Kings River - Beware

[Pepe]

There is a lot of big timber at and just below the waterline. It has made it past Lost Island. We saw 2 boats that were damaged today (talked to one of them) and I hit several submerged logs at fast idle.

[Sac River Jim]

thnx for the heads up now i know i made the right decision not to fish th wednesday nighter out of the 39 bridge ramp.

[dtrs5kprs]

Those not quite floaters are nasty, especially if the wind gets up. Hope everyone uses some caution.

[abkeenan]

Those not quite floaters are nasty, especially if the wind gets up. Hope everyone uses some caution.

I wouldn't be caught dead running on plane in any river arm on TR right now. In the dam area I don't see the trash floating like the river guys here but 2 years ago while running out into the main lake from the mouth of Beardsley I just happen to catch a "not quite a floater" out of the corner of my eye and was able to shut it down and steer clear of it. It was just BARELY under the surface and bobbing perpendicular in the water. I pulled up next to it and drug it to the shore so nobody else would hit it. It was as big around as a telephone pole, about 5 feet long and completely water logged. Probably weighed in the neighborhood of 250lbs. It have no doubts it would have gone straight through the hull had I hit it on plane. Had I been running at night or low light conditions I doubt I ever would have seen it. It was a good lesson as to the hazards that can be just under the surface and a good reminder to pay attention at all times. Even more so in river arms and especially after washouts that push all the junk in the water. Stay safe.

[dtrs5kprs]

I wouldn't be caught dead running on plane in any river arm on TR right now. In the dam area I don't see the trash floating like the river guys here but 2 years ago while running out into the main lake from the mouth of Beardsley I just happen to catch a "not quite a floater" out of the corner of my eye and was able to shut it down and steer clear of it. It was just BARELY under the surface and bobbing perpendicular in the water. I pulled up next to it and drug it to the shore so nobody else would hit it. It was as big around as a telephone pole, about 5 feet long and completely water logged. Probably weighed in the neighborhood of 250lbs. It have no doubts it would have gone straight through the hull had I hit it on plane. Had I been running at night or low light conditions I double I ever would have seen it. It was a good lesson as to the hazards that can be just under the surface and a good reminder to pay attention at all times. Even more so in river arms and especially after washouts that push all the junk in the water. Stay safe.

Yep. Lots of them will be mostly submerged with maybe a single stick poking out of the water, and very hard to tell how long they are. The few sticks you see could be the root, the tip, or some part in between. Dangerous stuff. Bad timing for it too, with all the recreational boaters, casual boaters, infrequent boaters, and folks generally not familiar with the lake. I see a lot of folks from out of state running around like they are on a big MN lake.

Even the mid lake can get bad, have seen some very nasty ones around Baxter at times.

[fishinwrench]

I took in 4 V6 gearcase jobs in the last 3 days. They average 1100.00 per to repair (plus the prop work).

Another (Merc Opti) a short while back was a high speed impact with floating wood that barely nicked the prop....but busted the crankshaft. No visible gear or driveshaft damage and the guys insurance co. is NOT gonna pay. Can't blame them really...but what a bummer.

Do you just assume it was a weak crankshaft, replace the power head and trust those gears to not explode someday?

Tough call on that one.

[Champ188]

Mercury had a series of weak crankshafts that included 2004 Optis. I had one that snapped while running on plane during a derby on Beaver. Merc at first tried to say I hit something and needed to file insurance, but they eventually reneged and sent a beefed up replacement shaft under warranty that held up for 7 years until I traded it a couple of years ago.

[dtrs5kprs]

They had some weak drive shafts too. My '05 sheared one when I changed speeds at Baxter in 2006. Looked like it had been cut with a razor, no sign of impact on the motor. They did replace it under warranty without any hassles, other than shipping the wrong part first. It's been good for close to ten years, but I still cringe a little if I have to change speed suddenly to avoid traffic (read as avoid morons who don't know basic boating safety).

[Champ188]

I'm an idiot sometimes. Meant driveshaft, not crankshaft. Mine was a clean break, too, right above where it joined the gearcase.

[dtrs5kprs]

I'm an idiot sometimes. Meant driveshaft, not crankshaft. Mine was a clean break, too, right above where it joined the gearcase.

Yep. Heard all sorts of speculation about it. Weak metal, gear issue, etc. Who knows. All I know is it sure didn't look like one broken by impact, and the 116' or so of water under me in the middle of the White supported that part.