They say lightning doesn't ever strike twice the same exact spot, but when it comes to my boat; well, I guess it's the exception. I mean, it was never bound to work from the start. The hull sat untouched for over a decade in some back yard, the motor was a total roll of the dice, and I'm surely no marine mechanic. We've been very lucky with the boat, BUT... it wasn't just luck.

I dedicated much of my Friday and Saturday to getting her back up and going again. It was the worst! Remounting the motor and everything that comes with that is a total pain, and I faced a bunch of hurdles. Most notably, the throttle just isn't working out. We need about four inches of travel to fully open up the carbs, and we maybe get half of that. Additionally, there's currently no such thing as reverse, ants are everywhere, and all the other issues we overlooked previously remain. 

For example, our horn is tooting great, but we have no lights. They ought to work; it's just a matter of figuring out the wiring again. Of course, I didn't label anything, and I totally forget how we had it. 

What else...

The transom is rotted out and barely holding on, the interior needs some major loving, the whole hull is in need of refinishing, and our electric start is electric stopped. In a lake full of fancy boats and clean white shorts, I'm out there in greasy blue jeans pull-startin' and puffin' two-stroke. That old Magnolia is a basket-case, but she's mine- if it's floating, I'm boating! 

So, that's exactly what I did! I hobbled it all together, got it running at the house, then immediately took it out to the lake. The one thing I should have checked before leaving was the weather. I got soaked! When the sky is darkening and everyone else is loading up their vessels as I'm unloading... well. 

All things considered, I love my boat. As much as it frustrates me, there's hardly anything better than a day out on the Portage Lakes, in my book. All I need is WQMX on the Bluetooth and a fishing pole in my hand! 

Thanks for reading this blog, and let me leave you off with this advice: don't buy a boat. Instead, make good friends with somebody who's got one!