At one time or another we all dream of owning a toy.....a toy boat in this case and over 30 years ago I dreamed of a perfect boat. A low maintenance, powerful boat that was interpreted as a 17 foot Mako Open Fisherman with a 150hp Black Max Engine. So you shouldn't be surprised when 30 years later as I was about to turn 55 years old and I was at a friends' Ralph's party I jumped when he offered to sell me his "other boat" which turned out to be that 17' Mako with the 150 hp engine!
Business has been horrible for the past three years but I managed to get the money needed. I also had to get money to pay for the tax and title but I got a chance to own the boat of my dreams.
I got lucky and on Craig's List found a place to keep the boat in Key Largo for 50$ a month. I drove there on Thursday and checked the property out. Robbie was my "landlord" and we entered a very informal rental agreement...I paid him 50$ in cash. The property had a boat ramp but it was really only good for Kayaks and Jet Skis. However security seemed adequate, the place was beautiful and I had the Caribbean Club within two miles where I would be able to use the ramp and park for 20$.
My girlfriend also had a 2006 Saturn Vue SUV that I could use to tow it as well. I had just leased a new KIA Forte the month before or I would have gotten a truck or SUV instead.
With this in mind I forked over another 300$ to get a hitch (U-Haul) installed on her Vue.
My birthday was going to fall on Saturday and I wanted the boat badly. I paid my buddy for the boat and he towed it to Key Largo for me. On the way there I was going to fill up the tank but he told me it had 3/4 of a tank full so I let it go.
I also went and purchased four PFDs, ropes, fishing gear and as I was paying for somethings at West Marine I noticed the tow insurance program by BoatUS. I skipped it thinking "what can possible go wrong the first time out".
That Saturday, with no experience whatsoever in towing or operating a boat I celebrated my 55th Birthday by going to use my first boat that I had named, much to my girlfriend's disappointment....The "CauSeaiCan".
I hitched the boat and carefully pulled away from the property onto the Overseas Highway and stopped at the auto parts store to buy a grease gun and engine oil. From there we went to the CC where I warned the attendant that I had never towed, backed up or launched a boat in my life. Nervous, with Rosemary (my girlfriend), Patric (her son) and Daniella (my daughter) looking I slid the trailer into the water, pushed the boat off and tied it to the dock.
We were ready to go.....or so I thought.
I pumped the gas into the engine as per the 10 minutes worth of instruction that Ralph had given me and turned the key as I pushed in to give it choke......nothing. Tried again and again and again....NOTHING! I tried to call Ralph but he would not pick up his cell, he works. In the meantime Rosemary was calling Andrew one of Patric's friends whose Dad owns a boat. He got on the phone and asked about the "orange dial"....I remembered....TURN ON THE BATTERY SWITCH located under the console. I did and the engine immediately roared to life.
We went out into Blackwater Sound and Rosemary requested we stop and start fishing. We stopped and I caught the first fish ever, a 4" grunt. I threw it back.
We moved to two other locations and when I went to turn on the engine for the fourth time it would not turn. I used the hand pump and noticed by looking at the filter on the hose there was no fuel running through the hose. We were out of gas!
Luckily we were able to hail a passing boat and they were generous enough to tow us to the fuel sight. Once full we were back under way. After that I learned one of my first lessons. Fill the tank right after using the boat.
I bought us back to the ramp early and it was a scene out of the Gong Show putting the boat on the trailer. I simply got it closed enough to attach the winch cable and cranked it up. The big topic was to whether or not the SUV could pull the boat and my heart sank as I put on the gas and the wheels began to spin. I had not noticed that Rosemary had put on the parking break and once I released it the truck easily pulled the boat out. But not with someone coming out yelling that I had not lifted the engine!
My lessons were just beginning.......
