Happy1
N/A
OH DEAR!
Well I woke up with a headache from hell, no amount of painkillers would get rid of it. Met the dealer at M25 junction, went to Chatham at 11am checked birth OK, introduced ourselves to Marina staff. We were unable to launch there as they have no slipway and ony crane in and out, but no crane driver on Saturdays. Got directions to Gillingham slip, went there with dealer towing boat with transit van, me following in 4x4 with wife and 16yr old son. Although it should be possible to launch at most times at Gillingham, the mud on the slip made it too slippy for the transit, we had two hours to high water. It was decided to get the boat ready to launch, but the slip was not steep at all and it was going to be difficult to get the boat emersed without the van being emersed as well.
We took the cover off the boat and the dealer untied it, unfortunately they had only finished the anti-fouling yesterday and the ropes rollers had marked the anti foul through to the primer, one of the side stripes was also badly scored. I thought that I may aswell go to a local chandlers to get a pot and do a quick repair job, went there but it was not in stock. As I returned to the slip and reversed onto the slip I failed to notice a very low concrete and metal bollard set about 4ft from the side of the very wide slip, this crunched into the side of my vehicle ripping up the whole lenght of the door! I was starting to get a bit pi..sed off by then.
Anyway the dealer decided afetr looking at the water for an hour that he would use the strapd that had been over the boat as an extension to the tow ball and attach it to the trailer. This was done giving about 15ft extra, and the trailer was rolled back into the water. Unfortunately the slope was so shallow that as the tide came in, the water was up past the back wheels of the transit and the boat had still not floated off. The dealer was now in the boat surrounded by water, with my wife in the drivers seat of the transit. It came to sucha stage that I had to rush and get my 4x4 as it seemed the transit would be unable to get out as the dried mud had now got slippy and the weight of the boat and trailer would be too much for it. I was then going to tow the transit and trailer with boat out of the water!! The water was coming in very fast and the wheels of the transit were disappearing. I decided that I would attach a new 30ft rope I had in my vehicle to the straps from the trailer as I could see the trailer having to be cut free to save the van. I managed this we got the van free and I took the strain with my vehicle. We now had enough length to keep the vehicle out of the water whilst waiting for the water to float the boat off. The dealer was franticaly reversing the boat to try and free it, this did nothing except put large chunks of anti foul on the carpeted bit of my flat bed trailer, I was really getting annoyed. Anyway eventually it floated free and I towed the trailer out of the water, took off the ropes and fixed it to my trailer. As I drove up the slipway and turned left to park up, one of the wheel guards (plastic cover thing) caught on a bit of fence and it shattered.
I was now really pis..ed off. I got out of the trailer and went to fix my SAS hitch lock as we were going to take the boat around to Chatham and use my wifes car to bring us all back later. The hitch lock was not the right one and would not fit over the Snipe connector, a waste of £59.99p. I decided to put on at least one of the three SAS wheel clamps that I had bought as the trailer is not insured without it, I went to fit it and found that you needed a special long Alan key that I had left in the plastic brief case type box at home. I was now fuming and my head was pounding with the headache. I just left the trailer as I had just had enough and went and got in the boat. We went through some details of the boat and then set off for Chatham, unfortunately the dealer did not know where he was or which way it was, luckily I had three GPS's on me, full charts of the area and showed him the way. I then realised that there were things missing off the baot that I had asked weeks and weeks ago tobe sorted out e.g. the decal in the centre of the horm was missing, the boat should come with an hour and depth guage, they had just fitted the depth guage which was a totally different colour to all the other dials. Anyway we got to Chatham and I just wanted to let him get away so we could sort things out. I took him back to his van and off he went, I then went out with my son to look for oldgit but could not find him around the submarine, mind you it was 5.50pm by then.
Anyway I also realised that my safety gear FILLS the WHOLE cuddy cabin, and that I will have to take drastic measures. I am going back tomorrow with my wife and hope oldgit will give me a bit of his time and come out for a spin, as I need some support I am so fed up. As I was leaving the boat I went to put the covers on, what a nonsense they are, you need to be russian gymnast to get out of the boat after doing that up.
So still got the headache and had a really sh.t first day boating, but perhaps someone here has put a spell on me! If I promise to be good could you please remove it as it has served it's purpose. It seems that the £80 crane fee that I was fully willing to pay would have been a bargain if the driver had been there, and saved three hours of hanging around and £600 damage to my car, not to mention the fear of my wife floating off in a Sealine transit van! and my £2,000 trailer sinking into thick mud forever.
Let's hope tomorrow is better, I think I need a holiday!
<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple> "You only see what you recognise, and you only recognise what you know" <font color=purple>
Well I woke up with a headache from hell, no amount of painkillers would get rid of it. Met the dealer at M25 junction, went to Chatham at 11am checked birth OK, introduced ourselves to Marina staff. We were unable to launch there as they have no slipway and ony crane in and out, but no crane driver on Saturdays. Got directions to Gillingham slip, went there with dealer towing boat with transit van, me following in 4x4 with wife and 16yr old son. Although it should be possible to launch at most times at Gillingham, the mud on the slip made it too slippy for the transit, we had two hours to high water. It was decided to get the boat ready to launch, but the slip was not steep at all and it was going to be difficult to get the boat emersed without the van being emersed as well.
We took the cover off the boat and the dealer untied it, unfortunately they had only finished the anti-fouling yesterday and the ropes rollers had marked the anti foul through to the primer, one of the side stripes was also badly scored. I thought that I may aswell go to a local chandlers to get a pot and do a quick repair job, went there but it was not in stock. As I returned to the slip and reversed onto the slip I failed to notice a very low concrete and metal bollard set about 4ft from the side of the very wide slip, this crunched into the side of my vehicle ripping up the whole lenght of the door! I was starting to get a bit pi..sed off by then.
Anyway the dealer decided afetr looking at the water for an hour that he would use the strapd that had been over the boat as an extension to the tow ball and attach it to the trailer. This was done giving about 15ft extra, and the trailer was rolled back into the water. Unfortunately the slope was so shallow that as the tide came in, the water was up past the back wheels of the transit and the boat had still not floated off. The dealer was now in the boat surrounded by water, with my wife in the drivers seat of the transit. It came to sucha stage that I had to rush and get my 4x4 as it seemed the transit would be unable to get out as the dried mud had now got slippy and the weight of the boat and trailer would be too much for it. I was then going to tow the transit and trailer with boat out of the water!! The water was coming in very fast and the wheels of the transit were disappearing. I decided that I would attach a new 30ft rope I had in my vehicle to the straps from the trailer as I could see the trailer having to be cut free to save the van. I managed this we got the van free and I took the strain with my vehicle. We now had enough length to keep the vehicle out of the water whilst waiting for the water to float the boat off. The dealer was franticaly reversing the boat to try and free it, this did nothing except put large chunks of anti foul on the carpeted bit of my flat bed trailer, I was really getting annoyed. Anyway eventually it floated free and I towed the trailer out of the water, took off the ropes and fixed it to my trailer. As I drove up the slipway and turned left to park up, one of the wheel guards (plastic cover thing) caught on a bit of fence and it shattered.
I was now really pis..ed off. I got out of the trailer and went to fix my SAS hitch lock as we were going to take the boat around to Chatham and use my wifes car to bring us all back later. The hitch lock was not the right one and would not fit over the Snipe connector, a waste of £59.99p. I decided to put on at least one of the three SAS wheel clamps that I had bought as the trailer is not insured without it, I went to fit it and found that you needed a special long Alan key that I had left in the plastic brief case type box at home. I was now fuming and my head was pounding with the headache. I just left the trailer as I had just had enough and went and got in the boat. We went through some details of the boat and then set off for Chatham, unfortunately the dealer did not know where he was or which way it was, luckily I had three GPS's on me, full charts of the area and showed him the way. I then realised that there were things missing off the baot that I had asked weeks and weeks ago tobe sorted out e.g. the decal in the centre of the horm was missing, the boat should come with an hour and depth guage, they had just fitted the depth guage which was a totally different colour to all the other dials. Anyway we got to Chatham and I just wanted to let him get away so we could sort things out. I took him back to his van and off he went, I then went out with my son to look for oldgit but could not find him around the submarine, mind you it was 5.50pm by then.
Anyway I also realised that my safety gear FILLS the WHOLE cuddy cabin, and that I will have to take drastic measures. I am going back tomorrow with my wife and hope oldgit will give me a bit of his time and come out for a spin, as I need some support I am so fed up. As I was leaving the boat I went to put the covers on, what a nonsense they are, you need to be russian gymnast to get out of the boat after doing that up.
So still got the headache and had a really sh.t first day boating, but perhaps someone here has put a spell on me! If I promise to be good could you please remove it as it has served it's purpose. It seems that the £80 crane fee that I was fully willing to pay would have been a bargain if the driver had been there, and saved three hours of hanging around and £600 damage to my car, not to mention the fear of my wife floating off in a Sealine transit van! and my £2,000 trailer sinking into thick mud forever.
Let's hope tomorrow is better, I think I need a holiday!
<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple> "You only see what you recognise, and you only recognise what you know" <font color=purple>
