This is my post for @freewriters Monday prompt * completely untrained* hosted by @mariannewest
I have spent the last two days working on my motor. Even though my husband and I have worked on many motors we feel completely untrained when it comes to replacing a swivel bracket on an outboard. I have not met anyone who has seen one break like this one did on my motor.
My husband pulled the crab traps out of the river yesterday and today he went an got all of the pigfish traps. He was going to save the bait and try going to Vero one more time trout fishing. But while he was pulling the traps a thunderstorm started building and he got to thinking about how he was going to have all the traps on his boat and he had to drive to the dock where he will keep the bait and get the bait down the dock, all before the storm hit, so he dumped it all back into the river. He said he was thinking about the storms and driving that far with the price of fuel and end up not catching anything so he said to hell with it.
While he was gone, I figured out a way to hold my motor up when it gets separated from the bracket that holds it on the boat. I found some S hooks and rigged a come-along to the doorway of his shop. I was sure not to get the S hooks against any wires under the flywheel. They make an eyehook for this that screws into the bolt hole of the flywheel but I did not want to wait for one to come in the mail. Little did I know that this would not matter.
I got the lower unit pulled off and loosened all the bolts to the powerhead, and as it turned out I did not need to do this, now I have to find out the right torque specs for them before tightening them back.
This is the inside of the swivel bracket, it is what broke. After getting it all taken apart, my husband called the marine repair shop that we always use and got their answering machine, they are on vacation and will not be back open until July 6th. So I guess that now I am on vacation.
All photos are mine
