Hola!
Monday was one of those very rare days when not a thing was flowing smoothly aboard SeaSwift. So to take a break from projects and end the day on a more positive note I took the dinghy with it's wonderful new motor out for a spin of the anchorage.This was becoming routine as the motor is still in its break in period. This calls for varying the rpm's for 10 hours of run time.
Got to the opposite side of the bay and the motor quits. Sounded like it ran out of fuel?
Soooo after several tries to get it running, once again I'm rowing...lol Arrived at SS after dark and hauled the dink aboard for the night.
An old saying on outboards not running is it's always a "FUEL" issue. So that's where I start the troubleshooting. I have a Baja filter that I always use to fuel the big boat. Cool device that separates any water before it can reach the tank. After filtering the new fuel tank half a dozen times I have about a pint and a half of dirty water in the 5 liter jug.....water is heavier than fuel so it goes to the bottom of the container. Where the hell did all that come from and so much???? The tank was brand new with the motor and I even rinsed it out in case there were any particulates in it from the factory before filling.
So begins the process of flushing the tank and motor complete to assure all water is out of the system. This also requires dissembling the carburetor to clean the jets and float bowl.
Success! After about three hours the little motor is running like never before!! YAY!
You can't imagine the feeling of having your new motor....replacing your old not working motor, NOT WORKING... The dinghy is the cruisers taxi so having a reliable dink is imperative to happy life aboard and your way to shore!
Now the question still is.....where did the water come. Well what I believe happened is it was siphoned into the tank during a squall that blew thru the bay just after I got the motor. The dink hoisted out of the water along side the big boat was lifted and shaken during the squall and tipped the fuel tank upside down in the floor of the dink.
I had accidentally not closed the vent screw on the cap. In the morning there was a very little amount of fuel on the floor of the dink which I cleaned up and never gave it a second thought. There was very little water in the dinghy from the rain this is because the transom flapper drain was open and it could drain out. This is crazy...but what I think happened was the tank for a period of time was upside down on the floor when the hard rain filled the little boat enough to siphon water into the tank while it was upside down and before the water could escape the dinghy. The water was dirty, not rain water so it came from the bilge of the dinghy.Now that is one weird hypothetical phenomenon!
Cruising definitely has its moments!
All is grand aboard the SeaSwift once again...
CIAO!
Barry _/)