First Fishing Trip of the Season

June 19, 2026 / galen / Fishing, Fly Fishing, Life at the Cabin, Outdoors

You wait a long time for the first fishing trip of the season. In Saskatchewan, for me, that means from mid to late October until usually early May. With ice still on the lake in mid-May, the first fishing trip was pushed well past the official opening date of May 5th. Add some boat engine problems to the equation and it was second week of June before the first casts were launched from the boat.

You will notice in this post, a profound lack of fish pictures. That is because there was a profound lack of fish caught. We fished hard. The fish did not play along. Here is the best fish of the 3 days.

A quick recap, we had to stop at the “Last Call Perch Hole” a few times just to reach double digits for the days. Perch was the only volume fish we managed to catch consistently.

We fished very stained water. A high volume of runoff has filled the lake with a lot of silt and high winds in recent days have pushed it around rather than letting it settle. In places we normally have 4 to 5 feet of visibility we had less than 2 feet, often only one. The classic Len Thompson spoons, Wally Divers, jig heads, big streamer flies, and all other manner of lures were thrown at the water.

We fished all the fish producing spots that have been mediocre to good over the past couple years. Tried a few promising spots that the fish finder said were holding fish.

The end result was that we spent some time on the boat, beside the fire, ate Moose stew and Elk tenderloin, listened to tunes, retold many lies about our days in high school and since. The fishing was poor, the company was great. We will do it again.

A Lesson in Remote Boat Repairs – Bring Extra Parts

June 14, 2026 / galen / Life at the Cabin, Outdoors

Today’s lesson in remote boat repairs was definitely a lesson learned through recent experience. The lesson is pretty simple, if the boat is in a remote location (such as at your cabin, especially your dock, not your driveway at home), bring all the parts, including extras, and smaller and larger.

It’s expensive and time wasting to have to drive 100+ km to get a few $3 parts because the dealer told you the wrong part initially, really its a lesson in any remote work, bring extra. You can return the unneeded parts at a later date, if they are expensive.

This learning experience started on the day we finished putting in the dock and boat lift. With those in place, time to launch the Sea-Doos and boat. The boat was sluggish, very heavy feeling, like it was weighted down in the back. Flipping the back bench seat up to expose the engine compartment revealed it was full of water. Several possible reasons, that I could think of.

Drain plug damaged or not screwed in. I had checked it and my wife had checked it. Unlikely.
Engine drain plugs damaged or not replaced. I’ve never not put them back in, so also unlikely.
Loose or damaged coolant hose.

I ran the bilge and that helped reduce the amount of water and I was able to get to the cabin and park on the lift. Some investigation followed and I ruled out the main drain plug as well as the engine drain plugs. When running the engine with the leg in water for cooling water intake, I could see water spraying from the right side of the engine (when facing the front). To me, this meant most likely a loose or damaged hose. I lowered my phone down to take a video of the area and I could see it was entirely something else.

IMG_0761

That the hole left behind when an engine frost plug (many other names) blows out. Likely due to a bad job of winterizing by me. I needed a part.

The boat motor is a Chevy motor, branded a Tahoe Bravo but it’s a Chevy 4.3 litre engine. I was taking my wife’s Chevy to the dealership for a free oil change so I figured I would get the part there. They did not have one but suggested Bumper to Bumper and provided me a part number. So that was my next stop and then off to the cabin later in the day for some fishing and work around the yard.

Inexpensive part. Tough spot to get at, underside of the engine, restricted area. That didn’t matter as the part spec’d by the parts expert at the Chevy dealership was the part that would fit my wife’s truck, not the much older engine in the boat. Yes, I told him what I needed it for, and he gave me the wrong part number. Of course, I only found this out when I attempted to test fit the part, on the boat, at the cabin. So it was back to Saskatoon Bumper to Bumper to get the proper part. A 2 hour round trip, plus time in store, so 2-1/2 hours of unproductive time. I did prior to the trip, call other suppliers closer but nobody had then in stock. I did think ahead a little bit. It’s a really tough spot on the engine to access. Probably far easier if not for all the fiberglass of a boat in the way, say if on a vehicle on a lift. Impossible to get 2 hands down there and to see what you are doing. So the repair process was going to be awkward and most by feel rather than by sight. So, again, thinking ahead, I bought the next 3 sizes of the part, 1-1/2″, 1-5/8″ and 1-3/4″, and 2 of each. Only a few $’s each part and much less of an expense than another trip to get another size.

After many attempts that day to get the part installed, I realized that there was no way I could think of to get enough force on the part, at the right angle, to tap this into place. I constructed a few elaborate mechanisms to hold the part in place, most consisting of a wooden stake so I could position the part, duct taped to a ratchet extension, to a socket, duck taped to the part I was trying to tap in. I simply cold not get a long enough hammer swing to provide enough force, to get the part to seat into the hole. Many other combinations of shorter shafts, and my max swing range was about 2-1/2″ inches. I gave up for the day, but began to devise new combinations of pieces and wood, and tools to try again the next day, that day was a failure as well.

Finally I decided to extend my parts search on the wonderful tool of Google and came across another part that showed some promise. It was a rubber based piece that expanded when the nut was turned.

This looked like the last possible solution, but it was Saturday evening, no time to get to the parts store, which was closed on Sunday. I had a buddy coming to town on Monday, to go to the cabin, to go fishing. So Monday morning I went to the parts store and bought the recommended size, based on the other part that I knew was the right size, plus on smaller, plus on larger. Within 15 minutes of arriving at the cabin that evening, all supplies had been unloaded and we had the part in place and tightened with a socket wrench and the boat was running, no extra water gushing out of the engine block. The Fishing Trip, which had been in jeopardy, was on. We fished. We ate well, and I was relieved, after much frustration, and an important lesson learned.

Next time I have a boat repair, or any repair of any type, at the cabin, I will have all the parts, in a range of sizes, bring too many tools, and hope I can get the repair done.

A Sea-Doo Makes a Terrible Kayak

June 12, 2026 / galen / Fishing, Fly Fishing, Life at the Cabin

If ever you find yourself astride a Sea-Doo with a paddle in your hands there are two conclusions you will quickly discover for yourself:

something has gone wrong
A Sea-Doo makes a terrible kayak

It will occur in that order as well. No one in their right mind would set out from shore on a Sea-Doo with only the intentions of paddle-based propulsion. Obviously there is a story.

My boat was not working, but that is not the something gone wrong mentioned above, just a contributing factor to the situation. Regardless of no boat, I wanted to go fishing. I have two Sea-Doos. I have managed to catch fish from those Sea-Doos before. Perch while drifting along the shore and casting back is a fun way to spend a bit of time. Add a light-weight flyrod and it’s a pretty fun time. Last summer I decided to take it up a notch and fish for Pike, on a flyrod, from my Sea-Doo. It was a success, so, without a boat, I was determined to replicate the feat.

Flyrod, one gaudy Pike streamer (the Go Go Kershaw), and my hook extractors and I set off on my Sea-Doo to one of the good Pike spots, early Sunday morning (slowly, so as to not wake the neighbours). It was quiet. The water had just a ripple from the light hint of a breeze from the East by North-East. I motored to my spot, shut off the engine, spun around in my seat and began to cast. The water was still pretty stained from Spring run-off and a big wind the day before so finding the weed bed edge and the drop-off I like to fish was a bit of a guessing game. When 1/2 the casts were coming back with weeds, it was time to move out a bit towards deeper water, hopefully the edge. Push the Start button – “whir, whir, whir”, and that’s a slow “whir, whir, whir” sound. Low battery power. Not gonna start. See #1 above, something has gone wrong.

That’s an early- season type problem. Thought the battery was well charged. The answer is not.

Current time: approximately 7:15 am. Number of boats in sight: 0. Number of people in sight on their docks: 0. Distance to cabin: much to far to swim. I was closest to the north shore, but the hint of a breeze was now a light breeze. Enough to push me slowly, too much to kick paddle against. I estimated it would take about an hour to drift to the other side, where there is a boat launch, where I was most likely to find someone who could help. Positioning myself on the back of the Sea-Doo platform, I started to kick-paddle. The increase in speed was marginal. 370 kg of deadweight (the Sea-Doo, sitting low in the water, plus my own body for ballast, was quite a hunk of material to push with my lower legs waving up and down in the water in desperation. This was not going to be a story of success, but maybe a story of perseverance. If I could get to the other side, I could maybe get a boost, or a ride back to my cabin, grab the other Sea-Doo and tow this one back.

Ten minutes of kicking later and I glanced over my shoulder, hoping the objects on the far shoulder were much closer. They were not. Seemed I had hardly made a dent in the distance. But, like a shipwrecked island dweller, I started standing up and waving my arms. A boat! Perhaps I have been saved. I saw them change direction, in my direction, coming to help. Upon their arrival, the 3 generous souls and I went over my situation, talked about the Toronto Blue Jays (the driver was wearing a Blue Jays hat), the Montreal Expos (I was wearing that one), and a plan to get me part way there. With a rope tied to the front of the Sea-Doo, we were off.

The were gracious enough to tow me part of the way, past “the narrows”, after which I was offered a paddle, and the realization that a Sea-Doo makes a terrible Kayak.

I still had a significant distance. From the breakdown, to the tow release was about 1 km. I had another 2 km to go.

Between the tow release and the next island, my phone rang, a client with a semi-desperate need for some help, some troubleshooting.

A phone you say, why didn’t I call back to the cabin for someone to come get me? Because I was at the cabin alone. I came up here to fix the inoperable boat, still not operable, but that’s another post. I also knew all the neighbours that I had the cell numbers for were not at the lake this weekend.

So my only form of thrust was paddle, on the very bad substitute for a kayak. Needless to say, the response to my client, and the help they needed, was going to be delayed.

So paddle I did. I learned, through experience that 2 strokes on the left, then 2 strokes on the right, was the proper cadence. Any more and the Sea-Doo-turned-kayak would spin too far on direction. 1 stroke was too much time spent changing sides. 2 was the optimum, in the sub-optimum setting. The total paddling travel time was likely somewhere in the 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 hours. A bad day not to wear my FitBit.

About two-thirds of the way through my return travels that morning, I spotted a group of 3 kayakers emerging from the north bay of the lake. Their double-ended paddles propelling them rapidly, and efficiently forward. That looked like a nice way to spend a Sunday morning at the lake. A Sea-Doo Makes a Terrible Kayak.

Putting Out the Dock and Lift – High Water

June 2, 2026 / galen / Fishing, Life at the Cabin, Outdoors

Putting out the dock and lift is an annual time of great joy for me. It means it’s time to act like its summer. The boat will be launched and the SeaDoos will also find there way to the dock. It’s my goal every year to have my dock out first, and to be the last to take it in.

A Different Year

This year is a bit different. There was ice on the lake far later than usual, well past opening day of fishing season (See Spring Time is Work Time). But the time has finally arrived. I have lots of muscle at the lake to get the jobs done. Kyle, Brett, Ben, Corinne, Kelsey, Kira. I had already put out the ramp sections the weekend by myself. I was tempted to put out the whole dock by myself. Each frame section, while awkwardly shaped, is less than 45 kg so can be placed then connected. I had figured putting out the dock myself would take about 4 or times longer than with a single helper, and I had many helping hands coming next weekend. But, the lift requires at least 2 people, better with 3, so I decided to let the others enjoy helping me put it all out.

High Water

Before we go too far ahead of ourselves, I donned the waders and wandered out into the water to do a depth check. Very quickly it was obvious that the plan had to change. (The floating dock owners are feeling pretty smart this year.) The water level at the lake is higher than I have ever seen it. By about 1-1/2 feet. That meant the dock, in it’s normal spot, would be underwater. We did some quick math and removed on 10′ section from the ramp. Then we got busy.

Next came the lift. Sure is a good idea to bring some muscle to the beach.

Now we are done. Time for fishing season!

Spring Time is Work Time

May 26, 2026 / galen / Life at the Cabin, Outdoors

From yardwork cleanup to taking furniture out of storage, the start of Spring is also the start of the work season. This season has seen a huge delay in getting started. I usually aim for being one of the first to get the dock and boat lift set up so that I can take the boat fishing on May 5th, Opening Day. Here’s the lake, April 28th, May 1st, then May 8th this year.

Fast forward to May 16th and my neighbour sent me a video of the blizzard currently happening. However, he did report the ice was off our end of the lake.

may-16-blizzard

Fast forward again to just a week later, May 21 and May 22nd and all was clear and the dock / lift staging was finally happening.

Got the ramp in, the start of putting out the dock, about as much as I want to do just by myself. But it did give me room to do a bit of casting and catch this mighty perch, along with some others.

But progress was made towards the delayed start to spring. The water is open! The lawn was power raked, the lawnmower is set to go. Wood is stacked, firepit is cleared.

The weather forecast for the next 7 days looks like we are just going to jump right past the lateness of Spring and right into summer. 30 degree days are coming so park the snowmobile, set up the deck furniture, and get the dock, lift and water toys launched this coming weekend.

We will add an update, or a new blog post, after this weekend once we get the dock and boat lift set up and the floaty toys floating.

Do Geese Return to the Same Fields in Spring

May 14, 2026 / galen / Goose Hunting, Hunting, Outdoors

I won’t hold you in suspense over this question. The answer is yes. If you are planning to go out Spring Goose Scouting then you should first head to the fields where you saw geese frequently in the fall hunting season. Fields that were cropped with peas, wheat and barley may still have a substantial quantity of grain in the field, spilled from the combine activity, and will bring back the waterfowl flocks in the Spring.

Spring Snow Goose Hunting

This is only relevant for Snow Geese hunting as there is a Spring Snow Goose (including Ross Geese) hunt season but not a Spring season for any other goose species, ducks, or cranes. Just like the fall hunt, you can expect to find a mixed bag of waterfowl in the Saskatchewan fields. The arrival dates will vary greatly, dependent mostly on the weather conditions as waterfowl will need access to open water and food sources. Some species, like Greater Canada Geese will be the first to arrive. Usually around the first week of March we begin to see some small groups of Canada Geese around Saskatoon. They are the hearty souls of the goose world and can stand cold weather and have the willingness to dig through snow to find the grain remaining in the fields. Lesser Canadas, Specklebellies, and Ducks will come a few weeks later. The last to arrive will be the Snow Goose flocks. Contrary to their name, they are not fans of snow and nice and will actually reverse course if the weather does not provide suitable open water and open fields. Like this Spring, 2026, the snows were arriving in early-mid April then disappeared with the occurance of two spring blizzards across southern Saskatchewan.

Spring and Fall Comparison

May 2026 compared to October 2025. I have included images from a fall 2025 article and corresponding May 2026 images to provide proof. Below we show the field from October of 2025 and then follow with the same field from May 2026. Note: some pics are from different angles.

Field 1 October 2025

Field 1 May 2026

Field 2 October 2025

Field 2 May 2026

Field 3 October 2025

Field 3 May 2026

Wild animals, such as geese and ducks are creatures of instinct and habit, with a large dose of unpredictability. While spotting, certainly you want to learn the tendencies, the normal actions of the birds you are hunting. But, always be prepared for something to change their routine. While watching one of the fields above this spring, the birds were approached by two coyotes, looking for injured or straggling prey. This caused the entire flock of several thousand birds to jump and move to another field, 1-1/2 miles away.

If you are looking for predictability, what is probably the most consistent in spring hunting is the day water spot. Figure that out and you have the back shoot of your dreams. That’s for another future article.

Hunting is Like Hitting a Baseball

May 10, 2026 / galen / Hunting, Outdoors

I love hunting. I love baseball. Let me take you on a bit of a stretch comparison as I parallel the two activities.

Practice

It should go without saying, that to be a good hunter, to be a good hitter, you need to practice shooting, to practice swinging. Practice comes in many forms, many drills, many situations. You need to practice until your routine, your movements are instinctive.

Patience, Patience, Patience

I get to spend a lot of time hanging out with hunting outfitters, and I used be a hunting guide, so I have heard many many times the how the virtue of patience will payoff for hunters. When big game hunting, you need to spend the time in the seat to wait for the right animal. Most likely, that will not be the first Bear, or Deer, or Elk, or Moose that you see. If you have been using trail cameras, or if you have been pre-hunt spotting the area, you know the potential. Patience will reward you. For a waterfowl hunter, the idea of patience comes in the form of letting the birds work to the decoys. If you pull up at 50 yards when birds are still on approach, you may only shoot the clouds. Let the birds work over the decoys and drop their feet.

As a hitter, patience is often describe as “getting a good pitch to hit”. If you are sitting on a fastball, don’t swing at the curveball. If you are looking for an off-speed pitch, let the fastball go. Some hitters look for any pitch in the location they want. Some look for a specific pitch. Both approaches will work, if you add patience to the approach.

Wait for the Right Moment

The “Moment of Truth”, it’s that time when the factors fall into place. The right animal, in your range, giving you a great shooting opportunity. Make sure your moment includes a shot you can make, in range of you and your weapon. If the moment is not right, stay off the trigger. I’ve heard the right moment described as that time when it feels like your heart is trying to jump out of your chest. Take an extra bit of time to calm down, before the trigger pull. The situation is somewhat different in waterfowl hunting. If the moment is right, act quickly.

In baseball, this is somewhat the same reaction as in waterfowl hunting. When patience has rewarded you with a good pitch to hit, time to get extremely aggressive. This is when your instincts take over to deliver the bat to the ball. Timing and bat head accuracy, the results of practice, take over.

Scouting

Preparation should take 100 times more than hunting or hitting. In hunting, choosing the location is what puts you in the best place to make your shot. Mother nature always plays a role. Changing weather and changing animal activities all can change your opportunity. The presence of a predator animal may put your hunt off for a few hours, or the whole day.

In baseball, scouting the opposing pitcher, how they pitch hitters like you, how they are pitching that game, help you understand what your best opportunity will be. Along with the pitcher tendencies, if you know the umpire tendencies, such as a high strike zone, giving an extra inch on the outside corner, etc. may help you adjust your approach. If the pitcher has a tendency to get ahead with fastballs, then tend to off-speed, choose accordingly. (I was always looking for a fastball to hit first 2 strikes).

1 Moment

Just 1 moment can make the difference in a season, or in a game. In big game hunting, you likely only have one trophy tag. Only one chance to fill your quota with the right animal. Don’t settle early for an animal of lesser quality than you know is in the area. Come the last day of the hunt, if you are looking to fill the freezer, you might become a little less selective.

In an at bat, you have 3 strikes to work with. You can waste the at bat by swinging at the wrong pitch and making an out early in the count. The patience to wait for the 1 moment will help you be more successful. But nobody bats 1.000. You are working your approach, your plan, to give you the best chance of success.

Sometimes, It Doesn’t Happen

Despite all the right steps taken, patience, scouting, practice, and more, the win may go to Mother Nature. When that animal that excites you never arrives, or never gives you the opportunity, you have to tip your hat to Mother Nature and plan for the next season. Maybe more practice, more scouting, or the timing just work out for your next hunt.

In hitting, more often than not, your plate appearance results in you returning to the dugout. Some days, that’s the way the entire game goes. Other games, your approach pays off.

The Rush of Spring and the Panic of Fall

April 26, 2026 / galen / Life at the Cabin

In Saskatchewan, our outdoor activities are often dictated by the seasons and the variable weather each change of season brings us. Our winter can be long, harsh, cold, snowy, and exhilerating fun, especially if you enjoy ice fishing or snowmobiling, skiing, snowshoeing, and other winter activities. Our Spring, Summer and Fall can be glorious, but also stretches of cool or even cold. For some cabin dwellers, the “lake season” begins May long Weekend and ends August long weekend. For others, like myself, “lake season” begins as soon as there is enough open shoreline to paddle a kayak and ends when the water is closed in by ice.

The Spring Rush begins to get ready for summer by getting out the toys and yard furniture in preparation for fun and relaxation. The sooner you get ready the sooner you can enjoy. You know the summer is coming. Some years, like this year, a spring snow storm can push the plans a few weeks later. As I am writing this, April 25th, I am watching the tail end of one of these snow storms which has dumped a fresh later of 30 to 40 cm of snow.

Fishing season in the Saskatchewan southern fishing zone begins May 5th. The chances of launching a fishing boat appear to be close to 0%. Meanwhile, back on land, once the snow melts away and the yard turns from soggy so dry, the preparations will be underway. Un-shedding the outdoor furniture, cleaning off the winter dust. Checking the boat lift and doing any maintenance, inspecting the dock, running through the pre-season checklist on boat and Sea Doos, charging batteries, and waiting for the sun to do it’s melt job.

Fall is Panic mode. You know winter is just around the corner and you need to get the toys and yard furniture in storage before it’s too late. The later we get into the season, the more desperate we become in our race against the seasons, especially the first snowfall. This is the tradeoff, the desire to extend the season as long as possible, and the need to store it all away. Squeeze in another ride on the Sea Doos, a few more fishing excursions, a paddle on the kayak or paddleboard. Sometimes, you are a little late. One year we couldn’t make to the cabin in time and the lake froze a solid 4″ thick before the dock was taken out. We thought we were going to have to use the axe to chop all the ice. Then my son had the smart idea to just unbolt the top deck of the dock and we carried it off. A little chopping to free the legs and it might have been the easiest dock removal ever.

Even though we are sad to see summer turn to fall and quickly winter, winter isn’t so bad either.

When your goal is to maximize the length of your lake season, you realize the Rush of Spring and the Panic of Fall is just what it takes to squeeze out everyday of enjoyment from our favorite season, but that the seasons are always beyond our control. The outdoors seasons change is our annual swapping of toys and furniture to match what nature is throwing at us.

Things I am learning about Snowmobiles – Part VI

April 19, 2026 / galen / Snowmobiling, Uncategorized

Thinking Differently About Winter Weather

Now that I am a snowmobile owner, I am thinking differently about winter weather. In the city, snow might mean shoveling at home. But now snow means better riding, a great reason to head out to the Cabin for a day, a weekend, or a week.

There is still the need to shovel that snow, at home and at the cabin, but each shovel full is a reminder that it’s time to pull the start handle, strap on the helmet, and rev up the engine for a ride on the snow.

A Late Spring is Welcomed

This year we have had a long Spring. Winter has been hanging on, fading away, then roaring back. Just this past week, we had 15 to 20 cm of snow, turning a crusty set of fields and ditches into some pretty rideable conditions. Not mid winter powder conditions but considering it’s April 19th and I’m gonna be heading out for a ride shortly, that’s a rarity.

This late spring will push back the start of fishing season. The ice is still over a half a meter thick and I don’t yet see signs of the melt / run off along with mid-April sunshine taking out the ice along the north shore. Normally I want to get out on the water for May 5th opening day and hook a few fish on my fly rod, but this year I am just as happy to keep the snow and ice around a little longer and instead spend the time behind my handlebars.

Looking Forward to Next Winter

With a temperature forecast in the high teens coming next week (a little cooler further north), it’s unlikely these abnormal snow conditions are going to last much longer. Summer will be full of it’s own recreation. Fishing, Sea-Dooing, boating, swimming, kayaking, relaxing on the deck or watching the flames in the firepit. That is always worth a look forward and happy anticipation. But in about 6 months when the water toys get put away for winter, the snowmobile will be shifting to the star of the outdoor recreation.

Things I am learning about Snowmobiles – Part V

April 11, 2026 / galen / Life at the Cabin, Snowmobiling

The Repair $’s Add Up

What I learned this Spring is that costly repairs hit a new snowmobiler hard.

We got into snowmobiling at a budget price, buying a low mileage used snowmobile. It was a great price as I shopped around online for a few months prior to making my purchase. The test drive was excellent. Everything was in great shape, a couple of scrapes. Machine ran extremely well.

The first few rides were 100%. We parked it at the cabin and took some runs out on the lake and in the ditches and across some fields. Had a great time. Burned through a few tanks of gas. Enough to know this machine was a keeper. If we did not like it, we would have no trouble getting our money back out and we would have satisfied our curiosity. We definitely plan to go the other, to buy another machine for my wife and spend more winter time at the cabin. I even have plans to build another storage shed under the main deck to park the snowmobiles when we are away and through the off-season. Seems there never enough storage, anywhere, so we will build more.

Now back to the machine. After a few weeks of riding, my son met me out at the cabin to go for a few rides. But the snowmobile was not 100%. We started it and let it warm up like we always have done, but it seemed under powered. We shut it off and restarted, and then it ran great. Full power, full fun. His dogs soon learned that chasing him out in the open was just not going to work so they hung around with me and we watched him ride around and get familiar with the machine. We traded off and I took a few runs around on the lake and through some ditches.

The next time out, it was again under powered and it took a few more cycles of shutting down and restarting to get back to full power. The issue? Maybe bad plugs? I changed them. No better. So I parked it. Next time, it was worse. Really poor idle, 1/2 power, stalled a number of times.

The good news, is my neighbour, super helpful guy, is from the area, knows everybody, and his brother in law is a mechanic who used to race Polaris snowmobiles. I have a Polaris. He has diagnosed the problem and estimates the repairs at $2200. Judging by the work and parts required, that’s likely a huge savings off a dealer repair. He’s local, and I know I can trust him simply through knowing I can trust my neighbour. The saddest part is that for the past month here in central Saskatchewan, we have had plenty of snow and decent riding conditions, while areas to the south are melted away. I could have been riding another 4 or 5 times.

So it’s off to the mechanic. The budget price entry into snowmobile ownership has gotten more expensive, but I am still approximately at 1/3 the cost of a new snowmobile and this one should be 100% ready for when the snow falls again in the winter, only 7 months away.

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