And it costs more too! Here we are about six moths later, and back in California with yet another of my hare-brained schemes. This time I've decided that it would be wiser to have the Seacamper up north, in Washington State. Rather than making expensive trips south (and often NOT getting anything accomplished ) I thought that it would make more sense to have the boat closer to home.
With that in mind, and the help of our friend Bill Hay, we set out in Bill's truck to retrieve the boat from the storage yard in Rancho Cordova, CA.
When Pat and I stopped by to check the boat on our way back from Las Vegas in February, we discovered that the out-drive had come down and was now embedded in the blacktop.
The batteries were dead, so there was no way to do anything at that time.
Bill brought a new battery with us and after installing it, we had power but still no movement at the leg. It was about then that Alex, from the motorcycle shop next door, offered his assistance. He brought a small jumper battery as well, but discovered that it was a low hydraulic fluid issue, and he soon had it working fine.
We strapped the leg firmly in the up position, in preparation for the trip north.
Unfortunately, we were far from ready. I asked Alex to have a look at the surge brake on the trailer, as when I tried to remove the cap from the master cylinder, it crumbled in my hand. To make a long story short the trailer needed pretty much the whole brake system replaced. New master cylinder, 4 new wheel brakes assemblies, clean and flush the lines, new surge brake shocks, and even the tail lamps, which had corroded and blown the bulbs. Alex moved the boat and trailer over into his yard and began the work.
So, we had a couple of extra days to explore the Delta and show Bill some of my favorite watering holes. We did Old Sacramento,
our traditional Happy Hour at Crawdad's, and dinner at Hooters, as well as the drive down Hwy 160 along the Sacramento River to Rio Vista, and a short visit to Fosters Bighorn Bar.
We thought we might be ready to hit the road by late Thursday, but that turned into Friday morning, which proved to be 4:30 PM before we actually pulled away. The good part is that it was all done, and it all worked. With the late start, we just wanted to get through the Sac rush hour and out onto the quieter section of I-5. We drove a couple of hour or so, and called it a day at Red Bluff.
It was a good day but tiring as we'd been ready to go since morning but gremlins kept rearing their ugly heads. The hotel in Red Bluff was nice, a Super 8 run by a cordial couple who seemed intent on us having a quiet and restful night. They assured us that the truck and boat would be safe on the street and that they would keep watch throughout the night. Dinner at Denny's and that was it!
With that in mind, and the help of our friend Bill Hay, we set out in Bill's truck to retrieve the boat from the storage yard in Rancho Cordova, CA.
Bill brought a new battery with us and after installing it, we had power but still no movement at the leg. It was about then that Alex, from the motorcycle shop next door, offered his assistance. He brought a small jumper battery as well, but discovered that it was a low hydraulic fluid issue, and he soon had it working fine.
Unfortunately, we were far from ready. I asked Alex to have a look at the surge brake on the trailer, as when I tried to remove the cap from the master cylinder, it crumbled in my hand. To make a long story short the trailer needed pretty much the whole brake system replaced. New master cylinder, 4 new wheel brakes assemblies, clean and flush the lines, new surge brake shocks, and even the tail lamps, which had corroded and blown the bulbs. Alex moved the boat and trailer over into his yard and began the work.
So, we had a couple of extra days to explore the Delta and show Bill some of my favorite watering holes. We did Old Sacramento, 
We thought we might be ready to hit the road by late Thursday, but that turned into Friday morning, which proved to be 4:30 PM before we actually pulled away. The good part is that it was all done, and it all worked. With the late start, we just wanted to get through the Sac rush hour and out onto the quieter section of I-5. We drove a couple of hour or so, and called it a day at Red Bluff.