I went through three props on my ski boat this summer. Prior to this summer, I’d never even changed the prop. My prop had always been a little beaten up, but I didn’t realize how nice a new prop felt until I changed it over the Fourth of July Weekend. I finally changed it because it became so damaged, I could hardly pull a tube behind the boat because of the vibration.
The new prop was sort of like having a new boat. Of course, as things are in life, once I realized how nice it was to have a good prop, I can no longer stand to have one that’s less than perfect. I’ve decided I will not longer suffer through even the slightest vibration I perceive as being related to a damaged prop.
Since I changed the prop on the Fourth, I’ve had to change it two more times. I actually messed up the one on the Fourth within 30 minutes of having it replaced after hitting some rocks near my camping spot. The damage wasn’t too bad, so I did suffer the vibration for the rest of the holiday weekend, as I was too embarrassed to call for repairs again so quickly. I did have it replaced before I went back out a couple of weeks later, and managed to tear two out of the three blades off the new prop on that outing.
The water in Lake Ouachita was low that day, and there was an unmarked shallow area in the middle of the lake. We were cruising very slowly in the lake and had no warning. Even Patti said it wasn’t my fault. My fault or not, it took us two hours to get back to the dock, as we could go no faster than idle, or the boat would have shook itself apart. We were east of the dock, so we let the kids drive and I sat on the back deck watching the sun set. It was very nice, all things considered.
Last week, I took the boat out with the new prop and suffered no damage. I drove very carefully and was lucky enough not to hit any low spots. The boat ran like a champion.
My oldest son went back to college last weekend and my Razorback tickets arrived in the mail yesterday. If I hadn’t recognized the fact that the summer was over, William’s departure and the arrival of the tickets two weeks before the first game certainly highlighted that fact for me. I like fall as much as anyone, but I already miss summer. As much as I like football season, I like summer more.
I figure, at most, I have two or three trips to the lake left in me before I have to winterize the boat. Even this prediction seems a little generous. I figure there’s a fifty/fifty shot I don’t get out there again. I hope I’m wrong.
As it stands, my prop is still in good shape and the boat is ready to go. If I don’t get out there and enjoy myself, it’s my own fault. Like driving around the lake with a damaged prop, much of the “suffering” we do in life is of our own making. So often, changing the “damaged props” in our lives can make things run smoother for us.
Many things in life are the same way. We just have to recognize the little things we can do to make our lives better and then do them. We can all make our lives a little better with an adjustment here and there. That’s true for everybody, especially those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS!
Bill James is a co-founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway and Fayetteville, Arkansas. His primary area of practice is criminal defense. He can be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com