TIM WEBB wrote:Aw, man, what a drag! The H2 owners manual, as well as other O/B manuals, strongly suggests using a safety line from motor to boat, and the H2 even provides a place on the motor mount to tie it to.
Lesson learned the hard way I guess ... <8~O
Been sailing since '85 and have always tethered my motor to my boat, usually in the form of a chain and lock. The darndest thing is, I had just changed out the old wood for a new piece for the motor mount. To add insult to injury, my first thought when the motor hit the water, was to to find something to mark the place the motor went in, being a new to me boat, I grabbed the anchor and rope that came with the boat, gave it a little toss and the rope broke and the anchor was deep 6th as well.
But wait there more!! Someone that knew me was just passing by in his-got to be a million dollar new competition bass boat, you know the kind that has the outboard that's bigger than life and those spud pole things on the back. He used his 80 foot side scan sonar and circled around for a while thinking if the motor had heat it might show......it had just started, so I doubted it would. Anyway he volunteered to tow me back the dock (oh the shame of it for a sailboat to be towed). Anyway, as he was pulling out...........the tow rope promptly went around his prop! I guess when you have a $23000 boat motor, it knows that a rope is around the prop and thank goodness it stopped the motor with no harm......except for me having to dive down and untangle the mess.
But did I tell you guys? I did have a great sail........just a bad motoring back to the dock.