Refugio, Texas.
Long day yesterday.
Got the truck loaded quick enough, but the samples weren't cooperating with the lab so a bunch of us drivers from our company were sitting there waiting on COA's - certification of analysis. They just keep retesting until the test shows it's good lol.
Got down to Portland, they were able to take me in right away - it was that or have to wait until this morning to offload. I wanted to get that stuff out of that tank last night and get it over with.
Anyway, it was a full 14 hour day not including driving to work. I'm not really complaining, just saying it was a very long, filled up day. I have 7 hours to drive back up to the yard and be done for today. Going out tomorrow? I have no idea. The schedule is full of short runs only, so would be best if she were to give me another run.
I was able to find the correct starter for the boat yesterday and ordered, they already shipped it. Took me a bit of time to figure out how to even get the cover off of the engine. I"m not boat savvy, as I have already freely admitted in another post.
I have been watching numerous videos on launching and recovering boats. A bunch of lame ones out there, attempting to tell you how to back a pickup truck. That I didn't need. They were more focused on how to back the truck than how to launch the boat. I watched a bunch of videos until I found a dude that was more focused on getting the boat off of the trailer and the specifics of how to safely do it - and how to not so safely do it and the consequences of skipping an established procedure.
That was good information. I am as ready as I'll ever be in that aspect to simply get out there and make an attempt at it. I can't be any worse than some of the videos I was watching of people doing it wrong lmao. But I think I'm going to take the boat in and have the upholstery done first before I take it out and also do a complete, thorough cleaning. That will likely take half a day as all the cubby holes are full of dirt and junk. I am likely not going to change out the carpet. It isn't perfect but it isn't all torn up, either. Just an expense I don't need right now, but the upholstery I can't live with.
It looks bad and I just don't want to be out on a boat that looks like that. I also ordered the new canvas for the bimini top. Dunno when that will be in, a hundred bucks and change to have a brand new, bright blue top on it. The one on it now is torn and looks cruddy. I might live with the cruddy look if it hadn't been torn.
I guess one of the biggest contentions of boating is people at the launch ramp. You can apparently piss people off by taking too much time, ie: loading up your boat while in the ramp. All of the videos distinctly stated that you should have everything stowed in your boat and ready to go before you get to the ramp. Ok. I'm hoping to find a ramp that is vacant and no one around for my first go at it. But, I am definitely not taking that thing out on the water with a bad starter. Can you imagine floating out on a lake and not being able to start the thing? LOL
It doesn't have a trolling motor so there is no backup motor to at least limp it back to shore. I'll get one of those eventually, just not on the priority list atm. Good ones are rather expensive.
Well, I had more but it's time to go! Get this trip over with.
G'day.
