I have been a procrastinator all of my life. Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow! And, yes, it has bit a few times before. I remember being up all night typing up my senior term paper. I had a few typos that took me from an A to a B. That worked out in the end by correcting those mistakes and using it for my college English term paper and getting an A that time around. Several other example of getting bit over the years.
Anyway, it was time to get my flats boat ready for a trip to the Gulf. I was tight on time, but still in the ball game. One of the tasks was to swap my Garmin unit for a Lowrance so I could run the Florida Marine Tracks chip. Still in the game until I couldn't get the old transducer cord out to pull the new one in.
I also needed to change out the lower unit grease because I NEGLECTED it last year. While I was at my boat dealer getting the lube, I mentioned to the parts manager about the transducer cord. Normally those guys are booked 3-4 weeks out at this time of the year. I was told to check with the shop manager to see on the transducer. The shop manager told me if I got it down that afternoon, that they would do it. When I got the boat back down there, I asked them to do the lower unit service IF they had time.
When they pulled the plugs on the lower unit, there was more water than grease in there. I had a MAJOR wad of fishing line behind the prop that I had never taken off that had cut the seals. Since they were going to have to order the seals, the shop guy put some grease in the lower unit and started it up to lube everything until the seals got in. In doing that, he saw I had a bent prop shaft that was also tearing the seals. Then, he discovered that the castle nut holding everything together was seized where even heat and a breaker bar couldn't move it. So, it became time for a new lower unit.
They got one in today and put everything back together for me. With the exception of needing to do some break in on the new lower unit, I probably could still make my trip. But, the weather next week down there doesn't look very good, so we put that trip off until a little later. Anyway, paying the stupid tax on my end wasn't as bad as I had feared. Kudos to Clark Marine for taking care of me in a VERY timely manner!!!
I'm sure we don't have anyone else on here that has been too stupid to pull their prop and look for line, or not do the annual change of lower unit grease............
Anyway, it was time to get my flats boat ready for a trip to the Gulf. I was tight on time, but still in the ball game. One of the tasks was to swap my Garmin unit for a Lowrance so I could run the Florida Marine Tracks chip. Still in the game until I couldn't get the old transducer cord out to pull the new one in.
I also needed to change out the lower unit grease because I NEGLECTED it last year. While I was at my boat dealer getting the lube, I mentioned to the parts manager about the transducer cord. Normally those guys are booked 3-4 weeks out at this time of the year. I was told to check with the shop manager to see on the transducer. The shop manager told me if I got it down that afternoon, that they would do it. When I got the boat back down there, I asked them to do the lower unit service IF they had time.
When they pulled the plugs on the lower unit, there was more water than grease in there. I had a MAJOR wad of fishing line behind the prop that I had never taken off that had cut the seals. Since they were going to have to order the seals, the shop guy put some grease in the lower unit and started it up to lube everything until the seals got in. In doing that, he saw I had a bent prop shaft that was also tearing the seals. Then, he discovered that the castle nut holding everything together was seized where even heat and a breaker bar couldn't move it. So, it became time for a new lower unit.
They got one in today and put everything back together for me. With the exception of needing to do some break in on the new lower unit, I probably could still make my trip. But, the weather next week down there doesn't look very good, so we put that trip off until a little later. Anyway, paying the stupid tax on my end wasn't as bad as I had feared. Kudos to Clark Marine for taking care of me in a VERY timely manner!!!
I'm sure we don't have anyone else on here that has been too stupid to pull their prop and look for line, or not do the annual change of lower unit grease............
Having said that, I have paid my share of the stupid tax. 
