K Dock Marina

[Sam]

I want to give a glowing report and recommendation to the owners of K Dock Marina, Scott and Judy Hansen. They really treated me right this past week.

I went with a partner walleye fishing early Wednesday morning. The Highway K launch ramp is underwater and closed, so we intended to launch off the side of the now flooded "low road" that leads to the ramp. Arriving there, though, I found that my boat trailer had a smoking-hot wheel and that the wheel bearings and retaining nut were completely missing on that side. The axle spindle was torn up, and there was nothing holding that wheel on but the weight of the boat and trailer. I don't know why the wheel didn't come off and cause all kinds of damage. Lucky.

Having watched MacGyver a few times, I made a wheel bearing of sorts out of a roll of black electrical tape from my tool box and a hose clamp I borrowed from the folks at K Dock Marina. That held well enough to launch the boat, and I wanted to get the boat off the trailer - I figured since we were there we might as well go fishing. We went ahead and had a short trip, we trolled and caught some walleyes and crappie though by that time we didn't get on the water early. We left the boat trailer there by the lake overnight.

I rented a boat slip at K Dock Marina and left the boat there for three nights. They were about full up and had all their slips reserved for the upcoming holiday, but they were able move things around and find a slip for my boat to help me out. Since we were leaving the boat, they even loaned me a bucket to take our fish home!

Next morning, I went there with my flatbed trailer and ramps and brought the boat trailer home. As things often work, that repair isn't going to be as easy as you'd think. My axle, and the spindles, are oddball sizes and absolutely not available anywhere except by having them custom-made. I've got an oversize spindle on order now out of Colorado and when it arrives it will have to be turned down on a lathe then welded onto the axle, so I won't be fishing for a few days. We'll get her fixed, though.

Yesterday, two friends and I went back there with the flatbed trailer and brought my boat home. I returned the bucket and the hose clamps that had been loaned to me by K Dock Marina and, on their own, they gave me a big discount on the boat slip rental off their regular rate. They said they knew I was having some expense fixing my boat trailer so they knocked a bunch off the rent.

I can't say enough good about the Hansens and the way they run K Dock Marina. They really helped me out when I had trouble, and that means a lot. I'm going to give them all the business I can, and last year when I got blown off the water by a storm I found out they put out a real good breakfast, too. K Dock Marina (417) 334-2880, www.kdockmarina.com.

Oh, p.s. - yesterday a bank fisherman saw the three of us wading, pushing my bass boat onto a flat bed trailer. He came over grinning and asked "Are y'all from Arkansas?". Any friends from the Natural State reading this, I'm sorry for telling that story, but ...... you know.

[rps]

Now why would he assume you were from my state?

[Sam]

Now why would he assume you were from my state?

Gee, I dunno. After all, I'm the one with a wheel bearing made from electrical tape.

I may just haul and launch my boat from an 18' flat bed trailer with a couple of big yellow tie-down straps from now on. That worked out easy and it's got a certain style to it - individuality, ya might say.