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A wee tale of Saturday past.

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin
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My life-long pal and sportscar fan is also a boat freak... Saturday as I sat here inna hovel he calls. He's on the road, from west south Florida, towing a boat. Calls from a rest stop about thirty minutes south as he stops to have a look at the wheel bearings. As he's walkin' around it, he says one of the hubs is a bit too warm to keep his hand on... THEN he walks to the other side and sees not one but two lugnuts out of six on one of the starboard hubs is gone, and only STUMPS of studs remaining. That precipitates a minor detour here to the hovel. He calls again a few minutes out to make certain he can maneuver this load to a spot we can access it... Rolls up in front and this "boat" is a FORTY foot long thing wot looks like a giant CANOE! The rig from tiller to front bumper on the tow vehicle is sixty feet long. Tandem axle trailer, torsion bars. Boat 'n trailer weigh in at 6K.

We get some blocks, roll the thing forward, one tire UP onto the block and TRY to un-do the remaining lugnuts on the "hanging" wheel... SNAP! Another one lets go! Now it's Saturday afternoon at about 5:00 and you can guess about how many sources we have for wheel studs for this behemoth with surge (drum) brakes on all four wheels... ugh.

NAPA was 3 miles away so off we go in the Alfa. Get there and the counter guy measures and mumbles... gawd. Nope, nothing to fit. We ask if he's got any suggestions and he says: "Well, the store (NAPA depot) on Florida Avenue shows 20 of 'em onna shelf." WOOHOO!! Off on a fifteen mile sprint across town. Drag back a set of six and six... Bash out the broken ones, DO NOT check the head diameter of the replacements against the drum relief cut and ~BLARG!~ TOO BIG! Bench grinder is at my bro's house. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wall.gif

Bro drags the grinder to us, we "adjust" the stud heads and BASH 'em in the drum. Reassemble and good-to-go. Some hot dogs and corn on the grill next, and off goes the "rig".

Did I mention: He's headed to MAINE!! No word yet, should be gettin' the "Arrived safe, all's well" call any time now.

...the things we do! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/shocked.gif
 
/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif
 
Boat that size I would've towed across the state, dropped in the water and taken the ditch all the way up...make a vacation out of it!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/grin.gif
 
That's the "usual" method. Hard to do with this particular craft... recharge times woulda put him in Maine sometime around September. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
It's electric?? Constant charge w/solar panels!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
 
I was going to mention the gas bill he'd have but is it really electric? How many hours can he cruise ona charge?
 
Yup, electric:

Elco Boats

Very interesting history. Elco made some PT boats. General Dynamics involved and Electric Boat made submarines.

Friend has the 30' fiberglass repro of the '02 design.
 
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