Taco my Taco !! That sucks!

[brokensheer]

I've seen people cut the section all the way through, slide another piece of aluminum on then weld the the sleeve on.

I think this works better if you can put the aluminum sleeve on the inside then grind/sand/polish the weld so it can't be seen

Best of luck

[Dads Dream]

*Fintan- good to hear from you man! I was humbled by this act of stupidity!! Argggghhh!

Brokensheer- I agree with you- that sounds like a clean/strong repair method

And thanks to GLENN W !! He hooked me up with the Taco Mothership. Called them @ 2pm today- referred to Taco Metals in TN; where I talked with their Warranty & Parts divisional manager

Ok, don't get too excited......I didn't try the old Warranty claim, rather, I left a message explaining exactly the part that was taco'd~

I get a call back in less than an hour~ top-notch staff ~ tells me it will be $60.00 for the replacement base section of outrigger~ they have 210# on hand in the same size/color~ just give me a c/card and address and she's going out in the mail today!

I said "Are you serious? This is great service!"

How cool is that!?? Thanks all for your help & input!

[clt_capt]

I said "Are you serious? This is great service!"

How cool is that!?? Thanks all for your help & input!

Great news. Glad it is working out so well. Bummer that it happened in the first place.

[nautiduck]

Not bad!! Even if you have the welder and all at home it would have set you back probably half that to buy the right sized pieces.

[Dads Dream]

Not bad!! Even if you have the welder and all at home it would have set you back probably half that to buy the right sized pieces.

That's what I was thinking too

Still waiting with fingers crossed that it'll arrive in Friday UPS delivery......

[badhabit]

Outriggers are made from a type of aluminum thats tempered ,welding on them would anneal (soften) the area around the weld ,to repair you would be better off sleaving and bolting or riviting ,of course your doing the best thing, replacing it ,I once left the launch ramp and forgot to lay down my antennas and remembered about 2 seconds before going under a overpass ,

[Avenger]

I once left the launch ramp and forgot to lay down my antennas and remembered about 2 seconds before going under a overpass ,

That's okay, they're self-lowering.

We did that with my friend's boat after his end of season haulout. Only it was trees. The lucky part for us was that it only broke the plastic base so it was an easy fix. The other lucky part was that it happened a few blocks away from the ramp so none of the spectators got a laugh.

We fish at one bridge quite often, and inevitably there's a few boats that go through that need about an extra foot of clearance. They bang the antenna on each girder. You'd think after the first one they'd lower it.... nah. Whack, whack, whack, whack, whack. I've never seen one break, but it must beat them up pretty good.

Okay, one more. This time about a guy who was way too careful with his antenna. We're fishing at a drawbridge. Some 'tard in a 25 foot express with a short marlin tower comes up and starts holding station at the bridge. Let me paint a picture: The boat looks like a Bertram knockoff, has twenty rods and shiny reels on it, orange poly-balls tied to the rails and is festooned with loads of other fishing paraphernalia. On the bow, in two foot letters "FISHFINDER". Clearly he fancies himself quite the fisherman, which is fine right up to this point. The highest part of the boat is probably ten feet off the water. The bridge clearance is over twenty feet. I can get my boat under it, hardtop, RADAR and all if I put the antennas and riggers down. This guy calls for an opening because he has one antenna that's maybe close. If this guy's such an avid fisherman, why would you waste all that time waiting for an opening when you could pull one antenna down and go fishing?

It was probably about six months later that the CG ruled that you couldn't get ego-based bridge openings anymore. I would have laughed my @$$ off to hear the bridge tell him to take down the stick or find another way around.

[Dads Dream]

This guy calls for an opening because he has one antenna that's maybe close. If this guy's such an avid fisherman, why would you waste all that time waiting for an opening when you could pull one antenna down and go fishing?

It was probably about six months later that the CG ruled that you couldn't get ego-based bridge openings anymore. I would have laughed my @$$ off to hear the bridge tell him to take down the stick or find another way around.[/QUOTE]

*Avenger-
LMAO....ok, ok, you caught me......

Cuz' I did something like that up here in the Piscataqua River (one of four big bridges to navigate)- this one is called the Sarah Long Bridge (carries old Rt 1 from NH into Maine) At high tide its maybe 9-10' but there's a channel with a rairoad section that slides out and it's almost always open (like 95% of the time)

Well, I'm tooling down the river- tuna rods up in the t-top- outriggers straight back but fully extended- rods everywhere else- radio antennas up...

I look like a freakin porcupine, right?

And it's one of those 5% times....mid afternoon in the early fall....it's high tide...the railroad section is shut....

Like I matter to anyone, right?

I hail the bridge on 16, get no response

Hail CG on 16, explain the situation- they advise me to call them on the landline

They give me bridge control phone number

On the 10th or 11th ring....bridge control picks up....and bluntly tell me to put every rod/pole/rigger/antenna in the down position....and proceed through....ha, ha.....much bigger boats have already gone through here.....

And so ended another humbling experience....I still have a lot to learn...

[Avenger]

It's one thing to ask (and be willing to accept a "no") if you're going to have to spend twenty minutes to clear all your gear. We've still got guys around here who call for, and get, openings for outriggers, which is technically illegal. But ol' Fishfinder was just so over-the-top that it was a hysterical exercise in chest-thumping. Arrrgh, arrrgh, arrrgh!

Timing never works out this way, but it would have been funny to roll past, looking down at him from my boat which has almost a 20 ft air draft and scoot under the bridge while he was waiting for his opening. However, we were in my buddy's boat at the time and could only point and laugh.

[Nauti Natured]

[QUOTE=Dads Dream;403029
**Anybody else out there with funny/sick stories about witnessing riggers getting tweaked on the bridges~ docks~ you name it!???**[/QUOTE]

Hah ... sorry capm. Although misery loves company I can not comiserate on that one. However .... I have almost killed myself and numerous bystanders time and time again when the students come back in town in Chapel Hill every year. I am telling you, it feels like someone is playing a practical joke on you....... one after another in the tiniest little outfits you have ever seen.