Sailing on Starshine
| Vessel Name: | Starshine |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Outbound 44 |
| Hailing Port: | San Francisco, CA |
| Crew: | Pat and Melodie Williams |
| About: | We have been "working the plan" since 2004 when Pat began taking sailing lessons. That lead to a few sailing vacations on sailboats. Melodie took some classes too. We purchased our boat in 2011. |
27 February 2019 | Alameda California
26 February 2019 | Mazatlan to San Francisco
26 February 2019 | Mazatlan Sinaloa Mexico
01 May 2018 | El Cid - Mazatlan
09 April 2018 | Marina Mazatlan
07 March 2018 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
23 January 2018 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
04 December 2017 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
24 October 2017 | Oakland, CA
04 September 2017 | South Lake Tahoe CA
04 September 2017 | Culver OR
04 September 2017 | Culver OR
04 September 2017 | Redmond Oregon
17 July 2017 | Polson Montana
31 May 2017 | Our new Camper in Ira Texas
04 May 2017 | Nuevo Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit Mexico
04 April 2017 | La Cruz Anchorage
12 March 2017 | Chamela Bay
12 March 2017 | Tenicatita Bay
18 February 2017 | La Cruz de Huanacaxtle
Recent Blog Posts
27 February 2019 | Alameda California
Goodbye Starshine
Melodie and I have accepted an offer on Starshine. We close escrow on March 8, 2019.
26 February 2019 | Mazatlan to San Francisco
The Baja Bash
Preparing for the Baja Bash (the trip north from Mexico to California). They call it “The Bash” because the prevailing winds and waves are from the northwest. So you are basically going uphill (if that makes any sense).
26 February 2019 | Mazatlan Sinaloa Mexico
Summer 2018
As many of you who have followed our blog over the last four years you’ll note that I have not given it any attention since last spring. So let me fill in the blanks.
2-Stroke Nissan Outboard
31 July 2014
Two outboard motors came with the boat, a Honda 15 HP 4-stroke and a Nissan 3.5 HP 2-Stroke. When we bought the boat in 2011 I took both motors home and winterized them.
I put the Honda into service for the OYC Anchor Out trip. We even took the dinghy over to Quinn's Light House for dinner and it ran great. After maybe 30 minutes of run time it would not idle. Now the Honda is in the repair shop getting the carb rebuilt. I tried to clean it with a couple of different chemicals, but I could not get it to run at idle.
The Nissan is another story. Those of you who track Facebook might recall the Nissan went for a 10 minute swim last October. I was getting it ready for our trip to Santa Cruz when it fell in the water (taking out a chunk of gel coat and knocking off one propeller blade). The engine was not running at the time and I hosed it down with WD40. I got the engine started and ran it for 10 min in a bucket of fresh water. I thought I was ok.
Last week I tried to get the Nissan started, but it wouldn't fire. I took it to the Nissan shop and found it only had 50 lbs of compression. It needs 120 lbs to run. Marine Outboard in Sausalito took it apart and found we needed a new main bearing, cylinder head, and gasket. A whopping $100 in parts. Now the engine fires right up. I was really impressed with the honest work they did for us.
The photo show the corrosion in the cylinder head cooling circuit. The corrosion occurred over time and was not a result of the swim last October. The engine does not appear to have much wear on it, even though it's from 1992. The previous owner must not have flushed it with fresh water after running it.
Preparation continues for our August 28 departure. Lots of paperwork. But I am making progress on "the list".
I put the Honda into service for the OYC Anchor Out trip. We even took the dinghy over to Quinn's Light House for dinner and it ran great. After maybe 30 minutes of run time it would not idle. Now the Honda is in the repair shop getting the carb rebuilt. I tried to clean it with a couple of different chemicals, but I could not get it to run at idle.
The Nissan is another story. Those of you who track Facebook might recall the Nissan went for a 10 minute swim last October. I was getting it ready for our trip to Santa Cruz when it fell in the water (taking out a chunk of gel coat and knocking off one propeller blade). The engine was not running at the time and I hosed it down with WD40. I got the engine started and ran it for 10 min in a bucket of fresh water. I thought I was ok.
Last week I tried to get the Nissan started, but it wouldn't fire. I took it to the Nissan shop and found it only had 50 lbs of compression. It needs 120 lbs to run. Marine Outboard in Sausalito took it apart and found we needed a new main bearing, cylinder head, and gasket. A whopping $100 in parts. Now the engine fires right up. I was really impressed with the honest work they did for us.
The photo show the corrosion in the cylinder head cooling circuit. The corrosion occurred over time and was not a result of the swim last October. The engine does not appear to have much wear on it, even though it's from 1992. The previous owner must not have flushed it with fresh water after running it.
Preparation continues for our August 28 departure. Lots of paperwork. But I am making progress on "the list".
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