On the wrong end of a tow line!

Well, the barge let us down once again, this time on Memorial Day weekend.  The engine has not wanted to idle properly since we launched this spring.  It seemed that the choke was sticking and flooding the engine at idle.  A quick cleaning of the carb and the contacts on the electric choke module on Friday night, and she ran just fine.  Saturday I put the boat thru its paces, so to speak.  The engine started fine, warmed up and then idles for 15 minutes without problems.  I checked the fuel water separator and found only gas.  Looks like Sunday's outing is "all systems GO"!

Sunday after church, we headed to the boat.  The engine started easily and idled while we got a few snacks at the marina store.  Backing out of the slip was trouble-free and we were on our way!  We cruised over to our usual spot to hang out...but as I eased the throttle back, the engine cut off.  Not good. We dropped the anchor which held in the strong current.  Since we were safely out of the channel, we decided to go swimming and try to catch a fish or two. 

A few hours later, we decided to head back.  The engine would crank, but not start  After a few tries, the battery was giving out.  We let it recover, and tried again...no luck.

I made "the call of shame" to the good folks at BoatUS to arrange for a tow.  Captain Durward Baggett called my cell a few minutes later saying he would be on his way.  Once he arrived, we tried a jump start, to no avail.  We rigged a bridle up forward between the two pontoons and hooked to the towline.

About an hour later, the barge and its crew were all safely back in their slip, thanks to Towboat US.  We made it back home around 11pm.  Monday morning I was on the boat first thing to try to find the cause of our distress.   I aired the bilges, turned the key and...it started right up!  WTF?????  Why won't it start when its away from the slip?  Why does it run so well now, but not a few hours ago?

Frustration, thy name is boating!!

After successfully launching the barge and returning to her slip, we eagerly anticipated some fishing action last weekend.  Saturday was warm and a bit cloudy, but that should improve the fishing.  Off we went downstream to one of our usual spots.  Fishing there is usually productive for 5-10 pound blue catfish, but not so much for giants.
Surprisingly, I caught the first fish, while my wife caught the next; hers was marginally longer than mine, but I am certain that my fish was heavier.  We headed back to the slip a short time later.  The boat was running fine at its usual cruising speed. After slowing down to approach the slip, the engine began running rough, as if it was running out of gas.  I bumped the throttle ahead a couple times to keep it running without adding too  much speed.  As we neared the slip, heading into the wind, I slowed to idle and...nothing.  The engine died. I was able to guide the coasting barge to the finger pier just close enough to jump to the pier and haul the barge in her slip.

Sunday we tried again in the afternoon.  The boat started right up and idled fine as we left the marina.  Maybe yesterday's stalling was caused by the fogging oil or old gas...I have never believed in coincidence, and I should have trusted my instincts that the engine was unreliable.

The fishing was lousy, having arrived at slack water between the tides.  We decided to move to another spot just a few hundred yards away.  But, the boat had other plans.  She stubbornly refused to start. Not a cough or sputter.  After checking the obvious, we had no alternative but to call the fine folks at Boat US for a tow.
The ride back was slow, but safe and the captain was skilled and professional. Two big thumbs up to TowBoat US!

A call to my mechanic confirmed what I thought, starved for gas, likely from a full/clogged fuel filter.  That likely happened after running the boat on nearly empty tanks from the launch ramp to the slip.  Hopefully a filter change will have her running great soon!

Finally going fishing!

I can't believe its this late in the year for our first trip!  We started our maintenance work early, but my son's swim meets and unexpected failure of the power trim pump set us back a month.  We re-carpeted the upper sundeck this year which was a decent-sized project.  the carpeting and its adhesive provides the weather protection for the plywood decking; that made it a must-do project! 

We went with a light grey carpet with a ribbed profile to reduce the heat buildup and provide better footing for folks topside.  We store our kayak up there as well, so secure footing is vital!

The upper sundeck is 16 feet long and 8.5 feet wide.  Older kids (and some adults) love to jump into the water from there, so it gets a lot of use!

Next time we will have some fishing news and a few pix of the barge in action!  Happy Mother's Day - don't forget to check out and subscribe to my page at Examiner!

Splash!!

Finally got the barge back into the water. Its always a bit stressful for me, more so this time since the power trim is not working due to an elusive electrical issue.  Still, I could raise and lower the outdrive using jumper wires directly to the battery.  With help from my son-in-law,we hitched the truck to the trailer and pulled the trailer out of the hole it sat in.  As we did, it was obvious one of the trailer tires had come off the rim!  Since the boat only needed to move across the parking lot and still had 5 good tires under it, I decided to keep going.  I started the engine with cooling water supplied from a hose to make sure it would start on the ramp.  So far, so good.

I backed the trailer onto the ramp; the water was unusually high, which was good for us. The engine fired right up, but the idle was rough, on the verge of stalling.  I lowered the outdrive using the jumper wires, released the tie downs, and backed off the trailer.  As I shifted into ahead gear, the engine stumbled and only opening the throttle kept it running.  We approached our slip a bit faster than usual since i knew once I went to idle speed, the engine would likely die.  Sure enough, it coughed and quit as soon as I shifted to neutral gear...we coasted rapidly into the slip with no way to slacken our speed.  Suddenly we thudded to a stop as the bows found the rub rail at the end of the slip. Close examination showed no damage at all. 


I promise to have pictures for next time...going fishing for Mothers Day!!


Check out my latest article, and older stuff too, at my Examiner page!

Getting closer to splashdown

Got the pump installed and tried it...nothing but a click from a solenoid in the dash and one in the pump. Damn. I ran a jumper wire from the battery to the pump and the the outdrive began to rise - while spewing hydraulic fluid all over the engine compartment!!! One hour later, I had most of the mess wiped up and removed the leaking fitting.  It looked fine, no sign of cross-threading.  I put it back on, this time tightening the fitting until it stopped leaking.  I was afraid to overtighten last time, but I guess it was not tight enough.

I raised the outdrive again using the jumpers and she looks ready to travel.  I spent the next hour tracing wiring all over but have not found the issue yet.  It would help if I knew something about electricity, at least 12 volt DC systems. Still, it looks like she gets wet this weekend!