TOPIC: Be CAREFUL Out There!

Somebody on another forum referred to this as "amateur weekend", which kinda made me grin. (Although a little condescending, heck I still consider myself a rookie!) I think the point to be made is it's opening weekend for a lot of boaters who haven't been out on the water in a while, the lakes and rivers will be more crowded than usual, plus the chances of running into somebody "Boating Under the Influence" are greater than normal. Traffic getting to and from your destination of choice is also worth noting, allowing extra travel time would probably be prudent.

Everybody PLEASE be careful out there this weekend, there's no quicker way of ruining a good time than someone getting hurt or tearing up your beloved watercraft. If you see someone that looks like they may be broken down, stop and ask if they need a tow. Good karma comes back to you eventually, it's something I truly believe in. (Bad karma does too, but much faster as a rule!)

Make sure you have all required safety equipment on board, the enforcement folks will be out there keeping an eye on us! Safe boating everybody...!

That is great advice Mark, thank you. Something else I would like to add is trailer safety. First of all, many of out vintage trailers do NOT have trailer brakes. I know how excited we all are to get to the ramp, but keep in mind your vehicle brakes have to do extra duty when that beautiful classic boat is behind you, so keep a safe distance.

Do all your trailer lights work? Grounds are often a problem, but with a little effort can be easily remedied by just running a ground directly from the vehicle connection to each of your lights, and mounting the wire on whatever lamp stud provides ground. Some have both studs as ground, others just one. It's easy to figure out by popping the lens. If you're befuddled by wiring, by all means take it to someone who can do the necessary work. It's worth the dough. And before you launch, unhook the electrical connection to the trailer!

Are your safety chains in good condition?

A burned bearing can really ruin your day. When was the last time they were inspected? It's more than worth your time to check them before the first trip each season. Cleaning and repacking bearings is dirty work, but trust me, you won't catch a disease from it, just greasy hands. This is of particular concern for trailers with tire diameters much smaller than the tow vehicle, such as 8" trailer tires vs. 16 inch vehicle tires. In such an instance, when you're going done the highway at 65, your trailer bearings are spinning twice as fast, just like you're doing 130 mph. Food for thought. My trailer tires are 14", and I'll be pulling the hubs today, checking and re-greasing the bearings. I'm a slow driver anyways, so no big deal for me!

Have a wonderful, safe Memorial Day weekend y'all!

Frank

My 2 cents on the lights. I always apply some vasoline on the light socket and brass on the bulb to help with the corrosion

Rather than Vasoline, try this stuff:

www.acehardwareoutlet.com/productDetails.aspx?SKU=998024647

Devcon 15319 Bulb Grease is going to help protect against corrosion and still help with the connection. The Valsoline and other greases will act as a insulator and may cause more bulb problems.


Also keep in mind a light coating is all that is needed. Finally my pinball experience is carrying over to the boats!

well said,i dont even get close to the water on this weekend,been there done that,too many boats not enough water,lol.
and frank thats the reason im bringing the sunray on a lowboy,too long of a trip,once we are there i will take it off the lowboy and pull it around on its trailer,but 1st i have to get the trailer out from under it to prime and paint both the boat and maybe the trailer,had to get new rollers ,the old ones were collapsed,this is going to be fun,not!

Folks, you can't be careful enough. I work for Bechtel Marine Propulsion Corp. Every meeting we have is mandated to have a safety share first. From the mundane to the major, you realize no matter what you are doing there are risks involved. Some seem silly, and some are like duh. But it's the silly ones that will get you and give you life changing injuries...because you thought they were silly. Example...a woman in a neighborhood of an employee is removing a rack from the wall. Pulls hard on the rack and it releases from the wall and hits her in the eye. After 5 surgeries she is now blind in the eye the angle bracket hit her.

Very well said Mr. Gibson "NOT ENOUGH WATER" I like that one.

My 2 cents on the lights. I always apply some vasoline on the light socket and brass on the bulb to help with the corrosion

bulbs and sockets are ok, but I found using the 5 inch sealed two bulb lights that I used on my tractor trailer worked the best.

submersible. water tight..never an issue, and talk about bright..!

I just try to keep stuff original (my brother in law says I need professional help) about my attention to detail. The L.E.D. lights are the best by far.

i don't have to worry about trailer lights getting wet. can't beat pipe lites. they also make great guides for lining up the sponsons on the trailer.