Devotion 7: Up The River and Only One Paddle

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12,
"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind you own business and to work with your hands, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

I have a long history with boats and outboards. It's not a very good history and I think the reason may be that I try to buy boats and motors that were manufactured as close to my date of birth as possible. In other words I buy junk and expect them to work like new, high dollar, bass rigs. It never, ever, happens.

I've become accustomed to this. It's the norm for me to have to shoot starter fluid into the engine to get it to fire and run. It's the norm for me to have to take a boat motor to a mechanic and sheepishly say, "I don't know what happened it was running fine last year."

Now, I have this friend I met a few years ago when I was a duck hunter. This man can take apart any boat motor while hanging on the transom in the middle of winter and get it running using a safety pin and duct tape. He is truly a genius. He is also one of the most genuine, unassuming people I have ever met. A TRUE gentleman in every sense of the word.

My latest boat motor is a fairly new 1968 model - 20hp manual start. The first time I took it out it ran hot. The second time I hit a rock and broke the shear pin. Then the lower unit started to leak so I asked my friend what I needed to do to reseal it. He said something like, "It's easy, all you have to do is.....and all you need is a....." (Now understand I have a hammer and a pair of pliers and starter fluid). So I gently asked him if he would reseal it. The next thing I knew he had put another, better, lower unit on and I was good to go. Twenty bucks for parts....no labor.

Now it's a good motor as far as outboards go and I see a lot of potential. So much so that I bought an electric starter for it. I called my friend for advice on how to install the starter and he said something like, "It's easy, all you have to do is..and you need a....." OK, so I gently ask him if he would consider installing it. He agreed and brought back this custom job that looks factory (for a 1968 model). Fired up first time he hit the starter button - forty bucks for parts, no labor. I was ecstatic and could not wait to hit the river. Finally another friend and I took off Saturday morning for a warmwater fishing trip in the Perfect Drift with the electric starter. Boat loaded, trailer backed into the water, anticipation high - I hit the starter and it wouldn't turn over -nothing, again and again. Out comes the starter fluid - nothing. I know without a doubt that I have broken the motor somehow. We spend the rest of the day using the trolling motor. It pays to have understanding fishing partners...

The next day I spend two hours doing what little I knew to get this motor running (more starter fluid). No success so I go on eBay to see about how much another motor will cost. I shut down eBay. So, last resort I call my boat mechanic genius friend. He laughs and says something like, "I'll be right over." Being the genius that he is he brings tools and proceeds to break down the carburetor where we find the gunk causing the problem. He runs home where he happens to have a rebuild kit for the carb - comes back and proceeds to rebuild the carburetor on my garage floor while we catch up on life. I help by not touching anything. All the pieces go back together and the motor once again fires the first time, no charge.

This man's family obviously came from Thessalonia and heard Paul's words and took them to heart. It became a genetic thing passed from generation to generation. Had to, no other explanation. I can not tell you how much respect I have for this guy. He does all this and just walks away with a big smile telling me how much he enjoys working on motors - like I gave him some huge gift by begging him to fix my piece of junk. What a friend.

This may be my last post. Say a prayer. Today we take the Perfect Drift back to the river for another trip. I have faith. It's not a bad motor....