Re: 5hp performance
OK TM. Here goes!
I had just bought the 20 Johnnie to put on the 13 footer for use at other lakes and the Hudson River. I don't remember exactly when or why, but we had bought a 6 (or maybe 8) foot aluminum jon. I do remember that I needed to put the fuel tank in the bow and the hose just made it.
SO-- being young and dumb and full of --- Ah, --**** and vinegar, I decided to try the 20 at the end of the season (November) when no one was at the lake. (Upstate New York)
I launched the boat and quickly discovered that the only correct place for the full 6 gal. fuel tank was in the bow, to hold it down. Now I only weighed 120 then. But, I needed to sit in the center and reach back for the tiller.
Even with me in the center, if I gave it full throttle for a hole shot, she would jump out of the water and come down on the stern, taking on water. So, I had to ease on the throttle until it was planing.
We had a measured mile on the lake so I took a flying start and covered it in one minute flat. Man! That engine was humming -- sounded real good.
Even on the protected calm water, I could see the hull bottom flexing and moving over the slight ripples in the water. 45 plus years later, I can still see it.
I made the run two or three times and on the last run I got a little wiggly--don't remember the reason. Couldn't have been more that 2-3 seconds. I corrected and the engine corrected, I over-corrected and then the engine responded by pulling the tiller out of my hand and turning immediately to full lock.
This flipped the boat 360 degrees and threw me out--Mind you, in winter coat, jeans, and shoes. Man! That was heavy--don't know how I managed to stay afloat. Water was cold too.
Meanwhile, the tank was floating outside the boat and miraculously still connected to the engine. The engine had spun down to idle, continued to run, and the boat was nearly full of water, barely floating, and making slow, tight, circles.
The indestructible teenager decided that the prop was no great danger and paddled over to the boat. I hit the kill switch (Thank God it had one) and dog paddled the boat about 1-200 feet over to the shore where I bailed it out (don't remember how), re-floated it, and headed home at part throttle.
Never told my parents how I got so wet. I may be crazy, but I'm not stoopid. sic.
As a matter of fact, I enjoyed the experience so much that two seasons ago I decided to flip a 10 foot fiberglass tunnel hull with a Chrysler 20. It wasn't quite the same. I was only going about 25, was wearing a PFD, and I dove out when I saw she was going to go. How does a man so old get so crazy, you ask? The question is: how does a man so crazy get to be that old?
