I had two primary projects to tackle on this trip to the boat. First, I had to rebuild the carburetor on the outboard for the dinghy. I usually limit myself to one project per day. If that project only takes fifteen minutes, so be it. If it ends up taking all day, so be it. Rebuilding the carb was so-o-o easy and the results so-o-o-o satisfactory that I succumbed to the temptation to tackle another and even a third! I was still finished before noon. Sweet!
Then, there was the beast! This was the project that I was not looking forward to. This one struck greater fear in my heart than any Halloween goblin could inspire. Last time I was on the boat I changed the primary fuel filter. I hate doing that because half the time I end up getting air into the fuel lines and it is a bear to bleed it out on this boat. Sure enough, I developed an air lock. Then in my attempt to bleed the system I discovered that I was going to have to change the secondary fuel filter housing. Happily (or not) the part did not arrive before my departure. So I had a couple of weeks of R&R in Kentucky before tackling the onerous task. Turns out that swapping the part was really easy. However, I still needed to bleed the system. I went through the entire process and still couldn’t get the engine started. Finally, in disgust, I called in a professional. Although he was not able to get the engine started, he gave me enough knowledge and a recommended cure that I could execute by myself. So, the one project a day turned into one project that lasted several days. My body is bruised and sore from the contortions I went through just accessing some of the parts I needed to access.
This part is on the injector pump. Access by standing on head and reaching to arm's length
On a sailboat, you can see a part or you can touch it, but you can’t do both at the same time! I think sailboat designers figure that if you can touch a part with one finger, it is accessible.
Access here is through a nine inch opening and the parts are, of course at arm's length.
There are certain maintenance chores on the engine which require me to crawl into spaces that even a seasoned spelunker might avoid. There isn’t enough room down there to cuss a cat!
These are the parts accesed thru the 9 inch opening.
Anyway, I applied the fix suggested by the pro and the engine finally kicked over this morning about an hour after I started work. The fix was to install a primer bulb in the fuel system to replace the tiny little finger priming valve.
A third, unspoken goal of the trip was to socialize with my friends on Dock 6. We had a cookout, we had drinks, we helped each other with boat projects and we went out to dinner.
This goal was so easy to meet and serves to remind me why life is good when I’m on the boat.
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