Escape From the Prison Planet

[DRIVEN]

Snow is almost here. Snapped this today just over my hill. The Owyhees are white right down to the valley floor.




My dad started in on his boat last night and I went over this morning to help. We got the seats and engine cover out and stored away. It hasn't been run in over a year and was supposedly professionally winterized but we're finding quite a few things that don't really support what he was told. First red flag was the axle that had to be replaced 100 miles from here on the way home. Seller claimed it was just serviced/repaired.

Also, the floor turned out to be worse than he said once my dad got there to buy it. Seller told him it had a soft spot which turned out to be most of the left side. That was why we pulled the interior. Carpet is coming out, then new floor. This was expected, just not to this extent.

What wasn't expected was the 4 freeze plugs that were popped out. He'll get them ordered up and we'll have to pull motor mounts to get them in. Super fun. No other visible cracks so we're hoping for the best.
The last thing we did was try to sort out the hilarious wiring. The boat is almost 40 years old so between the stereo stuff, power ports, LED lights and other "upgrades" there's plenty to set straight.

We isolated the stereo stuff and removed a 2nd battery that had been piggy backed to the one that's supposed to be there. Both were dead. After getting it squared away we fired it up briefly so now at least we know it runs. Later on we'll hook up the stereo to see if it all works then likely remove it and put it on CL.

 

[TURNA]

Water got under the floor then froze?

 

[DRIVEN]

No, just old boat stuff. Something about a hole in the water that you throw money in to😀. Honestly, it won't be that bad. He was looking for a winter project and bought it pretty right. We'll both feel better after we get the freeze plugs replaced. Then we can back it in the water and run it for a while. If there aren't any surprises the rest is cosmetic clean-up.

 

[TURNA]

I was serious about the water under the floor.

If rain water got in it and under the floor then froze it will lift the floor up and make it spongy.

That along with the freeze out plugs popping the boat wazn't winterized correctly.

 

[DRIVEN]

It clearly wasn't winterized properly. The soft floors are common in older boats -- especially if they weren't cared for properly. Since the carpet and interior are obviously newer, it's probably a safe guess that it spent a lot of nights outside.
My dad always took really good care of his. They got wiped down and bilge plugs pulled after every outting, then they got stored inside with a cover over them. They always got winterized and even got a heat lamp under the bonnet when temps got below freezing. Just a little bit of care helps them age gracefully. It's clear that this boat wasn't so lucky.

 

[Ribbedroof]

Congrats on the closing!

Has to be a relief to have that handled.

 

[DRIVEN]

Man, you have no idea how happy I am to have that behind me.

 

[fleming442]

Break
Out
Another
Thousand
😛
Man, it sure is pretty out there. How long does it take to get to civilization for supplies?

 

[TURNA]

I don't see any water for a boat either!!

 

[DRIVEN]

Break
Out
Another
Thousand
😛
Man, it sure is pretty out there. How long does it take to get to civilization for supplies?

Not my thousands to worry about😀.

Civilization? Depends on how you define it. Next closest town is Homedale to the northwest and it's probably 3 times the size of my town. Only things it's really got to brag about is a nicer grocery store, a bowling alley and an Autozone. However, if I cross the river and head about 20 minutes to the northeast, Nampa/Caldwell/Meridian/Eagle are all bedroom communities of Boise. They kind of bleed together but there's probably 250,000 people between them. Anything I could possibly need is right there. Boise is a few minutes beyond that.

Geography tangent: Owyhee county, where I live, is the 2nd largest county by area. It's also the least populated at around 11,000 people. We're separated from the rest of the state by the Snake river.

It really is kind of a sweet spot because I'm 20 minutes from everything in one direction and 10 minutes from absolutely nothing in the other direction.
My little town is in an interesting identity position, really. There are a couple large dairies just outside of town and most of the farming in the immediate area is to feed the cows. Just across the river is Sunny Slope (a region, not a town) which is home to about a dozen winerys. We could very easily pivot from farm town to tourist town but long-time locals have no interest in that. However, the population is shifting as more retired people and folks just looking to get out of the cities are moving in. While I expect that it'll likely stay relatively unchanged, it's entirely possible that we could go upscale in the next 10 years. Time will tell.
It's interesting to drive around the area and see a rundown single-wide flanked by million dollar estates. I like to do my sightseeing on a 70 year old tractor.