Has your engine failed to start? Were you able to overcome the problem yourself, were you forced to call for help, or did you sail away without it? What was the trouble, and (if you did) how did you fix it? Get your story started here, then vote in Quick Quiz at the bottom of the home page.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
M
Mike Stern
Double whammy
It happened to me twice. Once while I was a guest on a friend's Rhodes 17, his outboard failed just as were exiting the channel for a day sail. We decided to sail for awhile before attempting to head back in. Unfortunately, the wind was coming from directly upchannel, and we could not tack our way back. Luckily, the harbormaster was out patrolling and we were able to hail him (we had no radio). He towed us back. The trouble turned out to be a total transmission failure, not something we could have addressed ourselves. Recently, my own outboard (9.9 Evinrude w/electric start)failed to start while I was at the dock. First, the electric start failed to work. I was able to coax it into catching with some wiggling and jiggling, but then the "universal joint" connecting the throttle with the tiller handle decided that it had had enough. The teeth on the gears just wouldn't catch, and I couldn't get enough gas to the engine to start it. As my wife pointed out, at least it happened at the dock. The tiller throttle controls needed to be replaced, and the starter switch needed a new wire; neither could be done on the scene.
It happened to me twice. Once while I was a guest on a friend's Rhodes 17, his outboard failed just as were exiting the channel for a day sail. We decided to sail for awhile before attempting to head back in. Unfortunately, the wind was coming from directly upchannel, and we could not tack our way back. Luckily, the harbormaster was out patrolling and we were able to hail him (we had no radio). He towed us back. The trouble turned out to be a total transmission failure, not something we could have addressed ourselves. Recently, my own outboard (9.9 Evinrude w/electric start)failed to start while I was at the dock. First, the electric start failed to work. I was able to coax it into catching with some wiggling and jiggling, but then the "universal joint" connecting the throttle with the tiller handle decided that it had had enough. The teeth on the gears just wouldn't catch, and I couldn't get enough gas to the engine to start it. As my wife pointed out, at least it happened at the dock. The tiller throttle controls needed to be replaced, and the starter switch needed a new wire; neither could be done on the scene.
J
Jim Cook
Having no manuals is tough
I spent two weeks trying to get the VolvoPenta MD7A (13hp) motor started on our newly acquired boat. Having never had a boat or diesel before, I was floundering. The boat had not been run in about 1 yr, so I replaced all fluids, changed the filters, primed the injectors, but it wouldn't start. There is a pull-lever/button next to the ignition key which I ASSUMED was a choke. To make a long story short, the pull button is a cut-off switch. With it pushed in, the motor starts fine. JimC
I spent two weeks trying to get the VolvoPenta MD7A (13hp) motor started on our newly acquired boat. Having never had a boat or diesel before, I was floundering. The boat had not been run in about 1 yr, so I replaced all fluids, changed the filters, primed the injectors, but it wouldn't start. There is a pull-lever/button next to the ignition key which I ASSUMED was a choke. To make a long story short, the pull button is a cut-off switch. With it pushed in, the motor starts fine. JimC
H
Henry Hey
channel death
We had been out sailing our Mariner in the sound and had dropped sails to motor in through the channel. We fired up our little Suzuki 6hp. It was running fine until we got midway through the channel where it slowed down and died. We scrambled to raise the main and fortunately our centerboard bottomed out on the sandy side of the channel. After we were all set, we just cranked up the centerboard a little and got underway. The reason for the motor problem is yet unknown, but a little servicing will soon tell. I think the moral (at least for us) was that if at all possible we should motor the channel with the main up. Hopefully we will get the kinks worked out of our motor soon. - H. Hey
We had been out sailing our Mariner in the sound and had dropped sails to motor in through the channel. We fired up our little Suzuki 6hp. It was running fine until we got midway through the channel where it slowed down and died. We scrambled to raise the main and fortunately our centerboard bottomed out on the sandy side of the channel. After we were all set, we just cranked up the centerboard a little and got underway. The reason for the motor problem is yet unknown, but a little servicing will soon tell. I think the moral (at least for us) was that if at all possible we should motor the channel with the main up. Hopefully we will get the kinks worked out of our motor soon. - H. Hey
J
Justin - O'day Owner's Web
oops...
Maybe this should be under the sea stories section, but anyway . . . So among the other hats I wear, I am a medic with the ambulance service in the town in which I live. Last summer, I decided a good way to get to know the chief was to invite him out on my Daysailer, and to sail the hour or so from my mooring to Portland, have lunch, and sail back. My timing turned out to be perfect. He had just finished a two weekend sail training and was itching to get out on the water. So out we go: The wind is perfect, the water calm, air that temperature you don't really notice and the boat is behaving itself. We get to Portland without incident and tie up to the public pier, and go to lunch. For anyone who has not been to Portland, here's what you have: The harbor is actually the mouth of the Fore river. At its widest its a little less than a half mile across. It quickly narrows to a few hundred yards. Half a mile up river there is a draw bridge. On one side is a series of fishing piers etc. Those of you who've seen the Perfect Storm, it looks like Gloucester. (More or less, and from the water; the city is totally different) On the other side there is a series of oil facilities and tanker piers. Traffic consists of: Large oil tankers, very large oil tankers, hurrying water taxis, inattentive power boaters, inconsiderate sailboats (under sail in the river of course), lobster boats throwing huge wakes, ferries, the odd ocean liner or two, coasties, Ageis missile cruisers entering or leaving the repair facilitiy, tug boats, trawlers, and seriously gigantic oil tankers, eight million lobster pots (down from 40 million with the recent regulatory changes). and me, in a 17 foot sailboat. soon to have no power. Now you have to understand that the Fore River current conspires with the tide and prevailing winds to create gigantic triangular waves. (Further proof that the ancient egyptians visited Boon's Famous Watahfront Lobstah Shack with its view of the confluence. Buts that's for another time). Have we discussed the tankers yet? So back we come from lunch. Being a contiencious skipper I refuel the outboard. Off we go. We turn to port coming out of the fairway, and . . . off comes the rudder into a million pieces. No problem! We can steer with outboard, and we're in a hurry anyway to get back and under power is not a bad idea. Stall. Pull, vroom, shift, stall. Repeat. Ad naseum. Uh - oh. No propulsion, no steerage. Thumb through mental Chapman's and . . . anchor. To the bow (which is acomplished more or less by leaning forward on this particular boat) and drop the hook. This is point at which the helpful lobsterman idles up next to me and comments, 'That's a big one, that is isn't it?' I am about to reply that this is the anchor Chapman's recommends but he's idled off. I look up to find him and instead see just how fine an entry one of those supper gigantic tankers really has. (For the record, its not so fine at all and should it strike you is more likely to simply blugeon you to death than to cleave you). So another lobster man approaches and offers a tow. By this time we've drifted downstream enough that we are balancing precariously on top of one of the pryamidal waves. Each time he comes close, off we fall and cleverly find our selves atop another. Eventually we are able to catch a line, and he tows us to a repair facility nearby. We call the chief's mother (no, really) and she takes me to the dentist, thus saving me $75 that would have been lost had I missed the appointment. Moral: Much angst can be avoided by simply bringing your dentist with you whenever you sail. Justin - O'day Owner's Web
Maybe this should be under the sea stories section, but anyway . . . So among the other hats I wear, I am a medic with the ambulance service in the town in which I live. Last summer, I decided a good way to get to know the chief was to invite him out on my Daysailer, and to sail the hour or so from my mooring to Portland, have lunch, and sail back. My timing turned out to be perfect. He had just finished a two weekend sail training and was itching to get out on the water. So out we go: The wind is perfect, the water calm, air that temperature you don't really notice and the boat is behaving itself. We get to Portland without incident and tie up to the public pier, and go to lunch. For anyone who has not been to Portland, here's what you have: The harbor is actually the mouth of the Fore river. At its widest its a little less than a half mile across. It quickly narrows to a few hundred yards. Half a mile up river there is a draw bridge. On one side is a series of fishing piers etc. Those of you who've seen the Perfect Storm, it looks like Gloucester. (More or less, and from the water; the city is totally different) On the other side there is a series of oil facilities and tanker piers. Traffic consists of: Large oil tankers, very large oil tankers, hurrying water taxis, inattentive power boaters, inconsiderate sailboats (under sail in the river of course), lobster boats throwing huge wakes, ferries, the odd ocean liner or two, coasties, Ageis missile cruisers entering or leaving the repair facilitiy, tug boats, trawlers, and seriously gigantic oil tankers, eight million lobster pots (down from 40 million with the recent regulatory changes). and me, in a 17 foot sailboat. soon to have no power. Now you have to understand that the Fore River current conspires with the tide and prevailing winds to create gigantic triangular waves. (Further proof that the ancient egyptians visited Boon's Famous Watahfront Lobstah Shack with its view of the confluence. Buts that's for another time). Have we discussed the tankers yet? So back we come from lunch. Being a contiencious skipper I refuel the outboard. Off we go. We turn to port coming out of the fairway, and . . . off comes the rudder into a million pieces. No problem! We can steer with outboard, and we're in a hurry anyway to get back and under power is not a bad idea. Stall. Pull, vroom, shift, stall. Repeat. Ad naseum. Uh - oh. No propulsion, no steerage. Thumb through mental Chapman's and . . . anchor. To the bow (which is acomplished more or less by leaning forward on this particular boat) and drop the hook. This is point at which the helpful lobsterman idles up next to me and comments, 'That's a big one, that is isn't it?' I am about to reply that this is the anchor Chapman's recommends but he's idled off. I look up to find him and instead see just how fine an entry one of those supper gigantic tankers really has. (For the record, its not so fine at all and should it strike you is more likely to simply blugeon you to death than to cleave you). So another lobster man approaches and offers a tow. By this time we've drifted downstream enough that we are balancing precariously on top of one of the pryamidal waves. Each time he comes close, off we fall and cleverly find our selves atop another. Eventually we are able to catch a line, and he tows us to a repair facility nearby. We call the chief's mother (no, really) and she takes me to the dentist, thus saving me $75 that would have been lost had I missed the appointment. Moral: Much angst can be avoided by simply bringing your dentist with you whenever you sail. Justin - O'day Owner's Web
O
ODO Editorial
Final results
Final reslts for the Quick Quiz ending 7/24/00: Has your engine failed to start? 37% Yes; I fixed it 25% Yes; did without 22% No 12% Yes; called help
Final reslts for the Quick Quiz ending 7/24/00: Has your engine failed to start? 37% Yes; I fixed it 25% Yes; did without 22% No 12% Yes; called help
- Status
- Not open for further replies.