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Conference vicki::boats

Title:	Powerboats
Notice:	Introductions 2 /Classifieds 3 / '97 Ski Season 1267
Moderator:	KWLITY::SUTER

Created:	Thu May 12 1988
Last Modified:	Wed Jun 04 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1275
Total number of notes:	18109

817.0. "Poor sailing program needs help with outboards" by STAR::KENNEY () Mon Apr 08 1991 15:07

    	I looked at the keywords and did a quick DIR/TITLE and did not find
    what I was looking for so here goes.  I work for a small sailing club
    in Lowell on the Merrimack river.  For those of you who use the river
    we have the section of river above the bath house and below the water
    works.  Actually we pretty much stick between the bath house, and the
    bridge we operate out of the boat house with the rowing program. 
    Enough about the program for now (if you have questions about the
    program, the building, the docks, or the ramp at the building send me
    mail.  

    	A fact of life is that we need chase boats to rescue, and tow
    wayward sailors in from time to time.  We have over the years acquired
    a motley collection of boats and motors.  We have the skill in house to
    keep the hulls up but the motors are another story.  These engines get
    treated with all the respect and care of a doormat.  The get run hard
    with no warm up, run with what ever gas/oil mix is laying around, and
    stored improperly.  With opening fast approaching I have convinced the
    management that these engines need proper attention ASAP.  In the
    typical he who proposes get to do tradition I am stuck with getting
    them fixed up.  I need a recommendation(s) where to get these beasts
    looked at.  For reasons that I do not know using Middlesex Power and
    marine is out.  The rest of this note is what I know about the engines
    and their history.


    1) Mercury 35 or 40 Hp not sure which.  This engine is about 5 years
       old and was running reasonably well at the end of the season.  It
       was pulled off the boat and stored in a warm but not heated part of
       the building all winter.  It should only need normal spring
       preparation work.

    2) Johnson 60 Hp motor age unknown but no more than 15 years old.  It
       was bought since the program opened in the mid 1970s.  This motor
       has not run well since the fall of 1986 if then.  I have only been
       actively involved with the program since 1987.  The motor was stored
       outside all winter, and nothing was done to prepare it for winter. 
       It has undergone a number of half hearted attempts to get it working
       since 1987.  The answer might be that it is junk (I hope not a new
       engine is not in the budget).

    3) Mariner 25 Hp this motor was new to the program in 1987.  I am not
       sure if it was a new engine at that point, or if it was just when we
       got it.  Ran strong and well for two seasons, and has been ill ever
       since.  I heard rumors of a dunking in the river, but do not know
       exactly what happened.

    	Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.  I apologize for the
    scanty details but I got stuck with this last night.  I will not have a
    chance to get by the program to check out the details on the motors
    until this weekend.  Even then much of the data has been lost over the
    years (new staff and program director every year).

    Forrest

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
817.1	Try other local marine stores	PIPPER::JDREW		`Mon Apr 08 1991 17:02`	7
	It sounds like terrible Mike at Middlesex Power and Marine strikes again. I'd try Roussel Marine in Dracut (453-2112), Billerica Marine in where else (667-1518) or for a last shot Forest Marine in Tyngsboro (649-7211). If that doesn't work out well, get the manuals for the engines at someplace like Bliss Marine ($20 each) in Woburn and give it a shot at repairing them yourself.
817.2	Should we worry	STAR::KENNEY		`Mon Aug 05 1991 17:09`	42
	Time to reopen this note again. We sent the Mercury out before we opened and between a new prop, and spring tune up, it set us back about $230. The motor has been used hard since then, but was as of last Wednesday running reasonably well. Not great but OK. I went down to the boat house Friday to set up for a sailing Regatta and got told the motor would not start. I assumed the battery had finally given up the ghost (it is on its last legs). Went to look at the motor and it cranked fine and would catch and then die. Finally got it to start and it was clearly only running on one cylinder. Shut it down, and pulled the plugs, one looked about like I expected for a motor run a couple of hours a day mostly at idle since the start of the season. The other plug was coated with Gas and Oil, and small lumps that looked almost like calcium deposits. I cleaned both plugs and the motor started right up and ran about as strong as ever. Sunday, I had a little time to kill and I was curious, so I pulled the plugs again. The one that was fouled was again coated with OIL and gas. The motor was running OK before I pulled the plug and cleaned it again. I could not really notice any difference after cleaning. Any idea what is going on, should I be worried, should we pull the motor and get it looked at yet again.... I already suggested that new plugs would not be all that bad an idea. We have a backup boat finally, it is not terrific, but it works. A motor was found by one of the Lowell state park barge program folks just laying around collecting dust. Figured we could use it, and loaned it to use (someday the state might want it back)..... Forrest Ps. The other engines, mentioned in .0 are still mostly dead. The Johnson has been poked at a couple of times, and it will start but runs awful. Maybe one of these days one of the members who really knows engines will get it running. The Mariner is supposedly being taken care of. Seems that the U.S. Rowing team after a little reminder about breaking two of our motors last year feels guilty enough to fix the Mariner. I do not have much hope they have had it since June, and still no progress report.
817.3		STAR::KENNEY		`Wed Aug 07 1991 15:18`	6
	RE: .2 From the silence, I guess we have nothing to worry about. Forrest
817.4		DNEAST::OKERHOLM_PAU		`Thu Aug 08 1991 13:31`	7
	Re .2> Forrest, Your suggestion to replace the plug is a good start. If a new plug also exhibits the problem, look at the plug wire. The insulation might be breaking down causing a reduction or loss of spark. Corrosion could also be present at the connection point. Paul
817.5	It died so I should have been worried after all	STAR::KENNEY		`Thu Aug 08 1991 15:17`	20
	We, never got to the plug replacement point. I went down last night, and the motor is dead, it will not turn over. They say the battery will crank over other motors with no problem, so it looks like the battery is not to blame. I did not have time to look at it. It will be going to the shop Saturday, the question is which shop. We really do not want to go back to Middlesex again if we can help it. They have made it clear they do not like dealing with the Regatta Committee (acient history), and frankly I was not impressed with them, or their work (nothing definite just left a negative impression). Forrest Ps. Even though I am basically a sailor I still enjoy reading, and learning from power boaters. One of these days, I need to hook up with the skiing folks, and try and bum a ride. I have not been water skiing since I was a kid in Florida, would like to try it again.....
817.6	The saga continues	STAR::KENNEY		`Mon Apr 06 1992 16:13`	21
	I went to the shop and they replaced the starter and it made it through the rest of the season. It continued to short out plugs but it made it. In January I got a light probe and and took a look at the problem cylinder, the top of the piston looks like somebody chipped holes in it. The motor was sent out to a shop and the estimate is $500 for parts and labor to fix it. Their explanation was wrong gas and wrong lube oil. I hate it when I am correct about things like this. The bad news is that the funding group is refusing to pay for the repair. No money, why do the motors keep needing maint. and repair why is it so expensive. No amount of explanation makes them understand grrrr...... Forrest
817.7	It's too bad...	GOLF::WILSON		`Wed Apr 08 1992 13:14`	13
	Yep, chunks of piston missing makes for a serious repair. And the shop's explanation of what happened is probably also right on the money. A combination of inexperienced operators who don't give a damn about someone else's equipment that they're thrashing, along with a budget that says "let's feed these things the cheapest gas and oil we can find" is not real conducive to long life for an outboard. Oh well, the Fram filter ad couldn't be more true, "PAY ME NOW, OR PAY ME LATER". Good luck! Rick
817.8	Motor down on power any suggestions	STAR::KENNEY		`Mon Jun 29 1992 16:36`	36
	Thanks to help from Rick Wilson and some poking and tweaking we have had two chase boats running all season. They have both had minor fiddling dirty fuel filters, dirty plugs, broken starter springs but all stuff I could diagnose and fix. Now one of them is acting funny and I need suggestions. We have a mariner 25 that was brought back after a dunking in the river by a local shop. I has run strong most of the season fuel filter was dirty and needed to be cleaned. About 4 days back it had a dramatic fall off in performance. Still starts first pull, idles as well as ever but has no punch. Does not stumble at full throttle and will rev freely out of gear. We have done the following: 1) Cleaned fuel filter again it was not really dirty but is a simple thing to check. 2) Replaced plug wires and did some general removal of corrosion and slime. 3) Made a quick check to see if prop is slipping. Am not 100% sure it is not. No sign of impact with anything that would cause it to slip. No one on staff admits to hitting anything with the motor either. I give it is probably something obvious and simple that is eluding me. Any good suggestions that I can pass on to one of the other people who try and keep the motors running. Forrest Ps. As usual they do not want to pull it out of service if at all possible. We may get our third boat in soon if so then they would be willing to remove this one from service.
817.9	See if both plugs are firing	SOLVIT::CHASE	My favorite season is getting nearer!	`Tue Jun 30 1992 10:33`	6
	Pull both plugs and see if they are both firing. They should look pretty much the same. If one is wet and/or very black and the other is not, then you know it was not firing or at least not firing much. Kenny
817.10	Thanks motor is running fine again	STAR::KENNEY		`Mon Jul 06 1992 09:21`	23
	One of our motors went for a swim Thursday night. Seems the soft wood mounting pad the staff made up fell apart and off came the motor. I spent Friday drying, cleaning and replacing transmission oil the motor started and is running fine. Sunday I got back to the weak mariner, I pulled and cleaned the plugs both were equally dirty. I drained the fuel system, and cleaned the fuel filter. Noticed that the spark advance mechanism was binding slightly and I adjusted it. Also noted that the propeller was slipping and I tightened it. The motor is now running strong as ever. On a side note Thursday and Friday were not kind to the sailing program. Thursday the motor went for a swim, sometime during the night somebody got onto the docks and cut all the boats loose. To top it off they towed a couple up to the bridge and jammed them under the low span bending the masts. This is the second time this season the boats have been let loose. The first time a couple were untied and let drift looked like teens had been drinking on the dock. This time serious damage was done. Forrest
817.11	Vandals	SALEM::GILMAN		`Thu Jul 09 1992 13:02`	14
	IMO this is serious enough to make some changes, such as: 1. Restrict dock access from land via gate/fence. Is this feasible? 2. Post the dock so any unauthorized (vandals) people can be more easily legally prosecuted. 3. Anyone around in the area who can keep an eye out from their windows? Vandalism such as this is serious and, IMO the people responsible should be caught and prosecuted. Jeff