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Gene and Barb Buy A Boat June 2001 The
Log of This Adventure View Pictures of our Boat and Journey
This is a journal and log of our purchase and usage of a Sprint Model 277 Pro Bass Boat on the Internet. Please check this journal often as we intend to keep the journal as current as possible.
Wed 6 June 2001 Vermillion, SD This journey begins kind of by accident. For the past couple of years we have been looking around for a Motor home or camper and have been stopping by the "Owners Mark it and Park it" lot in Sioux Falls every time we happen to drive through town. One day we noticed a nice almost new Ranger bass boat in the lot and for the next several weeks every time we stopped to look at campers, the bass boat was still there. We kept thinking more and more about how nice the boat was and maybe we should have a boat instead of a camper. One day when we were up there, Barb suggested that we should make an offer to the owner which he would probably turn down. So we made an offer and he promptly turned it down. During the next couple of weeks we kept looking at the boat and thinking that we probably should have increased the offer we had made. After a couple of weeks, the owner of the boat called us and said he really wanted to sell the boat but wanted a little more than we had offered and wondered if we would give that amount. I split the difference with him and he said he would think it over. After about another week when he hadn't called we called him and asked about the boat but he said he had sold it to someone in Kansas City for considerably more than we had offered. That episode got the boat bug planted and we started traveling all around the area looking at used boats. We started looking at every boat sales yards within 150 miles of Vermillion. We also kept looking at bass boats on Ebay auctions on the internet. We bid on a couple of boats on Ebay but were not successful. Tonight I happened to check Ebay on the internet and found a Sprint Bass Boat listed. I placed it on the watch list to see how the auction went.
Fri 8 June 2001 Vermillion, SD I checked into the Ebay auction site and decided to bid on the Sprint Bass Boat. I waited until the last 30 seconds and placed a bid. There were already 24 other bidders so I was a little surprised when I found that we were the highest bidder and had won the boat. The boat is located in the Dallas Texas area so we will have to make plans to pick it up.
Sat 9 June 2001 Vermillion, SD I contacted the boat owner by email and asked how to proceed with the purchase. I also asked how we could find the boat and what condition the trailer was in so we could pull it home. I told him that it would be a couple of weeks until we could get down there to pick up the boat and asked if he could store it for us somewhere.
Sun 10 June 2001 Vermillion, SD We received an email from the boat owner stating that the boat and trailer was currently licensed and the tires on the trailer were in good shape. It would not be a problem to pull it home from Texas. He stated that he would send us the title as soon as he received the certified check for the bid amount and he would hold the boat at his house until we picked it up. He gave instructions on how to find his house in Rowlett, Texas.
Mon 11 June 2001 Vermillion, SD I obtained and mailed a certified check for the boat to the boat owner, Ronnie Ross in Rowlett, Texas. I also stated in the letter that I would call him a day or two before we were to arrive there to pick up the boat. We tentatively set the date to be on June 23 or 24th.
Sun 24 June 2001 Shreveport, LA I called Ronnie and told him that we would be in Rowlett the next day on Monday June 25th to pick up the boat. He stated that he was working out of town and would not be home until about 8:30 PM but he would have the boat ready and we could pick it up then.
Mon 25 June 2001 Rowlett, Texas We arrived in Rowlett in the afternoon and found a motel for the night where we could wait until 8:30 PM to go pick up the boat. We thought we should try to find Ronnie's house early in case we had trouble finding it. We drove over to Ronnie's house using his instructions and the GPS Unit and had no troubles finding it at all. We didn't see a boat around but he said he would keep it in his back yard and we couldn't see that part of his yard. We drove around the area a little bit then went back to the motel to wait until evening. We arrived back at Ronnie's place at 8:30 PM and found the boat parked at the curb in front of the house. We went up and knocked on the door and Ronnie let us in and he had the bill of sale and titles for the boat and motor ready for us. He stated that the boat was really his nephew's and he was selling it for him. They had lost the license plate off the trailer but he could get us a transit plate from his neighbor if I really wanted one. He didn't think I would need one and he said he would pay for the ticket if I got one on the way home. I told him I wanted the transit plates as they might fool someone and that it would be better than nothing at all. I also asked for the title to the trailer. He stated that they didn't have a title for the trailer as they didn't nee them in Texas but he would have his nephew send me a bill of sale when he could get in touch with him as he was working out of town. We hooked up the trailer to the Jeep but the lights would not work. Ronnie said he had checked them and everything worked fine. I then figured that the converter on our Jeep was not working right. It was getting dark so we decided that we had better tow the boat back to the motel and then fix the light problem the next morning.
Tue 26 June 2001 Ardmore, OK Well, we hunted all over Rowlett and surrounding area this morning for a converter for the jeep to hook up the trailer lights and no one had one. After looking around all morning we decided to head for home anyway and drove around Dallas to the north east and then went back west to catch I-35 north of Dallas to avoid the traffic. When we got on I-35 and headed north we saw a billboard sign advertising "Camper World" which was back of us toward Dallas. We turned around and went back and found the place and thought that if anybody would have a converter, they would. Wrong, they did not have one. We did find a set of magnetic tow lights and decided to purchase them as we could set them on the trailer fender and get by with that until we got home. We would not have any taillights but the brake and turn signals would work. When we went back out to the parking lot and tried to install the lights we found the cable on the tongue was to short and the cable between the lights was also to short. We cut the wires between the lights and spliced in a piece of cable we had in the Jeep. Then we went back inside and purchased a five foot extension for the tongue cable. Everything seemed to work except the tail lights so we headed for home. We got as far as Ardmore, OK and stopped for the night.
Wed 27 June 2001 Lawrence, KA We started out from Ardmore, Ok after breakfast and had only gone a few miles when a trucker who was passing us, honked his horn and pointed to our trailer. We pulled over and found that one of the tow lights had com loose and was dragging on the pavement. The red lenses was broken but the light still worked so we taped the lights to the fenders and headed on for home. We stopped at a truck stop and found a lenses that almost fit and taped it onto the broken light. A couple of hundred miles north of Ardmore, I happened to see the lenses fall off of the trailer and go rolling down the highway so we stopped at another truck stop and found another red lenses that almost fit and taped it on the light again. We made it to Lawrence Kansas and stayed there for the night.
Thu 28 June 2001 Vermillion, SD Well we finally made it home today but not without a few more little mishaps. We left Lawrence after breakfast and used the west bypass around Kansas City to avoid the traffic. When we reached I-29 at Platte City Mo we felt a vibration coming from the trailer. We pulled over and found a big bulge on the left trailer tire. We felt very lucky that we had a spare tire for the trailer and that the problem happened close to a town where we could get off of the interstate and not have to change the tire out on the highway. So we pulled off of the interstate and stopped on a side street in Platte City. I used the Jeep jack to jack up the trailer but found that I didn't have a wrench that would fit the lug bolts on the trailer wheel. Barb walked over to a nearby auto dealer and borrowed a wrench and socket to use on the wheel. The socket didn't fit the bolts though so we both went back and borrowed a bigger socket. I took the wheel off and went to put the spare tire on and found that the lug bolts would not fit and the tire was also to big to fit on the trailer. We put the old tire back on and took the wrench back to the auto dealer and asked them where the closest dealer was where we could buy new tires for the trailer. They told us about a dealer a couple of miles east of Platte City. We slowly drove over there and found the dealer and he did find a couple of new tires our size but could not put them on the trailer for a couple of hours as it was the noon hour and all his guys were gone to lunch. So we were going to wait in his parking lot but he didn't have room for us so we drove back over to Platte City and went to a McDonald's and had some lunch and then went back to the dealer a couple of hours later. When we got back to the tire dealer, he put a couple of guys on replacing the tires right away and we headed for home again. A few miles up the road the Red lenses fell off the trailer light again and we stopped in Missouri Valley and replaced it again with another red lenses that almost fit. We made it on home without any more incidents.
Fri 29 June 2001 Vermillion, SD Barb went down to the Court House to get the boat title transferred and purchase a boat license for the boat. We did not have a title for the trailer so could not get a license for that. We spent the day looking over our great purchase and fixing a few minor things that needed fixing and tried to get familiar with all the gadgets.
Sun 1 July 2001 Vermillion, SD I called Ronnie and told him that we had made it home with the boat but that I would need a title for the trailer before I could get license plates for it. He stated that he would get a hold of his nephew and see if he could do something but he didn't think he had a title for the trailer since they didn't need them in Texas.
Mon 2 July 2001 Vermillion, SD We drove up to Mitchell, SD today and went to Cabelas where we purchased a rod and reel and some other fishing stuff and parts for the boat. We found a converter for the Jeep and then went over to Wal-Mart where we purchased a couple of trolling motor batteries. On the way back, we went by Lake Vermillion to see what that was like and where we could launch our boat.
Tue 3 July 2001 Vermillion, SD Today I spent the day installing the taillight converter on the Jeep. It worked fine. We found that the lights still did not work on the boat trailer so we jacked up the trailer and started looking for the problem. We found that the tail lights and the directional lights were hooked together so that they flashed all the time like a four way hazard light. I peeled off several layers of tape and found the wires that were wired together and disconnected them and got the lights to work the way they were supposed to work. Thu 5 July 2001 Vermillion, SD We finally have the trailer ready for the road and decided to go to Lake Vermillion for our shake down cruise as we thought that it would be the least crowded due to the July 4th Holiday. We launched the boat easily and got the motor started without to much trouble and headed out up the lake. We found a nice little cove and I started to play with the controls to see how they worked. The steering was very hard and when I put it in reverse, It still kept going forward - Nov reverse gear. It also would not go into neutral but stayed in forward gear. We tried out the trolling motor and it worked fine except for getting stuck in the mud bottom and wound up with weeds. Barb got her rod and reel out and tried to fish but caught only more weeds. We decided we had better take it back home before we got stranded out there on the lake. After we got it home we discovered that the shift cable was broke and that is why it would not go into reverse.
Fri 6 July 2001 Vermillion, SD We went over to Mart Marine and tried to make an appointment to get the shifting lever fixed and also have them tune up the outboard motor and get the boat in good shape. They were swamped due to the July fourth holiday and said it would be a couple of weeks before he would be able to do anything so to come back in a couple of weeks.
Sat 21 Jul 2001 Vermillion, SD We finally got the boat back from Mart Marine after he installed a new steering cable and new shifting and throttle cables and gave the outboard motor a tune up. We can't wait to get it out on the water again and see how it goes.
Fri 24 Jul 2001 Vermillion, SD It looked like a nice day today so we decided to go up to Lewis and Clark Lake and see how crowded it was. We were surprised when we got to the lake as there was not very many people around. We launched the boat in the lake at the Gavins point Ramp area. We got the boat in the water without any problems and got the motor started but it only run for a short while and quit. I tried starting the motor again but the battery seemed dead and the switch turned around in the socket. I figured that we had run the battery dead and might as well go home and recharge the battery. We got the boat back on the trailer and went home.
Thu 30 Aug 2001 Vermillion, SD Today we decided that we had better go up to Lake Vermillion fishing again because with this next weekend being Labor Day weekend we could probably not be able to get to the lake with all the people and boats there for the Holiday. While we were getting ready to go, I decided to replace the fuel bulb and line that has been leaking and since I already had a new one, I thought I might as well replace it. I cut off the old one and replaced it with the new one. I tried to pump up the new one but could not get it to suck up any fuel and the bulb would never get hard. So I took off the new one and replaced it with the old one again. At least it works even if it has a small air leak in in. I guess I will have to purchase another new one. We checked the boat to make sure we had everything and headed to the lake about 9:30 AM. When we got to the lake we found that there was only one pickup with a trailer in the parking lot so only one boat out on the lake. There was a moderate wind out of the South. After a couple of tries at backing down the ramp and only getting off the ramp once, we got the boat launched and ready to go. I had remembered to pump the fuel bulb up before backing into the water and the outboard motor started very easily. We started up the lake and since the waves were not to bad today, I opened up the throttle but the boat would not go up on plane and soon the motor quit. I checked and found out that the motor was not trimmed clear down and I had the fuel tank switched to the port tank and it just doesn't get enough fuel out of that tank. As soon as I trimmed the motor and flipped the fuel switch to the starboard tank, the boat took off and ran perfect. Whee this is fun. We headed over to the same little cove where I caught the fishing rod and reel and shut off the motor and was just going to drift while we got out our fishing gear and got the trolling motor down on the bow. I had not turned on the power switch yet which pumps water into the live wells and also runs the bilge pump. When I turned it on, the bilge pump sprang to life and started pumping a steady stream of water out the back of the boat. I told Barb "boy, look at that stream, there should not be that much water in the bilge already". (The bilge pump has always pumped more water than I thought it should and always had wondered if we had a crack in the bottom of the boat.) After several minutes of the steady pumping, I opened up the battery compartment lid and looked in. I could see water almost up to the bottom of the battery shelf. The pump was not keeping up. I told Barb that we had better head back to the boat dock before the boat sunk with it pumping out that much water. I thought we must really have a big crack in the bottom of the boat. The last time we had taken the boat out of the water, we had bumped into the rocks a few times but I didn't think any were hard enough to knock a hole in the boat. When we did get the boat on the trailer because of the wind, the boat was slightly crooked on the trailer. I thought that maybe by hauling the boat back on the trailer a little off center that we might have opened up a crack in the bottom of the boat. When we got back to the dock and I was getting ready to go up and get the Jeep to back down in the ramp to get the boat out, I looked in the battery compartment again and the water was up above the floor of the battery compartment. Then it dawned on me. We had forgot to put the plug in the back of the boat! I knew I had not and didn't see Barb do it so that had to be the problem. I looked in the little tray where we keep the plug and there it was alright. I took the plug and tried leaning over the back of the boat to try to put the plug in but I had my arm in clear up to my neck and my head almost under water and I could not reach the hole. I was starting to go up after the Jeep so we could pull the boat out of the water but Barb suggested that we turn the boat around in the slip and put the back up to the ramp and maybe she could just wade in and put the plug in. So we pulled the boat around the slip to the other side and pulled the boat around backwards until we had the back end of the boat on the concrete ramp. Barb waded in and tried to find the hole but could not reach it. Luckily, we did not have anybody waiting to get to the ramp as it is usually crowded but we were the only ones there except for a guy on a motorcycle who just sat there on the bank watching us trying to figure out what the heck we were doing I suppose. Anyway, since we could not get the plug in, we pulled the boat back around the dock and I went up and backed the Jeep back in the water and we pulled the boat up on the trailer almost all the way and pulled the boat up out of the water and let the water drain out of both the hole and the bilge pump. After the water drained out, we put the plug in and backed back into the water. We headed back to the same spot we were at before, and got out all the fishing gear and everything went ok after that. After fishing in that area for awhile, we started up the outboard and went cruising slowly up the lake. I kept the motor idling and kept turning the fuel switch to see if the hole for the port tank was was not centered and when the motor started slowing down, I would move the switch slightly to see if the motor would speed up any. It did a little but not much. Whenever i would flip the switch to the starboard tank, the motor would speed up. I kept idling around so I could use up all the fuel in the Port tank so when we got back home I could see if there was something plugging up the fuel line or what was wrong with the line. We messed around with that awhile then settled down near the east bank where some friends had told us they had caught several fish the day before. It really was a nice day out on the lake with just a moderate breeze blowing up the lake. After fishing in that area for awhile, Barb thought she had a bite or her line but didn't catch anything. I turned the boat around with the trolling motor and cut off Barbs line with the trolling motor so we decided that we probably should head for home again. When we got to the dock, I backed the trailer into the water and told Barb to leave the motor down on the boat and I would try to drive the boat onto the trailer. (I figured now was a good time to practice since there was nobody waiting to launch their boats.) I backed the boat up a little to the back of the dock and started to drive it up onto the trailer but got it a little crooked as the wind was blowing me into the dock so I tried it again and this time I got the boat up on the trailer to the winch pretty good but it was still a little crooked on the trailer. Barb got in the Jeep and pulled us up out of the water. I got out of the boat and noticed that it was not straight on the trailer so I backed it back into the water until the boat floated again and then pulled it back up out of the water and it looked pretty good then. We fastened the boat down to the trailer and secured all the fishing gear and got ready to go home. We thought since there was nobody around that it would be a good time for Barb to practice backing up the Jeep with the boat hooked up so she drove over into the parking lot and practiced backing the trailer up to different places in the lot. She did very well (In fact, better than I do). After practicing that for awhile, we headed for home.
Next episode not ready yet.
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