Maiden voyage of the SS Grey Beard

Jeff and I took the newly made over Grumman boat for a ride this afternoon on the Grand River in Portland. Other than testing it for leaks, this is the first time I've had it in the water. Our goal was to run the motor, do a check of the electronics, test live wells, test trolling motor and get a feel for how the boat will handle and how it will work for how we fish. The launch went smoothly, the motor started good but ran rough on the idle. When we got into deeper water, it jumped right up on plane and handled excellent. It rode smooth and cornered well. The trolling motor is adequate but the 48" shaft is a little short so I will switch it for a 54" shaft power drive I bought yesterday. The live wells worked perfectly.

The more we ran the Force 50, the better it ran, both top end and idling. We filled both life wells with water and were running into a steady wind and it hit 24 mph. Not Steve Ash fast but fast enough for us. Loading it on the trailer went so/so, I'm used to loading on a roller trailer trailer. but once we've done it a few times it will get better.

Overall our test run was a roaring success, we didn't sink and didn't have to get pulled back to the dock. Next trip will involve some fishing. Here's a few pictures of our adventure.