When to stay in port!

westward · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 10:00 pm Post subject:

When you're the only small boat out there, you're constrained by the waves in what direction you're able to go, you're falling off every wave and the bow's digging in, you're popping the propeller out of the water regularly, you're too far committed to safely turn around, you know that a motor shutdown likely means death, you have the handheld VHF's lanyard around your wrist, when you're in the troughs, all you can see ahead are powerful walls of water; and you tell everyone on board (all of whome already have life jackets on) to be quiet so you can concentrate, you know it's too rough and you've made a mistake by being out there. I've had several such experiences on Rosario Strait, in both a 19' Glasply and our old 22' Cruiser. The Cruiser felt safer hands-down due to lack of violent sideways rolling. I don't have the stomach for this kind of nonsense anymore, and I flat-out refuse to do it. "Need to get back for work tomorrow", or a guest's "need to get back" were usually the reasons I did it. As a boater you develop a sense for the weather and the tides/currents in your boating zone. You know not only the current conditions but also the trends. You keep the engines in top shape, the gas tanks full, and the gas filter clean. Final thought: I think people tend to overestimate the size of waves. a 3-4' confused wave is a pretty good obstacle for a 22' C-Dory. You really don't want to be out in any more than that. Mike.

thataway · Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2007 11:56 pm Post subject:

Westward makes another excellent point--about the fuel filters. The heavy seas stur up sediment, and plug up filters. I had to change out ours in Powell (some form the old fuel in the boat--we probably didn't get all of the very bottom out when we were draining and "polishing" the tank. I showed my son how to drain the racor on our Catalina trip.

We have helped a number of boats which went offshore and got caught in heavy weather, the sediment in the fuel tank plugged up the filters--and often the spares ran out, or the person ran the batteries down trying to restart the engine.

But in all of our trawlers and long distance boats we had parallel filter systems, with a cross over valve so we could change out filters or drain the bowls, while the engine was still running on the other filter. I don't remember this being discussed in the C Dory forum, but certainly might be a point of consideration. You need only two, 2 way valves, so you can isolate either filter--and a second Racor--(which we prefer).

drjohn71a · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 1:52 pm Post subject:

Educational to hear all your experiences. 'Makes us all think about getting everything tied down and better organized.

One important thing to remember about getting into trouble on a boat is that, due to the adrenalin (pucker factor) flowing, our brains run out of energy quickly. One book I read said the most common thing turning a tight situation into tragedy is when the skipper has exhausted all his blood sugar, he gets tired, and his thinking process muddled. They say that is when the real trouble starts because you cannot accurately assess and react or plan.

So, they recommend you keep energy bars, nuts, snacks, NOT JUST SUGAR, and some drink, even bottled water, handy at the helm in order to keep replacing the nutrients rapidly drained by such a stressful situation.

Of course, as Dr. Bob and others mention, clean out and drain the water from those filters regularly. One of our engines went down from water in the fuel filter, just as a big storm hit while we were crowded into a narrow passage under a bridge... I really felt dumb for not having drained that water out!

John

Jack in Alaska · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 3:20 pm Post subject:

thataway,
Excellent point on your parallel filter set-up.
That is on my list for TO DO THINGS next spring.
I have only one Racor being feed from 2 different tanks through a 2 way valve to one motor. My emergency back-up now is a new fuel hose set-up that can be hooked directly from either tank to the motor bypassing the valve/filter etc. But the motor will stop when doing that. Not a good plan.
Thanks again for your input to this site.
Jack

thataway · Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 8:25 pm Post subject:

Jack, I would probably just put a Sierra, or Fram filter in the secondary line, until you get a Racor--or other high end filter.

The risks of getting "crud" into the engine filter is too great--and although it is tough enough to work on inboard filters during heavy weather, it becomes dangerous to have to work on a filter which is under the cowling of an outboard in heavy weather.

My probelm with the Sierra or Mercruiser etc types of filters, is that they don't seem to be as consistant in trapping debris as the higher end Racors.

Last winter I was out in my 18 foot CC--I had trained the Sierra a few days before, and it was heavy weather--but all of a sudden the engine began to sputtter--there was crud which had gotten into the engine filter under the outboard cowling--and I had to clean this at sea....I changed to a Racor.

Jack in Alaska · Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2007 2:32 am Post subject:

Bob,
I don't think I could change the under cowl filter on my 90hp Honda out at sea. It is difficult enough to do when on land standing next to it.
I have one Racor on the 90 and another on my kicker. Need a 3rd on the 90 to prevent filter changes at sea.
Jack