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Well, I am now water-mobile


Dave Bailey

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As I mentioned a few months back, my father-in-law sold his sailboat, and the new owner didn't need his dinghy. So we are now the owners of a 10' (I think, haven't stretched it out and measured it yet) Zodiac with an 8hp Mercury. A lightweight thing like that goes like DA BOMB! when you get her wound up, and with a really shallow draft it's almost as versatile as the canoe when it come to tight spots. Haven't quite decided if we'll try to get a trailer, might see how easy it goes on the roof.

 

Whatever, it means that I'll hopefully be spending more time on the water, and I'll no doubt be bugging you folks even more for info! :Gonefishing:

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AAarrrr, she be a sturdy vessel mate !!

 

It is once you get it set up correctly. The first time we were in it my father-in-law had his sailboat parked at Chimney Bay, Beausoleil Island. He picked us up at Honey Harbour to take us out, and said that he was going to have to take the boat back to the marina because it wasn't performing properly. I noticed immediately what the problem was but didn't tell him right then. I waited until we got back to the sailboat, everyone but me went aboard, and I said "Hand me that pump." They watched in shock as I did the one thing they had completely forgotten to do - inflate the bottom! It was just a bunch of loose rubber flopping around in the water creating the same drag as a brick. I also noticed that the motor was set on too much of an angle, driving the stern down which of course sent the prow high into the air. After I got it set up properly I said "Watch this", started it up gave her the juice, and took off like the proverbial chiropteran from Hades. It skims across the water almost like a hovercraft, since it's mostly air there's little weight to push, and because there's little weight it means it isn't sitting low and pushing lots of water out of the way.

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