Re: Daly River 2018
Posted: Thu Aug 09, 2018 11:20 am
Who doesn’t like having a new toy to play with? A recent upgrade to a new outboard for my old boat had me excited and itching to put a few hours on it.
The method of using hours of run time for marine, aircraft and stationary engines is a long established way of monitoring an engines use for servicing and potential wear, distance traveled does not apply. I think many urban based cars should also be monitored this way given the time stuck in traffic and stop start use.
The new donk started at the touch of the key and was so quiet at idle that the splash of the tell-tale was the loudest sound, a few minutes of warm up and the boat was underway heading downstream from the Wooliana ramp. I estimated meeting a rising spring tide somewhere near Alligator Head, this would allow me to navigate the lower section of the river around Palmerston Island fairly easily.
Gently purring along at the recommended rev range for breaking in the new motor was going to take several hours for the trip, I had all day and plenty of fuel and supplies on board. The river is nearing its lowest flow rate and is shallow with many of its hidden obstacles being revealed, an ideal opportunity to plot a course on the GPS and mark a few things.
There was only two other trailers at the ramp when I launched, there would be a few other boats on the river from the caravan parks dotted along the river. As I picked my way through the Browns creek bend I noted some of the heavier snags had scars made by props and skegs.
The water was reasonable clear and it was interesting to see and note eddies and back flows of the river as I motored along at a pace slower than the boat would plane at. There was a cluster of small boats at Charlie’s Creek, most were bait fishing with one bloke casting at the mouth of the creek, they waved as I passed giving them a wide berth, they were living the dream I thought to myself.
Motoring along the Golden Mile the water had changed to a weak coffee colour and had a bit of flotsam and jetsam in it, I was able to up the rev range a bit and get the old girl on the plane. The two trailer boats from the ramp where at Kangaroo Rock that was clearly visible, trolling the upstream section waiting for the tide to turn I expected.
At the S bends the snags were also like the ones at Browns creek, bearing the scars of contact with metal, I wondered how many bits of props and legs where on the bottom of this wild river.
The tide was slowing and about to turn as I passed Elizabeth Creek, no boats and I was not likely to see another for the remainder of my trip, the run up to Alligator Head was fairly quick with a stiff breeze on my stern and a few more revs on the tacho, the tide was pushing in hard by the time I reached Clear Creek, I pulled into the creek for a smoko and a leak, the water in the creek mouth was the colour of chocolate.
There was quite a chop on the stretch down to Palmerston Island, tide verses wind makes for uncomfortable and a bit wet boating, but I was on a mission.
I took another break behind the island and checked the fuel and GPS readings before heading back upstream, the engine was a delight to use, smooth and quiet with considerable more grunt than its predecessor, but I felt it could run a bigger prop.
The trip back to the ramp was quicker with the tide and the ability to have a few more revs at hand. I didn’t see another boat until I was upstream of Brown’s.
The first 6hrs of run time on the donk, a couple more runs like this and it will be ready for its first service and be run in and ready for the coming wet.
As I retrieved the boat at the ramp I reflected on earlier times in this boat when its first of four motors was on it 30 years ago and I made similar trips fishing, I remembered having the same experience and excitement of a wild river all to myself.
The method of using hours of run time for marine, aircraft and stationary engines is a long established way of monitoring an engines use for servicing and potential wear, distance traveled does not apply. I think many urban based cars should also be monitored this way given the time stuck in traffic and stop start use.
The new donk started at the touch of the key and was so quiet at idle that the splash of the tell-tale was the loudest sound, a few minutes of warm up and the boat was underway heading downstream from the Wooliana ramp. I estimated meeting a rising spring tide somewhere near Alligator Head, this would allow me to navigate the lower section of the river around Palmerston Island fairly easily.
Gently purring along at the recommended rev range for breaking in the new motor was going to take several hours for the trip, I had all day and plenty of fuel and supplies on board. The river is nearing its lowest flow rate and is shallow with many of its hidden obstacles being revealed, an ideal opportunity to plot a course on the GPS and mark a few things.
There was only two other trailers at the ramp when I launched, there would be a few other boats on the river from the caravan parks dotted along the river. As I picked my way through the Browns creek bend I noted some of the heavier snags had scars made by props and skegs.
The water was reasonable clear and it was interesting to see and note eddies and back flows of the river as I motored along at a pace slower than the boat would plane at. There was a cluster of small boats at Charlie’s Creek, most were bait fishing with one bloke casting at the mouth of the creek, they waved as I passed giving them a wide berth, they were living the dream I thought to myself.
Motoring along the Golden Mile the water had changed to a weak coffee colour and had a bit of flotsam and jetsam in it, I was able to up the rev range a bit and get the old girl on the plane. The two trailer boats from the ramp where at Kangaroo Rock that was clearly visible, trolling the upstream section waiting for the tide to turn I expected.
At the S bends the snags were also like the ones at Browns creek, bearing the scars of contact with metal, I wondered how many bits of props and legs where on the bottom of this wild river.
The tide was slowing and about to turn as I passed Elizabeth Creek, no boats and I was not likely to see another for the remainder of my trip, the run up to Alligator Head was fairly quick with a stiff breeze on my stern and a few more revs on the tacho, the tide was pushing in hard by the time I reached Clear Creek, I pulled into the creek for a smoko and a leak, the water in the creek mouth was the colour of chocolate.
There was quite a chop on the stretch down to Palmerston Island, tide verses wind makes for uncomfortable and a bit wet boating, but I was on a mission.
I took another break behind the island and checked the fuel and GPS readings before heading back upstream, the engine was a delight to use, smooth and quiet with considerable more grunt than its predecessor, but I felt it could run a bigger prop.
The trip back to the ramp was quicker with the tide and the ability to have a few more revs at hand. I didn’t see another boat until I was upstream of Brown’s.
The first 6hrs of run time on the donk, a couple more runs like this and it will be ready for its first service and be run in and ready for the coming wet.
As I retrieved the boat at the ramp I reflected on earlier times in this boat when its first of four motors was on it 30 years ago and I made similar trips fishing, I remembered having the same experience and excitement of a wild river all to myself.