Almost shipwrecked

[Herschel]

But I couldn't get rid of the bad gas, not even in Bimini. They suggested I pour it in the sand, but I couldn't make myself do that. So I couldn't replace the contaminated gas with clean one because I couldn't dispose of the contaminated on

I know we all have "don't leave anything out there but your footprints (and wake)" foremost in our minds, but, if it becomes the potential of my or my crew's life or health vs. a few sea urchins and a starfish, I am pretty sure what I will do. We are so dependent on our engines in extreme situations, protecting the integrity of the whole fuel system is vital. I have been upstream/upwind of bridges in strong winds and current where loss of the engine would have been catastrophic unless an anchor could have been gotten down fast and it held. I think we have to make decisions for people some time. We certainly don't want to get in those "either or" situations often, but, if in one...

[whgoffrn]

This story is why I've contemplated removing the 50 I've got for two 2 stroke 15- 25hp.... store one .... (somewhere) ??? And if one engine craps out on you despite it being heavy it is possible to lift it off the transom and replace it ....suspect bad gas??? Yeah you're a better person than me cause I would have dumped it lol
I've lost the main halyard a time or two I've contemplated putting weights on both ends but I'm not sure if the banging around on the mast would be more annoying than to put the mast back down and re run it..... I've had to put the mast back down out in the water before and even in calm conditions is quite a pain
We keep two 12 foot fishing rods we use as outriggers to troll fish with while sailing and I've had to duct tape them together before and attach a small fishing hook to yank the halyard back down before

[whgoffrn]

http://b3cfuel.com/products/mechanic-in ... -test-swab

I've heard more than one account of people saying bad gas in the Bahamas has me wondering if there is a way to test to see if you are getting bad gas before you let it get into the engine

[Sumner]

... bad gas in the Bahamas has me wondering if there is a way to test ...

I got probably about 30 gallons over there and had no problems but...


https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Funnel-AF8CB- ... uel+filter

... saying that I now have a funnel like above and will take it back when we go with the Endeavour. I bought it after getting back and did use it when I siphoned the Bahama fuel out of the Mac's gas tank and put it in the Suburban. No water that I could see in that fuel. It seems from most reports that if there is an issue it is usually water. I got all my fuel at Highborne Cay and that place is very high end and pumps lots of fuel, mostly diesel, a day as all the big boats go in there.

I also saw people that took water testing kits and tested their drinking water at George Town and I assume other places. There again I only got water at Black Rock and George Town and had no problem but did treat it with bleach...

Amount of Clear Water.....Amount of Clorox® Regular-Bleach.....Amount of New Concentrated Clorox® Regular-Bleach
1 quart..................................2 drops............................................ 2 drops
1 gallon.................................8 drops............................................ 6 drops

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[Sumner]

This story is why I've contemplated removing the 50 I've got for two 2 stroke 15- 25hp...

Your big motor might be a life saver if you did need to move a long distance at a higher speed, since you are there in Hurricane season.

Going to the smaller ones will mean 'hull speed' so one might as well go down to a 8-10 hp if that is the case but I don't have an X. I've only ever ran the 9.8 on my S wide open once and that was once in Florida in a cut with high current and then for only a minute at the most.

Haven't I seen where people have put a second mount on the stern of an X for a smaller motor? Worst case and I could put the 3 1/2 HP Tohatsu on the back as I bought it because it comes in a long shaft model.



I also have the trolling motor now that is always mounted and could be used if needed. Will either the 3 1/2 or the electric push through heavy seas? No but if I was broke down over there I'd only be sailing when that was prudent and just need the smaller motors to possibly get into a marina or tight anchorage. We have a big advantage over power boats in that we have sails . I saw one large power cruiser slowly working north in the Exumas using their dinghy to pull it.

There is a couple in the boat yard with a '70's Westsail 32 sailboat that weighs 20,000 lbs. and ....



... doesn't point into the wind worth a dam*. A few years ago their diesel went out and they were down Florida's west coast. They sailed all the way back to the yard with that boat and used their dinghy with a 8 HP on it to get through places on the ICW and through the lock coming into the 8 mile waterway that leads to the boat yard. The next year they went out without the diesel working, using just the dingy when needed and sailed down to and all over the Keys and back to the yard. Pretty impressive considering how tight the places are where they took that boat.

Move when conditions are right and sit still the rest of the time. I should of learned to 'purely sail' before going to the Bahamas but feel pretty confident about it now and we will push hard on doing the same with the Endeavour. No reason with sails that you couldn't get back from about anywhere, especially the Bahamas, where there is good protection about anywhere you are and there is no reason to be making the longer water crossings under anything other than ideal conditions. Sure you might be hit by a squall on one but they don't last that long,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[whgoffrn]

I bought a broke down 9 hp long shaft to mount on a backet on the back but it just to me feels to heavy prob 50-60 lbs?? I would imagine it would put too much force on the fiberglass bouncing around when in the up position ...i can imagine in bad chop it would wouldn't be good on the fiberglass back there .... so it sits on my back porch while I contemplate
I have a 4hp on my dinghy and may just sell both and get something slightly bigger for the dinghy reason I thought 2 15hp -25hp was despite not enough to plane it would give the extra hp needed to push through waves or current.....

OP love the write up it gives those of us planning and dreaming of a trip like this some food for thought. I talked to another guy who demasted at staniel cay.... so mine this week is getting a back up stay (looser higher up) to hold the mast in the worst case scenario... back up engine is a mental work in progress lol

Leaving for the keys in 2 weeks so gonna trial run a lot of these " mental back up plans" for once im actually purposely aiming for storms instead of running from them lol

[whgoffrn]

As far as water in gas I already extract ethanol from pump gas using a 5 gallon clear container water and food coloring.....i made a container to extract ethanol and I guess could take it with me as the same concept would work....pour an extra liter of water in with black food coloring into the gas mix and it black water settles to bottom....a small hole and a tooth pick to use to plug / unplug the hole works perfect to drain off the black colored water

[March]

whgoffrn wrote:
so mine this week is getting a back up stay (looser higher up) to hold the mast in the worst case scenario...

I don't think that's going to work--the mast pivots backwards, not forwards, so the backstay will be superfluous, in this case. We use a halyard for the spinnaker that we seldom fly, tied to the pulpit.
We have just returned from a one-week trip at the apostle islands. The ETEC worked impeccably with fresh American gas--not a hiccup, not a missed beat. Looks like the fisherman who removed the sparkplugs in Nassau did a great job and replaced them properly.
So the final verdict is, contaminated gas-possibly with Diesel fuel rather than with water. Local ETEC mechanic said that he doesn't know for sure what happens if you mix Diesel with gas, but didn't rule out this possibility

[Sumner]

whgoffrn wrote:
so mine this week is getting a back up stay (looser higher up) to hold the mast in the worst case scenario...

I don't think that's going to work--the mast pivots backwards, not forwards, so the backstay will be superfluous, in this case. We use a halyard for the spinnaker that we seldom fly, tied to the pulpit.y

I believe he was referring to a 'back-up" forestay.

... Local ETEC mechanic said that he doesn't know for sure what happens if you mix Diesel with gas...........

Not good things. A few years back the fuel guy put diesel in one of the gas tanks at a filling station 20 miles south of us. The lucky ones that filled up there made it to us before their engines quit and the unlucky ones got towed in. The local repair shop made a lot of money off that screw-up.

Glad you had a good trip ,

Sumner

============================
1300 miles to the Bahamas and back -- 2015

The MacGregor 26-S

The Endeavour 37

Trips to Utah, Wyoming, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

[BOAT]

I had a Sumner experience out in the ocean traveling from Catalina to Long Beach. The engine would not run over 2000 RPM. I changed to the other tank and the motor ran just fine - over 5900 RPM at WOT. When I got home I pumped out the bottom 2 gallons of the bad tank and reconnected it to the motor and it ran just fine.

I assumed contamination in the tank -

A week later I had the boat at the motor shop for the routine maintenance and they said the motor was fine and that it sounded like water in the gas.

We have real big tanks now - 17 gallons on each side - so I figured I should protect the motor from water so I put one of these water separator things in:

[Piddle and Futz]

@BOAT

Yep, did the same on mine last week. $60 is well worth avoiding motor issues from bad gas.

There are a number of cheapo models on Amazon, eBay, and elsewhere that have terrible reviews. Decided to stick with a trusted brand.

[Russ]

There are a number of cheapo models on Amazon, eBay, and elsewhere that have terrible reviews. Decided to stick with a trusted brand.

I did read some of the reviews. Mixed bag on the cheap models. The bad reviews could be catastrophic with fuel leaking.

I think I'm going to order a Racor. I don't want to deal with failures at sea.

Does anybody know what the ID of a typical flexible fuel line is?

[BOAT]

3/8"

[Tomfoolery]

There are a number of cheapo models on Amazon, eBay, and elsewhere that have terrible reviews. Decided to stick with a trusted brand.

I did read some of the reviews. Mixed bag on the cheap models. The bad reviews could be catastrophic with fuel leaking.

I think I'm going to order a Racor. I don't want to deal with failures at sea.

Yea, that's a little like seeing some bad reviews on a mail-order parachute. Or elevator hoist ropes. It's juuuuuuuust not worth the few bucks saved.

[BOAT]

Which brands were the bad ones? I put in a universal bracket mount because I wanted to test several types. The one I picked has replaceable filters and a big water bowl. Another issue you need to be careful about is the flow. A lot of the smaller ones impleaded the fuel and made the motor starve for fuel at WOT. I tested the one I installed for WOT flow and it works well. If anyone finds a better unit I am ready to change out by just undoing two nuts and reattaching the hoses so I am all ears on separator reviews. I have not experienced any leaks.