Havasu

I have had an issue with the Champ for some time.  My RMP's and MPH have been noticeably down.  Having taken it to several mechanics each had a different opinion as to what the cause might be.  However, each time all checked out well.  I understand that my boat and motor are getting a little older now and how nature takes its toll on them but, and I say but, she has been well maintained over the years, which helps a great deal in adding to their life expectancy.

That being said I contacted Al's Outboard Service in Lake Havasu City since they came highly recommended and after talking to Al himself I decided to take it to him for a look.  So on March 12, 2011 I dropped the boat off.  I met Al that Saturday morning as he opened and he spent several hours talking to me about my boat and of course telling be about his and his late fathers company history.  I can't say enough about Al or his company except that he is a stand up guy and as far as I am concerned he knows what he's talking about.

Well, I forgot to mention it was Spring Break in Havasu.  Need I say more.  Well maybe a little.  I stayed at the Days Inn as I usually do.  Now the Day's Inn loves to have anglers stay there and they usually go out of their way to make sure we have a marked spot to park our boats right outside our rooms.  And in times like Spring Break they keep the anglers and the party goers at a comfortable distance.  However when I arrived they had mistakenly booked me to a room that was already reserved.  That's right I ended up in party world!  The first night the noise stopped around 4:00AM.  I slept for 2 hours.  The next night, having been unable to get a different room, it was 3:30 AM before all were passed out.  I got 3 hours sleep. Exhausted!

Well on April 1, 2011 I returned to pick up my boat and like usual I stayed at the Day's Inn.  This time when I walked in they said it could be noisy again since they had a Tattoo event in town. But at least I was in the quieter section of the motel.  I told them I'd be OK with the tattoo crowd and I have to say that it was pretty peaceful and I didn't miss any sleep.

Back to the boat.  On Thursday I received a call from Al.  He began by telling me he was sorry...I felt my bank account get sucked dry and I stopped breathing......but as he continued, Al was sorry, he could not find a thing wrong with the motor.  I started breathing again.

After getting back to pick up the boat and again spending several hours with Al telling me about my motor I left with a clean bill of health that I had a healthy strong motor with several suggestions about changing the set-up, etc.

So, now at least knowing that the motor is in great condition, I'll be making some setup changed to compensate for the bad gasoline we now have compared even to the gas of a few years ago and understand what adding a 36 volt 109 lb thrust trolling motor and extra battery will do to bow lift and overall performance.  Not to mention understanding the impact of all the weight of the gear we think we need to carry for a tournament and most time only use a small percentage of what we bring.

Time to clean house!