(Scott here)

Welp, I have been quiet for awhile to let life’s ups and downs sink in.  The first day of our Great Loop did not go exactly as planned!  I hit a rock outside of Milwaukee.  No water intrusion, and no damage to the boat other than the prop.

We limped into McKinley Marina, and I started looking for a place to get hauled out to check the damage.  We can go about 7.5 mph without any vibration, but any speed above that causes a lot of vibration.  There are two big marinas/service centers in Milwaukee.  Center Point and Skipper Buds. 

Center Point was willing to haul me out on Monday so I could look to see what the damage is, and then put it back in the water right away.  That’s it; nothing else.  That seemed to be a waste of money.

Skipper Buds could haul me out Tuesday  – they said – and pull the prop if necessary.  They said they would call me back Monday morning.  Monday came, no call; so I called Skipper Bud’s.  He said he would get back to me.  Arggggg, I actually didn’t hear back from Skipper Buds until Tuesday afternoon.

Horny Goat Marina (yes, that is a real business name) was too busy to even think about anything for a couple of weeks.

I found a small marina/storage yard, Beacon Marine AKA The Boat House.  He could haul me out on Thursday and let me dock the boat on his docks Tuesday morning until we haul on Thursday.  He just can’t work on the boat. 

I had found a mechanic at Kaston Marine, who could haul me out, but McKinley Marina wouldn’t let us put the boat in their lot.  He did say he doesn’t normally do mobile mechanic work but was willing to help me out.

So here is the timeline.

Friday, May 5: Hit a rock on my first day of the Great Loop.

Saturday, May 6: Stress not knowing what is the damage is and what the cost is

Sunday, May 7: Stress not knowing what is the damage is and what the cost is

Monday, May 8: Cancel haul out with Center Point – thinking Skipper Bud’s will help (they didn’t)

Tuesday, May 9: Limp the boat to Beacon Marine (The Boat House).  Leave the boat on their dock

Thursday, May 11: Haul the boat and see the damage.  100% prop only.

Monday, May 15: Mechanic finally makes it to the boat to pull the prop.  He can’t get the prop off with the tools he has, but has an idea.

Wednesday, May 17: Waiting to hear when the  mechanic is going back to try what he thinks will work.  He said he doesn’t know when he will make it back there.

Thursday, May 19: I saw “a way” on YouTube University to take the prop off. I buy about $40 worth of stuff and give it a try. No luck. Rita is with me and we go to Center Point and ask for help. They tell us, probably next week they will have time. Set it up. On the way to get Noah to celebrate his birthday we get a call they can send someone over right away. Great, I tell him we are just near American Family Field and we will turn around. He said he should have his guy there in 2 hours. (THAT’S RIGHT AWAY??) I don’t complain, because it is getting done! I drop Noah off and head back to the boat and the guy is there. It takes him less than an hour and both props are off. It pays to have the right tools.

Personally, I think I need to buy a new prop and this one can’t be fixed.  The mechanic sent photos to his prop place in MN who said it is fixable.  Should I buy a new prop and get the old one fixed as a spare?

I can’t buy a new prop until we get the prop off and determine the details of the prop.  It is a bronze 24 inch prop.  I am not 100% on the pitch and the pitch needs to be the same for both props.  The pitch is etched on the back of the prop that we can’t see.  A fellow boater with the same boat (same year, same motors, same transmission) had a similar issue a few years back.  His props are: 24X26X4,HS,(RH or LH),NI,2″SHFT,6″HUB.

I *think* that means:

24 inch prop
26 pitch
4 blades
HS – not sure what this means
(RH or LH) – right hand or left hand

NI – I don’t know what this means
2″SHFT – 2″ shaft
6″HUB – area the shaft goes into the prop is 6″ in diameter

I am telling myself I have accepted that we will not make it to our marina in Henry, IL this summer and will most likely lose that money.  But, I have until May 31 so I still have hope.

What is the plan if we can’t get below Chicago?  Probably leave the boat on the hard until September and store the RV in September, move onto the boat and explore lower Lake Michigan while we wait for the locks to open.

We have committed to being a Camp Host at Astico County Park until after Labor Day.