I was in my late teens when I purchased my first used boat motor and trailer. First glass boat I personally ever owned.<br /><br />Grand pop had a nice glass W/T and pop had a real nice wooden 24 cuddy cabin fishing rig. Cousins and uncles had a wide variety of different boats including commercial fishing boats. So I was never left wanting to be on the water. If I needed to I would rent a boat for the day, rentals were plenty available in the lakes and bay.<br /><br />But to be a young man with a good truck to haul my gem (1969 Chevy step side pickup) and a new to me fast GLASS runabout (1956 Crosby 19) I was in heaven, as excited as a five year old on Christmas Eve.<br /><br />I just couldnt wait to get out, but from the way I was brought up I knew things had to be done, proper preparations made before going out. I scraped enough barnacles off my fathers boat in the freezing cold winter to know work before play. Looking back I took a few shortcuts.<br /><br />My first mistake sanding the bottom paint without any type of breathing protection. That old style bottom paint was toxic, hazardous and generally just real mean stuff. I got sooo sick; throwing up, blowing paint dust out of my nose for a week and no matter what I did I could taste that paint for weeks!!!<br /><br />Well I got her all cleaned up, serviced the motor (sort of, this short cut would prove to be a big mistake). But I was ready for a shake down cruise. The day had finally come and I was excited. I had Captained plenty of other peoples boats, mostly boxy slow or a father saying Slow down @#$%*& or else. This was my day, my father always called me captain but now it was for real!<br /><br />Early one spring morning I picked up my buddy and went down to the boat ramp in a creek off the upper Chesapeake Bay. I was puttin in the water to RUN IT!!! I had no fishin or crabbin gear just a cooler with lunch ECT
, a couple of floatation vests and a toolbox with used boat tools, you know what I mean. I had been around boats long enough to know this was more important than the lunch or floatation vests.<br /><br />So I back the boat down the ramp into the water and stop. I yell out to my buddy is the plug in, nope, where is it. I had put it in the truck ashtray so I wouldnt forget it. Oh well I pulled the boat back up the ramp a bit to let 25 gallons or so of water drain out the boat.<br /><br />Well the plugs in, the gear is in the boat and so are we. I put the key in and turned it and that 65 HP Chrysler sluggishly came to life. Let her idle a bit and than we were slowly off down the creek. I couldnt wait to get her out in the Bay and open her up to see what she would do. By the time we got out into the bay the fog had rolled in, so we trolled around the upper Bay and Islands for a while.<br /><br />The fog lifted enough, so I thought, and I opened her up. I know the Bay good enough, well be fine(F.L.W.). That heavy old glass boat got up on plane and we were flyin, at least to me we were flyin. We passed by a few bridges off in the distance so we thought we knew where we were. I had no sense of time whatsoever and no watch.<br /><br />We kept her full out and I was in heaven. The fog lifted a bit more and we were still flyin along. I decided to cross the shipping channel to the Eastern Shore side of the bay. <br /><br />It didnt seem like all that much time or distance had passed, when I had checked the very small gas tank, it was low and I told my buddy that we would be needing gas soon. So we thought we would put into a marina down the bay a bit.<br /><br />We were still trying to gauge how far we had traveled by landmarks, there was still a little fog left in the distance and it was cloudy too. We were much more familiar with the landmarks on the Western Shore. The Bay was wide at this point and it was a bit of a strain to see across. We could see a bridge and my buddy tells me what bridge he thinks it is.<br /><br />The bridge he swore it was, was a concrete ¾ mile bridge. I could swear I could see towers and suspension lines, so I thought it was a different bridge, a 2-mile suspension bridge. Either way it would only put us about 6 miles or so one way or another. The problem was the course; if it was the bridge he thought it was we were on course, if it was the bridge I thought it was we were off course and heading up the Baltimore Harbor. We found out it was neither.<br /><br />We finally pulled into a marina, now to set the scene for whats coming, here we are in a really nice old boat, pulling into a BIG fancy marina with a lot of traffic, I do know how to handle a boat, and the rules of the water. We are nearing this real high pier and theres a young dockhand watching us pulling up near the fuel. A guy in a BIG cabin boat, going way too fast and right at us. I was able to floor it and maneuver out of the way just in the nick of time, this guy would have crumpled us into the pylons like an accordion. He didnt have a clue as to what he was doing, way too much boat for his ability. These kinds of boaters are everywhere, big fat wallets, and walnut size brain.<br /><br />We pull back up and the dockhand is just shaking his head and telling us how lucky we were, that this guy does that sort of thing all the time. So we sort of look like we know what we are doing, which makes the next part much worse. I suck up my pride and I point to that bridge off in the distance and ask this kid (I say kid cause after all Im a few years older than him and Im the Captain of my own boat) so I ask this kid What Bridge is that? <br /><br />Well this guy looks at me like Im an alien and I know what hes thinking, who is this rube, WHAT AN IDIOT. He finally said, Thats the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (a 4-1/2 mile, two span, 5 lane suspension bridge) he turns and walks to the fuel, head down and shaking. How could we mistake that bridge! We got out of that marina as fast as we could!!!<br /><br />Sooo we were on the right course just 40 miles from where we thought we were. Fast boat eh, slow Captain duh. We ate up much more time than we thought too. We trolled around there for a while, beached the boat, ate lunch and checked over the boat for the trip back.<br /><br />We decided we would just cruise back at a moderate speed. We were cruising up the Eastern Shore side and just enjoying the lazy pace. I was contemplating the many mistakes I made and the changes I would make before ever going out again, map, radio, second fuel tank, speedometer, watch and so on
<br /><br />Well it seemed the right time to cross over to the western shore. We get into the shipping channel and the motor dies. What now? Tried to restart the motor several times, no go. Check the fuel and we are dry, add working fuel gauge to the list. Meanwhile we are just sitting out in the middle of the shipping channel.<br /><br />No boats around to signal to, so we start rowing, against the wind. Yes I did have two ores, they were two different sizes and about as old as the boat but we started to move in the right direction VERY slow. Can you guess what happens next? You got it; an extremely large barge is heading right for us.<br /><br />Well what to do, what to do, we will never make it out of the channel rowing against the wind and I didnt think the barge was going to turn and go around us. I doubt the Pilot even saw us and even if he did the channel is narrow and a barge will not turn on a dime. (I guess he could have stepped on the brakes and wait for us to pass if he was a real nice guy.) ;o}<br /><br />So we row with the tide and wind back to the eastern side. Finally another boat sees our ores and comes to our aid. There is no way to transfer fuel but he did tow us to a marina on the western shore.<br /><br />We had very little money but offer the guy a few bucks for his trouble, he refuses and said been there, just help someone else he walks away but his very tipsy girlfriend grabs the money and said she needed it for more beer. <br /><br />At this point we arent too far from the creek where we launched, we got a few bucks of gas and we were off again. It was dusk and all the creek inlets looked the same, but we did find the right one. Partway up the creek the motor dies again. Theres plenty of gas, this time something is wrong with the motor. We decide to just row the rest of the way in.<br /><br />Not a word is spoken, its dark, and we are tired and a little let down. We load up and get the heck out of there. We drive home; I park the truck and just go to bed. Left the boat hitched and didnt unload a thing.<br /><br />It took a little while to laugh at this one and a little longer to tell anyone the story, some Captain huh. I started out that day and I knew it all and about 25 years later Im still learning and asking questions. Ive told this story many many times for laughs but for me humility. Turns out the first mistake wasnt the paint, it was not asking advise from all the sources I had.<br /><br />When I told this story to my 80-year-old neighbor who worked his entire life as a Chesapeake Bay Pilot. He laughed and than told me a day never went by without learning something. This guy knows more about the Bay and boats than anybody Ive ever met and I have been very fortunate that he has educated me on so many things.<br /><br />C_U<br /><br />Tell us about your first real boat, and your crazy mishaps. I know Im not the only one! At least I think I'm not the only one.
<br /><br />so then i got my glass job, identical model to parents' but older-1982-left outdoors by previous owner. it had this nasty habit (old 1976 Chrysler70)of not going into reverse due to a little detent knob popping out,that lets single control change from throttle to gear/throttle, and i bashed my trailer light off passenger side 1st time reloading. (bare in mind LLanier is like walmart parking lot 365d/y with nice wave action everytime you're loading)<br /><br />and then when i left the plug out of it my wife found out via fishing buddies. So next the trolling motor wires short out after 30mins in sweet fishing spot 20mins from put in. and since this is afterwork & dusk the melted connctn takes out the runnin lites, and dash. no flashlight. after that i had to swerve to avoid a PWC and realized the throttle doesn't back down quickly on a timing adv type motor like this-while thinkin how bad will those rocks hurt if i can't get turned back? <br /><br />and next my friend's cap flys off head and he lunges for it, rolling backflip