Check your nuts....!!

[motocross269]

I was running in from the mile roads today and could feel my boat breaking loose occasionally and building revs....I thought I may be bumping some underwater floaters or maybe losing my hub...It wasn't anything really significant but I knew something wasn't quite right...
I put the boat on the trailer and as I did a walk around I grabbed the prop and noticed the prop was a little loose...I grabbed my prop wrench and my prop nut was just about finger loose...I run a Flo torq hub and when I pulled the prop it didn't appear to be damaged so I put everything back together and torqued it down....I am going to get a new hub just to be safe and use my old one as a back up...
I think the prop nut was just loose...I had my boat winterized by a marina this year and they may have pulled the prop off and checked the shaft and not torqued the nut down...Either way before I launch again I am going to grab my wrenchs and check every bolt and nut on the motor including the seastar linkage....I did all of that last year before I put it away so I thought I was good to go...I guess not...(I didn't check the prop nut last year before storage so it may be on me but I have never had an issue)
Better safe than sorry...Don't want to ruin a good day by losing a prop or worse yet dropping my motor on the bottom of Lake St Clair...It only takes 5 mins to run a wrench over the motor mounts and prop nut...

[Redbone]

Good call. I actually just did that with my trolling motor. I better go to the back of the boat and do the same.

[djkimmel]

Always good advice. Check the bolts every single time you get off the water from a long and/or rough ride.

[LipRip]

I did this yesterday afternoon. Found the nut to the right side of my steering bar was backed off a 1/4"!

[peters_skeeter]

I checked my trolling motor screws and 50% of them were loose. Wouldn't want that thing flying off when you hit a wave. 

[bigjc]

Always good advice. Check the bolts every single time you get off the water from a long and/or rough ride.

Great advice, but it takes a great deal of discipline to get into that habit.  I venture to guess that hardly anyone takes such precautions.

[djkimmel]

You would probably be correct. That also might explain why we have a few outboards go bye-bye out there every year too!

[bassfan586]

I had checked my jack plate bolts one year after a rough day on lsc.  2 were finger tight!  Now I check  after every trip:-)

[djkimmel]

I like to hear that. Better than finding out the hard way!

[bigjc]

During the normal season, I keep a torque wrench in my Pick up.

[Fishmael]

I did this and found my wife was attempting to keep them in her purse...good thing you put out the reminder.  I have them back now.  Thanks!