Hey MS,
Just wanted to give some credit where it is due, probably over due.
My wife and I were on our summer cruise last week. This year we went south to the Vineyard, Cuttyhunk and hit a few other stops along the way. While on a mooring in Edgartown, I started the engine and after running for about a minute it revved up and then stalled. I tried starting it again and the same thing happened. After a short time of trouble shooting I figured out that the problem was air getting into my fuel lines. A little longer and I had found and eliminated two potential sources, a loose factory fuel filter and a loose hose clamp. They must have been loosened during our snotty trip down Buzzards Bay to Woods Hole on our way to Edgartown. We let the engine run for about 30 minutes to make sure we had no more issues and after that we were back on our way.
Before I bought this boat in 2010 I had zero knowledge of diesel engines. My only experience with diesels had been driving a roach-coach as a part-time job for a few months for some extra money while in college. I am not a gear head. But I knew that if we were to ever go out cruising I would have to up my skill set when it comes to doing my own maintenance and repairs, especially on the engine. Luckily, your previous boat was the same model we were considering so when I was doing my research on Catalina 310s I found your posts on Sailboat Owners, the Cruisers Forum and your own Compass Marine website. Since then I have become a total devotee.
Through numerous posts and articles you have helped me build my skill set. We are talking rebedding hardware, winterizing our boat, polishing and waxing hulls, learning how to maintain diesel engines and battery systems, completely redoing my battery system, all the way to my biggest project when I repaired my transmission, replaced my drive shaft, installed a new cutlass bearing and a dripless adapter. I never would have been able to take on these tasks without the knowledge you shared.
You spend time sharing all of this knowledge with us for free. If you hadn't I probably would have ended up spending a few hundred dollars on a mechanic to come over and fix the problem. But since I didn't have to, I thought I should put some of that money towards the source of my saving. I donated through your website and the only reason I bring it up is that you rarely solicit for donations but I am sure others have benefitted from your sharing of knowledge and would donate if they knew about it. (Here is the link: http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/support_this_site)
So thanks for all that you do.
Fair winds,
Jesse
Just wanted to give some credit where it is due, probably over due.
My wife and I were on our summer cruise last week. This year we went south to the Vineyard, Cuttyhunk and hit a few other stops along the way. While on a mooring in Edgartown, I started the engine and after running for about a minute it revved up and then stalled. I tried starting it again and the same thing happened. After a short time of trouble shooting I figured out that the problem was air getting into my fuel lines. A little longer and I had found and eliminated two potential sources, a loose factory fuel filter and a loose hose clamp. They must have been loosened during our snotty trip down Buzzards Bay to Woods Hole on our way to Edgartown. We let the engine run for about 30 minutes to make sure we had no more issues and after that we were back on our way.
Before I bought this boat in 2010 I had zero knowledge of diesel engines. My only experience with diesels had been driving a roach-coach as a part-time job for a few months for some extra money while in college. I am not a gear head. But I knew that if we were to ever go out cruising I would have to up my skill set when it comes to doing my own maintenance and repairs, especially on the engine. Luckily, your previous boat was the same model we were considering so when I was doing my research on Catalina 310s I found your posts on Sailboat Owners, the Cruisers Forum and your own Compass Marine website. Since then I have become a total devotee.
Through numerous posts and articles you have helped me build my skill set. We are talking rebedding hardware, winterizing our boat, polishing and waxing hulls, learning how to maintain diesel engines and battery systems, completely redoing my battery system, all the way to my biggest project when I repaired my transmission, replaced my drive shaft, installed a new cutlass bearing and a dripless adapter. I never would have been able to take on these tasks without the knowledge you shared.
You spend time sharing all of this knowledge with us for free. If you hadn't I probably would have ended up spending a few hundred dollars on a mechanic to come over and fix the problem. But since I didn't have to, I thought I should put some of that money towards the source of my saving. I donated through your website and the only reason I bring it up is that you rarely solicit for donations but I am sure others have benefitted from your sharing of knowledge and would donate if they knew about it. (Here is the link: http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/support_this_site)
So thanks for all that you do.
Fair winds,
Jesse
