He's good with boat motors and installing parts, but he didn't have a clue when it came to fixing the problem of a stiff foot control for turning my Motor Guide trolling motor on my used Tracker. The problem got so bad that I left the lake early due to leg spasms trying to adjust prop direction in a 15mph wind.

So, I called him to see if there was a fix or adjustment to make the foot pedal easier to depress toe/heel. He said the tm probably had a cable issue and not repairable so I started pricing 55# thrust Minn Kota - $650 s/h, taxes included! So I ordered one in the middle of the night from Amazon expecting it in a week plus longer time for installation. No fishing for a long time unless I take the small jon boat to a smaller lake.

But just for the H of it I figured I may as well try to see what was going on with the motor down, not in the water. I tried turning the motor by hand via the foot pedal - no go. But then I noticed that the shaft wasn't one piece. The bar below the clamp rotates/ the bar above is fixed and is part of height adjustment made with a rotating handle.
I found out that loosening the lower clamp freed up the lower shaft allowing the foot pedal to turn it easily!
So much for ordering a new trolling motor, which I canceled. I reattached the sonar transducer and I'm going fishing when it warms up and wind isn't blowing +15 mph.

I also had a problem a starting my 2003 Chevy truck. A buddy suggested it was time for a new one but I'm retired and not in the market for a new one costing over 20g. So for the H of it I went to Mavis Tire to check my tire tread (I need 4) and in passing said I had to jump the battery to get it started. They checked the battery - no good as it turned out - and installed a new one. Starts fine and the emergency brake light and engine light are now off.
Nice they have a rebate online and plus a military service discount. So much for dumping a reliable 4 wheel drive that pulls my boat up the crappiest ramps.

Note: never heard of a gel filled sealed battery. Anyone?

I haven’t found a boat mechanic that knows [censored] about ANYTHING so far.

Most dealerships usually have boat mechanics and riggers. Mechanics work the inboards/outboards, electrical & hydraulics while Riggers tend to just install accessories. Trolling motor repair is a somewhat specialized field. Some shops such as Texas Boat World in Killeen employ a trolling motor tech.(he is dual hatted as the Parts Manager).

Gel filled battery aka AGM .. Also Engine lite went out because battery power was disconnected and reset computer. Still have issue. Need to have codes e=read when it comes back on. Good Luck.

Now I have a problem with my 2.5 Mercury motor. The hand that opens the gas line got disconnected and a part needs to be ordered. Just to replace the part will take over and hour labor. My local guy only wants to work on big motors even though he tuned this one last year. Good thing I have the Tracker!