Proud father moments

[nnnnnate]

Last time we were at Powell I drove the houseboat and it was...interesting. We had the boat tethered and in tow and on our way back to the marina in the channel it became untethered. Didn't see that for a long while and despite there being plenty of other boats around nobody tried to notify us. We got back to it before waves pushed it into the rocks. Then it was pretty windy back at the marina trying to get the houseboat slotted back in between a couple other boats. I was doing fine but everyone else on the boat was losing their minds telling me to watch this or don't hit that. I had had enough time by then to figure out how to steer with the two sticks rather than the wheel.

Now you've got me thinking of Lake Powell and I want to go. Except there isn't much water.

 

[benjy]

Gotta love new bike day, 1st birthday. Little guy was stoked, he’s been wanting to push around on it all week

 

[Houndoc]

Last time we were at Powell I drove the houseboat and it was...interesting. We had the boat tethered and in tow and on our way back to the marina in the channel it became untethered. Didn't see that for a long while and despite there being plenty of other boats around nobody tried to notify us. We got back to it before waves pushed it into the rocks. Then it was pretty windy back at the marina trying to get the houseboat slotted back in between a couple other boats. I was doing fine but everyone else on the boat was losing their minds telling me to watch this or don't hit that. I had had enough time by then to figure out how to steer with the two sticks rather than the wheel.

Now you've got me thinking of Lake Powell and I want to go. Except there isn't much water.

Still plenty of water to have fun!
Luckily nothing more than a light breeze for us, which helped.
And we made a point of checking often that our boat was still securely behind us.

 

[Tonkaman]

This year was the first time we did Lake Powell with a house boat (although have been going regularly since 1970.)
When I caught up in the boat, I was surprised to find out it was my daughters co-piloting (one driving, one navigating.) We ended up letting my 22 year old basically become captain for the week, including beaching and docking at the fuel dock.

View attachment 149751

That’s awesome! Maneuvering a house boat is no easy task, especially at the fuel docks. Was the water level an issue? Is the extended boat ramp complete?

Last time we were at Powell I drove the houseboat and it was...interesting. We had the boat tethered and in tow and on our way back to the marina in the channel it became untethered. Didn't see that for a long while and despite there being plenty of other boats around nobody tried to notify us. We got back to it before waves pushed it into the rocks. Then it was pretty windy back at the marina trying to get the houseboat slotted back in between a couple other boats. I was doing fine but everyone else on the boat was losing their minds telling me to watch this or don't hit that. I had had enough time by then to figure out how to steer with the two sticks rather than the wheel.

Now you've got me thinking of Lake Powell and I want to go. Except there isn't much water.

There is nothing more stressful than the houseboat drifting in the wind. It’s enough to ruin a good week if the last day is a windy one

 

[anderson750]

Jack receiving a scholarship from the Kurt Caselli foundation.

 

[Tonkaman]

Jack receiving a scholarship from the Kurt Caselli foundation. View attachment 149827

That kid is really putting in work 👍

 

[Houndoc]

That’s awesome! Maneuvering a house boat is no easy task, especially at the fuel docks. Was the water level an issue? Is the extended boat ramp complete?



There is nothing more stressful than the houseboat drifting in the wind. It’s enough to ruin a good week if the last day is a windy one

The Bullfrog north ramp (over by the marina store) is open, even able to launch houseboats.

Other than that, in my opinion is all the lower water does is change which rocks you have to avoid hitting.

 

[Tonkaman]

The Bullfrog north ramp (over by the marina store) is open, even able to launch houseboats.

Other than that, in my opinion is all the lower water does is change which rocks you have to avoid hitting.

Great feedback, thanks.

 

[UNSTUCK]

So true. Doesn’t matter how deep or shallow the water is there will always be rocks just under the water.
I always just stare at my depth gauge while there. Drove me nuts seeing it go from 400+ feet to 20 feet in an instant.

 

[Gravy]

Last Saturday we rode up this stuff and I'm so proud- it's hard enough to make my wife cry a little, but the boy's clutch was slipping on the steep stuff.

So today he learned to do a clutch.

I'm told we might want pull some of the ball bearings out of the auto clutch so it grabs at a higher RPM and hits a little harder. We'll see after some testing.

 

[Tonkaman]

Last Saturday we rode up this stuff and I'm so proud- it's hard enough to make my wife cry a little, but the boy's clutch was slipping on the steep stuff.
View attachment 149978
So today he learned to do a clutch.
View attachment 149979
I'm told we might want pull some of the ball bearings out of the auto clutch so it grabs at a higher RPM and hits a little harder. We'll see after some testing.

Awesome 😎. The downside to removing weight is ha I g enough force to keep the clutch engaged. You may find you end up roasting a clutch that way.

I never messed with PW clutches, but I know Rekluse used to offer Tungsten bearings to help hold force on the clutch once it was engaged.

 

[N-Smooth]

I continue to be proud of my kids for their love of all things outdoors but especially critters.

 

[glockman]

This is my 23 year old son's Ranger. He has build the truck from stock. He just finished an ls swap and we went for a ride in the desert today. This thing is soo fun. We were hooning like crazy and I still can't wipe the smile of my face. I was totally fighting back tears I was so freaking proud of this kid and what he built. It was definitely a moment I'll remember the rest of my life.

 

[I Lean]

What’s the front suspension he’s got going on?

I'm gonna guess TTB or Twin I Beam. (depending on 4WD or 2WD)

 

[N-Smooth]

This is my 23 year old son's Ranger. He has build the truck from stock. He just finished an ls swap and we went for a ride in the desert today. This thing is soo fun. We were hooning like crazy and I still can't wipe the smile of my face. I was totally fighting back tears I was so freaking proud of this kid and what he built. It was definitely a moment I'll remember the rest of my life.
View attachment 151491

Super cool! You should be proud. When I finished my first Jeep my dad told me he was proud of me and I’ll never forget it.

 

[J-mobzz]

Little bit different proud dad moment. My dad went wakeboarding with us yesterday. His First time in probably 20 years wakeboarding and he popped up on his first time. He’s 71 years old and a cancer survivor. I was really proud of him for just going for it.

 

[glockman]

What’s the front suspension he’s got going on?

It is 2wd and it's a 94, so it's twin I beam. It's stretched 8" I think. He is running an F150 8.8 rear axle and the front is wider than the rear. He's running deavers and foa bypass shocks in the rear and some sort of coil over in the front.

 

[Gravy]

Strong work for a pack with a combined age of 15.

 

[Houndoc]

My son's "white coat" ceremony officially welcoming him into the U of U medical school class of 2026 (and also now able to announce they are expecting my second grandson in December.)

 

[Spork]

Always fun re-creating old pictures...