I had the misfortune of needing a tow back in last weekend.
It was a rough day getting out the Hillsboro inlet, and we took water over the bow several times before we cleared the breakwater. Motor had no issues on the way out, and we sailed all morning. Half way through the day, the boys wanted to go diving on one of the reefs of Pompano beach, so we dropped the sails and motored to the reef balls. Just as we were trying to tie up, the diesel engine cut out and would not restart. I had to drop anchor.
While the boys used the Brownies to dive the reef,
I tried to restart the engine to no avail, and then tried to determine if I could repair the engine for our trip back through the ICW to our dock. An hour wasted with no luck. I determined it was probable clogged filters due to the rough conditions on our trip out to sea. But when I checked the boat, I found no spare filters aboard. So when the boys were done, we hauled anchor, and sailed back to the inlet. I had to call Tow Boat US, and they met us at the inlet to tow us back to our dock in Pompano Beach. Their unlimited tow insurance was the best investment in the boat so far
It was getting dark by the time we docked, and cleaned up the boat,
so later this week, I went back and took pictures of the filter housings, and ordered the filters online.
Primary Fuel Filter RACOR 500FG
Secondary engine mounted filter Yanmar 2GM
The secondary filters arrived today, and the primaries are due in on Monday. I ordered two of each, so that I will now have spares aboard.