Just lost my 25hp 14 foot pontoon boat

2seaoat wrote:pimpin your wife out because your too cheap to hire someone to go get your boat. shame shame.



I never grew up with a silver spoon, so I developed self reliance......If I came to your rural home on a Saturday afternoon......you would get your gun......if you have never been out to the boonies......strangers who are 6'3" who are no longer shaving and look like abe Lincoln, or Vern who just got released from prison.....you are going for the shot gun.....and Biden is correct about one thing......farmers prefer shotguns..........but the too cheap part.......only a pampered person would expect to pay someone to fix their mess........were you a trust baby.......or just daddy's girl?

Are you kidding me. I grew up poorer than dirt. I understand self reliance its all I have left in my life.

But I am not so stupid to understand that once you have made it and have resources, that you use those resuorces to help with situations like this, or why else have them?

and I wouldnt shoot you. I have respect for my elders beleive this or not. But I love giving you a hard time.

and I wouldnt shoot you.

Ha.....I know you would at least go for your gun. I am one grizzly adam scary dude now......and if I saw me coming to my house I would get the gun and put it near the door before opening it........I grew the beard because I was tired of folks telling me how good I still looked......nobody says I look good anymore.....they simply go....." how things going seaoat".......which is a lot better than you look great.

And please talk to your boat faries about leaving the 25hp yamaha and other equipment on the boat.......they may have let me find the boat, but they sure have a mean spirit sometimes when the steal and strip the damn things.

2seaoat wrote:and I wouldnt shoot you.

Ha.....I know you would at least go for your gun. I am one grizzly adam scary dude now......and if I saw me coming to my house I would get the gun and put it near the door before opening it........I grew the beard because I was tired of folks telling me how good I still looked......nobody says I look good anymore.....they simply go....." how things going seaoat".......which is a lot better than you look great.

And please talk to your boat faries about leaving the 25hp yamaha and other equipment on the boat.......they may have let me find the boat, but they sure have a mean spirit sometimes when the steal and strip the damn things.

seaoat, I dont think you understand how much of a country gal I am. I may domesticated now, but Im still a country gal at heart and bushy faced men dont scare me.

Im not scared to go into the woods, or face scary faced hairy men. Matter of a fact, Ive found that scary looking hairy men are often big softies. Im not a baby to life.

and as far as the boat fairy. Your on your own now. But Ive found that a boat in the mud can be ok, or not.

You cant have everything, even if you have a lot of money. sorrows still come.

good luck. just dont put it on your wife. Youre not that done.

Youre a man

whats the update on the boat?

No update on the boat, but good news on our floating dock.....neighbors fishing boat was able to drag it downstream and has tied it up on his property.....when the river gets out of flood stage, I will tow it back.....so 1k of equipment in our control. We have sleet and rain.....no chance to get in the field yet.....time is of the essence, but I am out of town for the next three days......son in law's dad had a heart attack, and has open heart surgery thursday.....wife and I watch the kids for the next couple days.....priorities.......

Real good news today.......I was able to start the Bobcat, and it did not shut off with an error message that my main hydraulic pump is not working. I think I had moisture in the hydraulic and the freezing weather is not the same as Florida where I always was able to start it. The weather was about 45 degrees today and the ice in the hydraulic lines was melted and this allowed me to get her going.....took the bobcat down and pushed the Suzuki pontoon in the water. I had bought that 25hp motor from the Suzuki dealer across the street from Tiger Point in 2007 and it fired up with fresh gas and charge on the battery.

Once in the water I went four miles down stream.....it was cold on the water....but I made a turn at a bend, and I will be damned the boat was next to a tree partially hanging over the bank......the boat fairies did a good job, because the nose of the boat was facing the water, and the motor does not look like it sustained any damage. Some cosmetic damage to the boat, but all looks good. My wife drove over and walked the cornfield to help me push the boat back into the river. We used a sissor jack and slowly raised it and pushed, did it about 5 times and it slid into the water. I put a tow rope on it and started going up stream. The problem is the 25hp does not do real well in a river at flood stage by itself, and towing another boat I went about 2 mph up river....fortunately I put an extra five gallon of gas on the boat because with the current I went dry, and had to mid course refuel.......we have docked the boats, I have showered and warmed up, and am grateful I had the strength to do this today.....I feel really good, and we are going to a new church Easter, and I most certainly will give a little thank you for not croaking today and getting the boats back into the docks......a very good day......life is an adventure.....good or bad.....I am happy to be here.

It would be a very good idea to change out all your hydraulic fluid in the Bob Cat. I dont know if it has a filter but change it if it does. You should have one on the high pressure side, if you dont retro fit one. You should really change it twice. Drain what you have,refill and extend all the rams to the max a couple of time. Try to heat up the oil the best you can. Then I would change it again.. If you have any doubts take a sample and get it tested for dirt, moisture Etc. Spraying a couple of cans of CRC on all the electrical system would not hurt. Glad you got it going.
Of course you know to all ways keep hydraulic cylinders in their retracted position when not in use or stopped for extended periods of time.

I had a slow leak on a hose to the main drive under the rubber tracks, and because it is such a pain to remove the rubber tracks....I have been running a lot of hydraulic in the machine so I checked last fall using a white cheese cloth if I had any metal or debris in the fluid....clean.....I also changed it last spring on the filter, and will be putting a new filter on it after I change the fluid out....I have 2k hours on the machine and bought it new, and I really think my main hydraulic drive is pretty tired, but no metal. I think with a bad seal on the main drive I was getting moisture in the hydraulic system....not good, but with warmer weather, I will change out the fluids and get it running pretty good.......at least that is the plan.

If you are using a lot of oil, You can pick up this cheap stuff at most auto parts stores. auto zone handles this brand, Hell of a lot cheaper that from a dealer. Most stock 32 but they can get 46 and 68,

I have gone through four five gallon buckets with the slow leak........the problem is you need to check and refill when I am running the machine....good news....it always has clean fluid......but I am getting a five gallon for about 35 bucks so I spent about 140 bucks last year, when I ran the machine for half a year before I would have to add just a little bit, but I just do not have the strength to take the tracks off easily and fix that seal............and that is why I think I got some moisture in the system which froze......I just have to get another year out of the machine.......then it will probably not be my problem.