Floater
09-16-2001, 10:19 PM
First, I want to apoligize to StellieSteve and his wife. They went with me fishing before iFishstock.
As were getting ready to start trolling the east-inside of the T'bay north jetty, I decide to run back into the bay so we could finish rigging up.
At this time I try to start the big motor, DEAD. Just an ugly sound from the starter.
So I start heading in on the kicker. IT QUITES.
We're fifty yards from the rocks with no power. Again I try the big motor. No good.
So I start pulling like a wild man on the little engine. The bulb is primed and the vent on the tank is open. Using the choke does no good and now it smells flooded.
We are now drifting closer to the rocks. CRAP.
I wave down another boat to give us a tow and as they're headed over I keep pulling on the rope of the kicker. BOOM, it starts. We're in gear and moving as fast as it will go. We finished the day mostly crabing but then the kicker died again. After that we got it started and called it a day. Felt like I was pushing our luck.
Found out later the starter had stayed up locked into the flywheel.
Maintenance issues:
1. I thought I was taking care of everything on the 80hp Merc. I don't want to buy a new one of course. But......the starter pinion shaft was dry.
2. I had just charged both batteries a couple of days before. But....the #1 battery has a dead cell and the negative cable to the #2 battery was corroded through. No contact means no juice.
3. I've now deduced that on the kicker, there is a wire in the elbow of the tiller handle that is grounding out the engine. If I lift the handle to high, it dies every time.
Take care of your equipment and it will bring you home!
As were getting ready to start trolling the east-inside of the T'bay north jetty, I decide to run back into the bay so we could finish rigging up.
At this time I try to start the big motor, DEAD. Just an ugly sound from the starter.
So I start heading in on the kicker. IT QUITES.
We're fifty yards from the rocks with no power. Again I try the big motor. No good.
So I start pulling like a wild man on the little engine. The bulb is primed and the vent on the tank is open. Using the choke does no good and now it smells flooded.
We are now drifting closer to the rocks. CRAP.
I wave down another boat to give us a tow and as they're headed over I keep pulling on the rope of the kicker. BOOM, it starts. We're in gear and moving as fast as it will go. We finished the day mostly crabing but then the kicker died again. After that we got it started and called it a day. Felt like I was pushing our luck.
Found out later the starter had stayed up locked into the flywheel.
Maintenance issues:
1. I thought I was taking care of everything on the 80hp Merc. I don't want to buy a new one of course. But......the starter pinion shaft was dry.
2. I had just charged both batteries a couple of days before. But....the #1 battery has a dead cell and the negative cable to the #2 battery was corroded through. No contact means no juice.
3. I've now deduced that on the kicker, there is a wire in the elbow of the tiller handle that is grounding out the engine. If I lift the handle to high, it dies every time.
Take care of your equipment and it will bring you home!