For the Boys

 














  Last November I had the uncommon foresight to send down my gurdies for a complete overhaul. They had gotten so bad that I was unable to pull in the trolling lines without physically helping the wire wind on to the reels.  The forward gurdy is supposed to haul up a fifty pound cannon ball plus all the other gear and the after gurdy is used to pull in a thirty five pound cannonball as well as a float bag and all the gear.  According to the doctor I have a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder, so man handling this gear on board isn't really an option. In any event, I sent these gurdies down to Oregon to D R Machine. The owner, Dennis Rush has a reputation for doing a good job working on troll gurdies. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw them. As you can see, they're like brand new- only better. I'm really pleased with the work he did. The boys have been wanting to see a picture of these since I got them back, so fella's this one's for you. Hope you get a chance to try them out soon.

Comments

  1. AutumnApril 18, 2013 at 10:48 AM

    Glad they're better! Hope this makes it easier for you!

    ReplyDelete
  2. brianApril 18, 2013 at 1:39 PM

    Thanks for the picture dad. Yeah those look nothing like they were. I can't wait to try them out. Soon if all goes well. Take care dad.

    ReplyDelete
  3. T B BottsApril 18, 2013 at 1:52 PM

    Hi Autumn- I'm quite certain it will be many times easier to get the gear up and down. A person can't afford to fight with his equipment when you count on it for a living.

    Hi Brian- they look like brand new. I'm still working out the bugs trying to get everything mounted. I'm going to re-do all the hydraulic hoses too. They've been there since 95 so I guess an overhaul is long overdue. Thanks for commenting.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousApril 18, 2013 at 2:32 PM

    Damn ..like christmas time on the Bonnie J. They're really spectacular dad..I'm very impressed..Like Brian..I can't wait to try them out as well. I may never leave the cockpit... Thanks for posting this for us. Thanks for the CD;s too...They're great...Candace almost cried and said how thoughtful!..Thanks again for everything..I'll ge Brian his CD.

    ReplyDelete
  5. JillEApril 18, 2013 at 8:05 PM

    I'm glad you're happy with the work Dennis did - I always appreciate craftsmen who take pride in the work they do. And I hope having them fixed will give your poor shoulder a break!

    ReplyDelete
  6. T B BottsApril 19, 2013 at 2:07 PM

    Hi Ben- yeah, they're really sweet. I'm going down today to mount the other one, then on Monday I'll talk to Dave at Tideland about setting me up with new hydraulic hoses. I hope I live long enough to enjoy all the improvements. I hope you all enjoy the CD's. Some of the songs I think you'll like, some I'm not sure. Anyway, I wanted you to have something that I enjoy so much. Take care.

    Hi Jill- You would not believe what a difference there is in what I sent down to fix and what came back. I so admire craftsmen. Dennis likes what he does and it shows. It's hard to believe that that kind of character used to be typical in the United States. I hope we can return to a similar work ethic soon. My shoulder may not be 100%, but having the gurdies working well will sure help. It will definitely be an attitude adjustment for the better too. Thanks for commenting gal.

    ReplyDelete
  7. AnonymousApril 19, 2013 at 3:26 PM

    The old fella I bought fish with for several years for PFI was a hand troller. If he ever complained, it was about his forearms cramping up but he always liked to advertise that Midol was Made for Men, which was what he used to ease the muscle tension. Funny, your picture reminded me of Dreamboat Bill. Had you ever met, neither of you would have made it out of the harbor for all the storytelling.

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousApril 20, 2013 at 4:42 PM

    Thanks for the c.d. dad, I have not listened to it yet but will when I get a minute.Love you.Liz

    ReplyDelete
  9. T B BottsApril 21, 2013 at 3:54 PM

    Hi Renee- Sounds like someone I would like to meet. I've never heard of using Midol, but If things don't improve soon, I may have to give it a try.

    Hi Liz- you're welcome. Hope you like it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Sick Pack

Image
      Jen came for a visit the other night. Apparently she had picked up a cold when she went to Juneau last week. Nothing like being crammed into a confined space with hundreds of other folks to test the old immune system. I hadn't seen much of her recently so I kind of wanted to talk to her and show her what I was doing with the new book and get some input. I knew that she was sick, so before she arrived I grabbed out a large bottle of Cran-raspberry juice for her to take home. I guess it's full of vitamin C or some such thing. Then I got to thinking, maybe I should get a mask for her to wear so I  don't catch her cold. She thought that was funny, but she didn't wear it, maybe because it was a dust mask like you'd use when sanding sheet rock and not one like doctors and nurses wear. I guess if a doctor wanted to do a little construction around his house he'd have a ready store of surgical supplies on hand and wouldn't have to worry
Read more

Clear but Cold

Image
Behind Lumbago Way Frozen mud flats Spud Creek's frozen     For most of the three weeks that I was in Juneau for jury duty, the weather was clear and very cold. For the better part of the first week I knew it was clear, but we couldn't see the blue sky above because of fog. It was so severe that the commercial jets were forced to fly over Juneau and of course there were no small commuter flights between Juneau and the outlying areas, which meant no mail or freight that would normally be sent via airplanes. Jan always gets a little claustrophobic when it gets like that. It's a terrible feeling to think that you can't get out of here if you need to. When I finally got back home, I decided to go out and get a few pictures of the mud flats that surround Garteeni Creek. The creek itself was still flowing somewhat and the Mallards and Canadian Honkers were availing themselves of whatever there was to eat in the stream. I've heard stories of ducks being froz
Read more

Street Art or Pornography?

Image
  This past ten days or so, all of my kids have been visiting, as well as grandchildren and great grandchildren. To say the least, it's been hectic. I wanted to spend a little time with my older son before he had to leave, so we decided to drive around and look for a spot to go fishing. As we were driving outside the neighborhood, we came across several considerable pot holes in the street. One is located right in the center of the road, making it almost impossible to miss. I was cursing the borough for not getting around to fixing them, as they have been a problem for the better part of a year. He,  in full agreement remarked, " down in Ketchikan, people got tired of complaining to the city council, so they started painting penises in front of the holes." "Are you kidding me?" "Nope. They had plenty of time to fix things, but our complaints fell on deaf ears, so some folks decided to take matters in their own hands. It worked too. Pretty soon the city was
Read more