Life at 23 feet

[Scott T-Bird]

I'm stuck on this part. Your wife's leaf blower? and you f'd it up?
We need to sit down and discuss this one over a beer, on the dock by the bay. (clever ain't I)

Yeah, she loves the damn thing and I hate it! She wants to take it with her to our new home and I told her over my dead body. I conceded that she could have a small one, on an electric cord.
C'mon Chief ... a mechanic making $181 for a repair is a rip-off? You're barking up the wrong tree, don't ya think? If it was a rip-off, then I'm sure Bad O should have fixed it himself.

 

[Chief RA]

Catmando: You are a lucky man! You just dodged one dumb mechanic! 2 strokes are way simpler than 4 strokes. Chief

 

[Chief RA]

Scott: most people can't fix it themselves............thats why they get hosed on simple repairs like fouled plugs! Chief

 

[capta]

$181.00 or even double that is CHEAP if the problem gets fixed in a timely manner. I've certainly spent a lot more than that and not gotten the problem fixed.
I'd certainly love to find an OB mechanic in the islands that could get the job done, at almost any price, but instead I seem to be the only one who cares enough about doing something properly, so I get stuck with the job. It just isn't always about the money, IMO.

 

[Bad Obsession]

Today I made it home. I did 32 miles. I ended motoring most of it because the wind died. It was a shame because the day started with a beam reach where I was breaking hull speed at times. It only lasted an hour or so and then the engine came out.

It is a good stopping point. It has been getting hotter in the past few days and I am tired of being a food item for the biting black flies.

I did over 200 miles in this trip. I used less than 8 gallons of fuel. Not too shabby.

 

[Chief RA]

I give up! You guys have been hosed for menial repairs so much you think its proper! Screwing people is not proper! Chief

 

[Stu Jackson]

but instead I seem to be the only one who cares enough about doing something properly, so I get stuck with the job. It just isn't always about the money, IMO.

I give up! You guys have been hosed for menial repairs so much you think its proper! Screwing people is not proper! Chief

There's much to be said about the confluence of these two posts.

Now that BO knows about this, he'll be able to deal with it next time.

And next time he'll be able to do his own carb rebuild, too.

 

[Stu Jackson]

I did over 200 miles in this trip. I used less than 8 gallons of fuel. Not too shabby.

Damn fine. I almost said "work" but I'm sure it was far from that! Welcome home, and let us know your plans for the next one.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I give up! Chief

LOL, you should! You seem to think it's still a 1960's economy. I guess you weren't around to do the job for $50 so Bad O was left no choice but to rely on a business that was available, on the spot (how much is that service worth?), to do the job. It doesn't matter if Bad O was able to do the job or not. He's on vacation. Perhaps he felt his time is better spent enjoying a stroll around town and having a beverage with his friends while the mechanic works on his outboard. It's a good thing, too. The guy saved his ass. Bad O needed his outboard that last 30 miles to get home to his honey. How much is that worth! Capta's right ... it's not always about the money.

Bad O, those spinnaker runs sound awesome! Nice trip!

 

[isaksp00]

On the cost of the repair - I wonder if the shop removed the carb and soaked/cleaned it, or if they just cleaned the plug and put in correct fuel mix. If all they did is the latter, then $180 or so does seem high. If they had to pull and svc the carb, cost seems OK. On my Honda 8, it is kind of time consuming to get the parts off to pull the carb, and of course then reinstall, plus of course the time to take parts off it to soak.

E.g., my wife just had a plumber replace a leaking pipe/valve in a toilet supply line, plumber said it was a 10 min job (plus a few parts), $125. That is high, even at plumber hrly rates. But she had no options... The guy is about 2 blocks from the house.

Chief - you have a lot of experience: if this did involve a carb cleaning, would the cost still be excessive? Just curious in case I ever need that (I have done this myself, in my basement, except for when I first bought the boat).

 

[Ron20324]

Scott: most people can't fix it themselves............thats why they get hosed on simple repairs like fouled plugs! Chief

My slip neighbor had trouble with his outboard for the dinghy. I could hear it every time he ran it. I am outboard-savvy, so I said it just needs idle and air-mix screw adjustments. He, being of more money than mentality, took it to "the man", who stuck it to him. A couple hundred later, he gets it back and says the man cleaned the carb and fixed it. I guess he did. I never offered to help him again.

 

[Chief RA]

No, I do not think that is an excessive price for removing and cleaning of the carb as well. Thats the point, it was not necessary to remove the carb from what was an outboard that had been running recently. The rich fuel fouled his plugs and caused the oil saturated carb to not run on it as well. When that happens all that is needed is to use fresh fuel at proper oil ratio and fresh plugs. As I am sure Ron will verify: once the carb is drained a couple times with this fresh fuel purging through it, that motor most likely would start quite easily!
The reason I state my qualifications in a post is not to show off. Since most of our members don't really know the members qualification, I will state mine so they can have more confidence in what I post. I do this especially if someone disagrees with my statements as I don't post if I am not knowledgable in the subject. I studied hard to come from a US Navy E1 to a lifetime certified Industrial Engineer, California Community college instructor for 9 Industrial and 3 Business fields.
My best, Chief

 

[Scott T-Bird]

No, I do not think that is an excessive price for removing and cleaning of the carb as well.

Well, maybe you should read more carefully. Bad O said the carb had to be cleaned, as he tried fresh plugs on his own, which didn't work. Chesapeake Boat Basin doesn't look like an overly prosperous place, although they do seem to be located on some prime real estate. Didn't we already have that discussion where we condemn developers for purchasing marinas? So, now you condemn a marina for charging $181 for an outboard repair? How do you expect the owner to keep the developer away? Do you expect him to starve AND resist the temptation to make some cash on his prime real estate?

 

[flynhi4u]

All disagreements about labor rates and required work aside, it sounded like Bad Obsession had a great sail!

Sam

 

[Chief RA]

You need to lighten up Scott. I suggest you read my last entry more carefully. I do not believe he got what he paid for! I am quite cognizant of todays costs but I don't think that is the issue here. No more responses will follow on this subject.
I'll be leaving for Bodega Bay Ca. tomorrow to launch Compass Rose for the summer and fall! Chief

 

[isaksp00]

As an aside (to Bad Obsession, and by the way the obsession is not bad) while I have a 4 cycle on my boat, when I have problems with my 2 cycle home tools I first check the plug and clean it, and test for spark. If the cleaned plug has a spark I drain the gas and add a little pure gas (no oil mixed in). If it runs I let it go for maybe 15 secs, assuming the lack of lubricating oil won't damage the motor that quickly. I figure this helps to flush out any excess oil. Then I fill tank with gas/oil proper mix. This seems to help and in some cases may avoid a carb soak. Now, I am no expert, so I hope a mechanic will weigh in on whether a few secs running on pure gas would damage an outboard.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

You need to lighten up Scott.

Me lighten up? I'm not the guy accusing another poor working stiff for "ripping off" a yacht owner for what amounts to a fair charge (by your own admission). Some thanks you would give him for helping Bad O get home to his honey!
Besides, you weren't there. So how would you know what was the necessary repair (or the work he did)? Why not just man-up and admit that you shouldn't have jumped ugly all over the guy? He provided a service and got paid for it. What's wrong with that?

 

[Bad Obsession]

I don't know how we went off on this tangent about the cost of the repair to my outboard.
It dawned on me to check the spare part area and tool area. Sure enough, I have two spare brand new spark plugs. I could have easily changed out the plugs myself but I would have fouled them as well because I messed up my mixture. I am still trying to figure out how I did this but part of the tank was old gas from last year. I did add something to help the fuel as it set but part of it could have evaporated over the winter and left the oil behind. That is according to the mechanic.

I really don't think the guy ripped me off. He fixed the problem. I knew what the labor rate was when I put the engine in the shop and they worked it on the very next day and got me out of there. I had a professional mechanic look over the engine and tune up the idle as well. He went over the engine and said that it is in great shape and it runs great when the mix is right. Part of the bill also covered fuel costs to get my mix in order. The carb was cleaned and new spark plugs were put in.

I don't think that the bill was unreasonable. I knew upfront what I was getting into and I thought the guy was honest and he did a good job.

It was also a good lesson. I need to be careful on my mix and I also can check the plugs and change them easily. I am a little unsure about cleaning the carb. I can probably do it but I would rather prevent it.

I am working on editing my video from the trip and I hope to put it on Youtube. I will post it when I have finished with it.

 

[isaksp00]

Cleaning the carb is not that hard, except if the motor is on the boat (I would not try to remove mine for fear of losing it overboard). The hardest thing is getting it off the motor. Then you just have to be careful you don't damage the inner parts like diaphragms. And you should have a gasket kit as the gasket(s) may get damaged if they stick to the two surfaces. If you do this, get some proper carb dip in the "paint can" so you can soak it - the sprays may not dissolve quite all the gunk. Also, if your motor is like my 8HP Honda, the idle jet is the most sensitive bit and clogs most often - but it is easy to remove while the motor is on the boat (screws into top of carb) and can be cleaned with a thin "wire" of plastic and carb spray - this is what I always try first if I have trouble starting it and idling - symptom is it won't stay running unless choke is partially on and the throttle stay revved up a bit (making it risky to shift). You may want to join the iboats.com outboards web forum for your brand, as there are some real mechanics who often help.

 

[Catmando]

When my Nissan 3.5 goes to Davy Jones' locker, I am pulling the engine off the lawn mower!