 

At the same time I brought the old motor that I almost threw out….and again, get it going WE DID!

 

Now I had two working outboards, one old one due for the scrapheap, and another one that was brand new and just pulled off one.

 

Up yours Mr Mechanic, it runs as good as new. Buy me a new motor he said; old one is dead he said; like bloody hell I say.

 

-M