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And I learned about sailing (motoring) from that

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Mike013
1st Mate

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USA
64 Posts

Initially Posted - 11/11/2007 : 19:05:35

We were motoring back to the slip last evening, after a pleasant sail on Millerton Lake. I had just convinced my wife that 1 gallon of gas was probably enough to cover the 500 feet between the slip and us. Then the engine quit without warning. This had never happened before. I immediately open the hatch to the fuel locker and checked the gauge. There was more than a gallon left. I unscrewed the gas cap and released the pressure. I was able to immediately start the engine. I explained to the crew, wife, daughter and son-in-law, that we had just experienced a vapor lock. I also told them I had read about the problem on the Catalina 250 Forum just this week and knew immediately what to do.

As I was congratulating myself for being on top of things, I happenned to glance aft. I noticed that we were streaming a long floating line, which was attached to the prop on my Honda 9.9. This time I immediately killed the engine. I used the electric lift to bring the prop out of the water. I directed my daughter to maintain our heading as we coasted along. Using the boat hook, I was able to free the long streaming portion of the line. There was still a lesser length wrapped around the prop. I was able to turn the prop using the boat hook and fortunately the small piece fell away. The line we snagged was a very old ski boat towrope left adrift in the lake. What I thought was vapor lock turned out to be something else. We then motored on to the slip and buttoned up “Ariel” just as the sun went down.

The experience got me thinking. What if the motor would not start again? What if it got dark while we were still adrift? How and who would I call for help? Did I have enough flashlights on the boat? If there had been any wind (which there wasn’t), could I have sailed in? Fortunately, I now have the luxury of preparing for these possibilities before they occur again.

What do you think?

Mike
"Ariel"
2006 C250 WK #859
Central California

Edited by - on

Steve Blackburn
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1091 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2007 : 21:00:34

For 500 feet, I vote for paddles and oars and hope to get a tow. What is that "electric lift" you mention on your motor?

Edited by - Steve Blackburn on 11/11/2007 21:01:31

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2007 : 21:13:58

I sailed into my slip 3 times this season. 2 were successes, on one occasion, I chose the motor for the last 20 - 30 feet into the wind on the final turn to the slip. I might have sculled into the slip, however. I crossed 5 fairways and made 2 - 90 degree turns into the slip. One was at night. I did it as practice against just the occurence Mike described.

I've not forgotten my British sailing instructor on a C25 in a beautiful Bavarian lake who said: "You're a sailor, you don't need a stinkin' motor!" The C25's my wife an I learned on had no motors.

The moral to the story: I think everyone should practice sailing to the dock. You just never know.

Edited by - John Russell on 11/11/2007 21:15:21

Mike013
1st Mate

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USA
64 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2007 : 21:29:23

Steve,

The electric lift powers the outboard forward into an horizontal postion. This lifts the lower half of the motor and the prop out of the water. You tilt it out of the water to reduce drag when sailing and when tied up at the slip.

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2007 : 21:31:14

I think about this every time we go out, and worry about it each time we come back in. So far our outboard has been reliable, but I have an inherent distrust of outboards, and all small gasoline engines in general. In our case I don't think paddles & oars would cut it, and the wind would have to be from a nearly perfect direction to be able to sail in. Even with the perfect wind, I don't know that I'm a good enough sailor to do it. We have to motor up river against the current, through a 60 degree bend in a channel that's maybe 50 yards wide, with lots of commercial traffic (think tugs with barges they can't see over). Then a narrower bascule bridge that is usually up but not always, and there's no way to know beforehand, and it has maybe 12' of vertical clearance. Immediately after this a 190 turn to get into the fairway, then a final 90 at the other end of the fairway to get into our slip. If the tide was flooding, it could probably be done with a sweep oar. The incoming tide would help you up the channel, but it would try to push you back out of the fairway once you made the 190.

I don't know what a good solution is, my dinghy's oars aren't long enough to make any difference, perhaps we could tow ourselves with the dinghy if we had it's outboard with us. There's no way we could do the tow without the outboard, I don't think I could row that far up the channel. I'm not even sure I could do it with just the dinghy.

I'm currently doing research on a new engine. As far as I know, there's nothing wrong with our current one, but I like making very informed decisions. I read all the reports in here about the various engines everyone uses & how they like them. The consensus seems to be either a Honda 8 for it's low torque, or a Tohatsu 9.9 to which I'd add a 4-bladed 5 pitch propeller for low torque.

I suppose I could call for a tow, we have that on our insurance, and I think it pays for the first $1000. I should probably research this & find out who I'd call and what their rates are as well as my coverage. The idea of getting sideways in that channel with no engine and a tug & tow bearing down on me is truly frightening.

Edited by - on

Al
Captain

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USA
269 Posts

Response Posted - 11/11/2007 : 22:01:28

I take the “Ounce of Prevention…” approach….

I’m a nut about changing spark plugs, gas filters, using name brand gas, changing oil/filters and keeping spares and tools aboard. I keep my second anchor handy if I someday find myself about to drift into someone’s 53’ Swan, and I have no way to stop.

On my ToDo list is to add a bracket somewhere on the stern where I could mount my 5HP dingy motor if I had to motor in some stormy night.

Edited by - on

Steve Blackburn
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1091 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 01:35:19

I said "oars or paddles" with the "no wind" scenario in mind and only at 500 feet from the docks. But what if you have no wind, no engine and current? Then I think you need to call in a tow. Probably want to throw the anchor if it's not too deep.

Can't be worse than a stinkpotter. At least we have an extra power option (sails and wind).

Edited by - Steve Blackburn on 11/12/2007 01:37:30

bear
Admiral

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USA
909 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 07:23:02

I had the engine on "Brandy" quit this year about three miles from my slip. Never practiced just sailing into a slip or thought about it, single-handed as well. The wind was favorable until I made the final turn into the slip, at that point it was right on my nose. I was going way to fast when I made the final 90 degree turn to line up with the slip. I had already wound up the jib and dropped the main. I let the side of the bow slide along the dock to bleed off speed with a mid level bump at the end. The fuel line hose at the engine connection was to short coming out of the fuel tank compartment and when I turned the engine to starboard it jerked the connected just loose enough to suck air.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 10:05:56

One way to slow down when coming in too hot is to throw the tiller hard to port and then hard to starboard and then back... Past 45 degrees, it becomes ineffective for steering but pretty good as a brake. (Wheel setups don't have this option.)

On a lake, I've been surprised by how a boat can move in "mirror" conditions, with sails hanging limp. The air is almost always still moving, so the boat will too--albeit very slowly--just move weight to what appears to be the leeward side and keep the sheets loose. (In tidal waters, it's a little more complicated--the anchor is often your most trustworthy friend.)

In my neck of the woods, a call on Ch. 16 for a Good Samaritan will often get results... (If you're around Fisher's Island Sound, it might end up being me!) For all other times, no longer having the wind-power option, I have "unlimited" TowBoatUS.

Oh, and Mike... That sound you heard when you opened the tank may have been the vacuum releasing. The vent should be open when you're motoring, or you're motoring on borrowed time.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 11/12/2007 10:08:00

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 10:16:55

An anchor's not much of an option for us either, we'd be better off trying to tie up to the pilings that line the channel. The depth is something like 60' I think, I have enough rode to get down that far, but would not want to be anchored in a narrow commercial channel. The approaches are even worse, the depth is more like 200' in Elliott Bay. Once again I have enough rode to touch the bottom, but I suspect my anchor would just bounce along. I have an extra 100' of cheaper 3/8 line that I could use in an emergency, but I'd not want to trust my boat to it unless I had no choice. I keep it on board for going through the locks. A tow is still probably the best choice, otherwise I stand a chance of being carried on the current out into the ferry routes, which wouldn't be a desired result.

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 11:47:22

Yup--if you can't get at least 3-1 scope (or don't have an all-chain rode), especially on a rocky bottom, your anchor is likely to just bounce along.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 11/12/2007 11:48:15

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 12:02:26

This really speaks to a broader issue of trip planning. I'll start another thread, though.

Edited by - on

piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 14:26:59

Mike, bottom line: stuff happens. We can prepare best we can but may be that wont help. I like that you stayed calm and talked to your crew. That's fantastic and probably one of the best things we can do.
One thing I gotta do is practice sailing into my slip. I know it can be done cuz a friend of mine with much more sailing experience than me, did it in my boat.
Steve A

Edited by - on

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 15:27:02

I sail to and from my mooring ball most of the time. OB running - at the ready.

I've tried to move a C25 with an oar. If the boat has some momentum, you can assist it a little. However, an oar is mostly ineffective. Best asset is sculling motion with a tiller/rudder. If you're going against a current, break out the bumpers and the anchor, prepare your boat for impact with a guy(boat) with better lawyers.
IMHO,Best manual way to move a C25 along without motor or sail, get into your dingy , attach a line from the dingy to the bow, and row.

In heavy traffic areas, we keep bumpers at the ready. Our most effective bumper is a big orange mooring ball. It saved us several times when we were first learing how to drive our boat. Now we keep it at hand for everyone else's boating habits.
This summer a guy with a brand new MacGregor bounced off two boats moored near us and took a run at us. Our big orange ball saved both of us a paint exchange. I talked to this idiot in the parking lot a week later and he thought I was a nut case for running around my boat with a mooring ball. He thought it was alternately stupid, and hilarious. He also thought that it was okay to 'bump' into another boat as long as you didn't hit 'head first'.

Edited by - on

piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 15:47:57

Round Balls, never would have thunk. That idiot should have thanked you then and later. Wish I could say cuz he owns a McGregor but my good friend owns one and he is nothing like this guy.
Re using the dinghy to tow, unfortunately its only attached for trips, not day sail. Although since I spent a ton of money for it and the motor, I should probably keep inflated and ready to go.Its just sitting in the garage and you never know.
Steve A

Edited by - on

Sloop Smitten
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1181 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 16:09:43

Reminds me of the MacGregor 25 that was in the slip next to mine when I bought Utopia. The owner had not used the boat in three years and was trying to sell it and brought the prospective owners and their kids down for a sail. As they left the slip it was obvious he had no control of the boat and it bounced off my outboard. My OB was on an old Fulton mount and I thought he had knocked it off but the only damage was a small gash to his hull. He came back in when I happened to be standing at the top of his slip at about 3 knots.

It was obvious he was going to end up on the boardwalk so I mustered up as much strength as I could, grabbed his bow pulpit, and stopped the boat short of impact. Turned out his swing keel was encased in about a three foot diameter of barnacles which prevented him from steering the boat and the unserviced outboard's throttle locked up when he was coming back into the slip. Needless to say the sale did not go through.

Edited by - on

Steve Blackburn
Master Marine Consultant

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Canada
1091 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 19:12:24

Stampeder, would the MacGregor owner you speak of have long hair, skinny and tow with an old van? MacGregor with a blue hull?

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stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 20:07:54

Med height, well groomed, new Nissan Titan P/U. Brand new MacGregor, blue hull.

I've talked to him a couple times since then... and he thinks he made a mistake in buying a boat. Says he has only had it in the water twice, for a total of about two hours.
I saw him launch and retrieve and run it up onto the little beach beside the dock. It was quite a show.
I got the idea that he came into some money and was trying to spend it.

Edited by - on

piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 11/12/2007 : 21:19:30

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by stampeder
 
I got the idea that he came into some money and was trying to spend it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
If I came into money, I would not buy a MacGregor. Especially one of the new ones.
Steve A

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/13/2007 : 12:20:09

...but a 50hp on the transom can get them halfway on-plane... Kinda exciting for some folks.

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Tom Potter
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1913 Posts

Response Posted - 11/13/2007 : 17:42:31

Yeeeee-haaaaa!

Edited by - Tom Potter on 11/13/2007 17:46:29

piseas
Former Treasurer

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USA
2017 Posts

Response Posted - 11/13/2007 : 17:57:49

That is one ugly picture!
Steve A

Edited by - on

John Russell
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3444 Posts

Response Posted - 11/13/2007 : 18:13:06

I had a friend once describe that as a floating beer platform since it was neither a sailboat nor a motorboat.

See they have some redeeming value.

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 11/13/2007 : 19:51:16

Whadderya talkinabout? They're obviously on starboard tack--heeling to port--smokin' every Catalina out there! (Literally!) Don't worry tho... I can take 'em!

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 11/13/2007 19:53:38

stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts

Response Posted - 11/13/2007 : 23:44:01

It's heeling to port because the 110LB Admiral is on the port side! MacGregor is using a lower density foam this year...same density as those $2 foam beer coolers.
MacGregor is a great boat. They go fast and they keep the beer cold.

Edited by - on

Tom Potter
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1913 Posts

Response Posted - 11/14/2007 : 12:14:42

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by stampeder
 They go fast and they keep the beer cold.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sounds like a new slogan. Prehaps to induce the new lower density foam.

Edited by - Tom Potter on 11/14/2007 12:16:42

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