# New boats ????



## Dang Dawg (Jan 14, 2013)

We had a little "Set back" yesterday day.

After a 1 1/2 hour drive in the thick fog still black as sin we pulled into the dirt boat ramp on the Missouri River. The thermometer on the truck said 4*. Rafts of slush ice flowed past us at the ramp. A few whacks with a spud bar broke most of the ice OFF the dirt bank we were using as a ramp, the strong currant flushed it away. We backed into the black water, the boat instantly froze to the carpet-covered bunks, first thing this spring we will put on roller bunks. We had the air-cooled motor running wail we loaded and got the boat ready, still running in the water. I helped the motor get the boat broke free and about ready to turn it loose. it died. We hit the key and it would not turn...

Dang, we drug it out, trying to jump it off the trolling motor, no good.

Upon the flat, we un hooked and mover the truck around and put the jumper cables on it and let it charge for an hour. it fired right up and we got it in the water and off we go the sky was light by then we felt good. About 5 miles upstream it stumbled and stopped running, and the batter was dead as it can get. it is an EFI motor and the computer will not let it run or charge if there is no battery.

This battery is buried in the bowels of the boat and extremely hard to get to. We could not get the other battery into its spot and the cables were too short, jumper cables would not stay hooked up.

Now what? We walked back to the truck and got the truck battery that would fit and walked back with it and some proper tools. About noon now and it had warmed up to about 25*. We drove the boat back to the ramp put it on the bank put the truck battery back in, put the trailer in the water then wrestled the boat in to the trailer and hand-winched it up. WOW, what a hunting trip. Unloaded our gear out of the boat, and home. Here there are no "Mud buddy" dealers or workshops. We found a place that checked the charging system and battery. It is charging fine but the New batter with under 10 hours on it was junk. We got two battery's one for starting the other is for trolling, lights, and fox pro but it WILL fit in as a backup for the starting system. "MUD BUDDY" Wii be paying for a new battery, but we are back up and running for the morning...


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## kiyote (Jun 15, 2014)

gotta love those trips , they help you appriciate the good ones.


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## azpredatorhunter (Jul 24, 2012)

Air boats/mud boats are for ☀????swamps????... you need a cross between a snowmobile and a hovercraft. I do admire your determination to hunt ????????


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## Dang Dawg (Jan 14, 2013)

Had an airboat. This is our second mud boat. They work soooo good for what we do.

Not a lot of good roads in to the kind of country we hunt, but some have water assess, with the right boat.



















This is the "Right Boat"


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## knapper (Feb 5, 2010)

I built a hovercraft and it ran pretty good except in the wind. Took it up to Fairbanks and was going to hunt caribou one day many years ago. We had snow on the ground and the river had ice floating down it. We launch it and everything is going good, skimming over the river and then up a smaller river the was mostly frozen. The snow and terrain was not much of a problem but, the terrain was getting steeper in places and the show deeper. Long story short, I lost it that day and had to be rescued by the State troopers. I went in a few days latter and found holes in the bottom and the skirt torn loose. The bildg pump was frozen and used some of the skin from the top to cover the holes. Headed down river it filled with water and had to get rescued again by a short field plane. I was never ever to retreive and it got washed down the river to a big hole someplace. I heard that the only boat that had gone up there that year was an air boat and the guy running almost lost had son on that trip.


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## glenway (Mar 27, 2011)

No doubt, one of the most determined outdoorsmen around.


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