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Author Topic:   Valuable lesson

floater88 posted 05-29-2012 01:08 AM ET (US)
I was out salmon fishing on Lake Ontario today in my Revenge 20. Finished up and took off home. Heard a big bang. Looked around and didn't see anything amiss so kept going. Heard more banging and finaly saw that I had forgoten to tilt up the remote 15 horse kicker! It had pulled right off the transom and got jammed under the big motor and the top of the transom! I stopped the boat and it slipped off the transom! I managed to make a dive and catch it and it almost took my arm off! Those things are heavy!! Took 15 minutes of grunting and cursing to get it back into the boat! No major damage but scratched the main, the kicker and the boat! Got home and reinstalled it all but this time I bolted it on like I should have in the first place! Wow could have been alot worse then a sore back, shoulders and arms!!! Lesson learned
martyn1075 posted 05-30-2012 01:23 AM ET (US)
Crap I have always had bad dreams about that happening to me. It was seconds away from being gone! Did it mess up the big engine at all?
Martyn
AZdave posted 05-30-2012 01:47 AM ET (US)
Hey, I did that up on Lake Powell. The only difference is that the motor stayed in place. I can claim I was distracted by loading up family and supplies for a camping/fishing trip. I suspect that I will make all possible boating mistakes if I keep at it long enough. I'm glad your damage was limited. Dave
floater88 posted 05-31-2012 12:14 AM ET (US)
Took her out today for a little fishing and everything worked great. Nice feeling knowing I now have the kicker clamped and bolted on. Only damage was scratch on both motors and knocked a quarter sized chunk out of the top of the transom. Filled it with 34 5200 for now as the blue colour was showing. When I drilled the holed for the bolts it was nice to see dry wood shavings coming out! Thought that transom would be full of water!
pete r posted 05-31-2012 03:54 AM ET (US)
Thanks for the reminder/warning.
I have a ss. steel safety cable attached to mine, but I guess that won't stop the motor slipping sideways off it's mount like a couple of bolts.
leadsled posted 05-31-2012 09:46 AM ET (US)
A friend of mine used to keep a rope tied to his 8 hp kicker in case it came loose . One day him and his son were coming home at a high rate of speed and he happened to look back and see his 8 hp bouncing around behind the boat. Well his son was able to pull it in without being damaged.
A few months later I bumped into him at the local Tohatsu dealer and we were both buying new 8 hp engines. He said he was returning from a fishing trip and when he looked back the kicker wasn't there. He had forgot to tie the rope to the kicker that day. The motor he lost had about 50 hours on it. Very expensive lesson.
gnr posted 05-31-2012 10:19 AM ET (US)
I have a short length of chain attaching my kicker to the lifting eye with a small padlock. There is not enough slack in the chain to allow the kicker to come off the transom. I also have the bracket handles zip tied together so they cannot back off.
flippa posted 05-31-2012 10:35 AM ET (US)
There are also locks that are made for the bracket handles that will keep them from loosening up.
Unfortunately these locks are now a required option for the boats in my mooring area. Over the past few years kickers have gone missing if they are not locked.
andygere posted 05-31-2012 11:19 AM ET (US)
Why would you not put bolts through the lower holes on your kicker mounting bracket? It prevents it from falling off, and probably helps deter casual theft.
floater88 posted 05-31-2012 11:59 PM ET (US)
Well as to not putting bolts through the transom during the intial installation it was only cus I didn't want to drill any more holes in the boat. I have now drilled and bolted it on as well as installed one of those locks that slides over the clamps. I've used it twice since and it's not moving at all!

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Author	Topic: Valuable lesson
floater88	posted 05-29-2012 01:08 AM ET (US) I was out salmon fishing on Lake Ontario today in my Revenge 20. Finished up and took off home. Heard a big bang. Looked around and didn't see anything amiss so kept going. Heard more banging and finaly saw that I had forgoten to tilt up the remote 15 horse kicker! It had pulled right off the transom and got jammed under the big motor and the top of the transom! I stopped the boat and it slipped off the transom! I managed to make a dive and catch it and it almost took my arm off! Those things are heavy!! Took 15 minutes of grunting and cursing to get it back into the boat! No major damage but scratched the main, the kicker and the boat! Got home and reinstalled it all but this time I bolted it on like I should have in the first place! Wow could have been alot worse then a sore back, shoulders and arms!!! Lesson learned
martyn1075	posted 05-30-2012 01:23 AM ET (US) Crap I have always had bad dreams about that happening to me. It was seconds away from being gone! Did it mess up the big engine at all? Martyn
AZdave	posted 05-30-2012 01:47 AM ET (US) Hey, I did that up on Lake Powell. The only difference is that the motor stayed in place. I can claim I was distracted by loading up family and supplies for a camping/fishing trip. I suspect that I will make all possible boating mistakes if I keep at it long enough. I'm glad your damage was limited. Dave
floater88	posted 05-31-2012 12:14 AM ET (US) Took her out today for a little fishing and everything worked great. Nice feeling knowing I now have the kicker clamped and bolted on. Only damage was scratch on both motors and knocked a quarter sized chunk out of the top of the transom. Filled it with 34 5200 for now as the blue colour was showing. When I drilled the holed for the bolts it was nice to see dry wood shavings coming out! Thought that transom would be full of water!
pete r	posted 05-31-2012 03:54 AM ET (US) Thanks for the reminder/warning. I have a ss. steel safety cable attached to mine, but I guess that won't stop the motor slipping sideways off it's mount like a couple of bolts.
leadsled	posted 05-31-2012 09:46 AM ET (US) A friend of mine used to keep a rope tied to his 8 hp kicker in case it came loose . One day him and his son were coming home at a high rate of speed and he happened to look back and see his 8 hp bouncing around behind the boat. Well his son was able to pull it in without being damaged. A few months later I bumped into him at the local Tohatsu dealer and we were both buying new 8 hp engines. He said he was returning from a fishing trip and when he looked back the kicker wasn't there. He had forgot to tie the rope to the kicker that day. The motor he lost had about 50 hours on it. Very expensive lesson.
gnr	posted 05-31-2012 10:19 AM ET (US) I have a short length of chain attaching my kicker to the lifting eye with a small padlock. There is not enough slack in the chain to allow the kicker to come off the transom. I also have the bracket handles zip tied together so they cannot back off.
flippa	posted 05-31-2012 10:35 AM ET (US) There are also locks that are made for the bracket handles that will keep them from loosening up. Unfortunately these locks are now a required option for the boats in my mooring area. Over the past few years kickers have gone missing if they are not locked.
andygere	posted 05-31-2012 11:19 AM ET (US) Why would you not put bolts through the lower holes on your kicker mounting bracket? It prevents it from falling off, and probably helps deter casual theft.
floater88	posted 05-31-2012 11:59 PM ET (US) Well as to not putting bolts through the transom during the intial installation it was only cus I didn't want to drill any more holes in the boat. I have now drilled and bolted it on as well as installed one of those locks that slides over the clamps. I've used it twice since and it's not moving at all!