Get home motor use

[B&B Burks]

How many of us have had to use the get home motor because the main
failed? What were the reasons the main failed? We used our firist 25 a fair
amount and where never in a get home situation because fo motor problems.
Just an interesting question.

[JamesTXSD]

[localboy]

Peter can tell his story of getting home on the kicker.

Luckily, we never have had to. But like an umbrella or a pistol; it's better to have and not need, than need and not have.

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

Strangely enough over the years with various boats - when I needed a kicker - I didn't have one and when I had one I didn't need one .

Needed one when -

Ran out of gas within a half mile of the marina after a 7 hour trip on Lake Erie(marina sent a guy out with a jerry can).

Weeds blocked my water intake - I didn't notice until water pump was fried.

Starter fried - eventually got it started with a pull cord(25Merc)

Lost steering - managed to cobble together a temp. fix.

Hit a shoal when the depth alarm operator malfunctioned! I diligently set the depth but forgot to hit "enter" - oops. Paddled off the shoal and the main got me home - despite having a scrunched up prop.

The first boat I ever bought(1985 Thundercraft 16') and still have(my fishing boat) has never let me down. It has a 50 Merc main, a 4.5 Merc kicker/troller and a 36 pd. Minnkota remote on the bow - not to mention a pair of paddles - never needed them!!

Regards, Rob

[Pandion]

Not on my C-Dory, but when the Mercruiser I/O failed on my Glassply 19, many years ago, I used my kicker to get back to Juneau from the Taku Glacier. Good old reliable Evinrude 15 two-stroke.

[digger]

Electrical issue on a Merc 2 stroke when coil/coils failed. Had to go about 5 miles by kicker. The main would run but not enough poop to plane, and was unsure of problem at time. Slow return into Bamfield, but got there on own power. Tried field repair by ordering coils and shipping to Bamfield but only ordered 1, and 2 had died. Took ferry to Port Alberni, and drove truck and trailer to Bamfield to tow home. 9.9 Merc 2 stroke brought her home.

[Jazzmanic]

Thanks for remembering Mark.

Yes, there were 3 times on our Suzuki DF90 that we had to use the kicker to "get home"

First time was due to a bad trim relay that started going up and down on it's own on our way to the Bellingham CBGT.

The second time was due to my tinkering with electrical wires behind the helm that blew the ultra-important "white" wire 15A fuse that connects the ignition switch to the ECM.

The 3rd time was a true emergency where the engine did die just after entering the Bellingham marina after being run hard from Princess Louisa into the Strait of Georgia for 12 hours. We started drifting into the rocks and luckily I run the kicker regularly so it started immediately when I really needed it to. The big motor did start with no issues the next morning. In thinking back, this failure was one of the first signs of the effect of the exhaust corrosion issue that doomed our motor. We now have a new one.

So basically, the first was a small electrical relay failure, the second was operator error and the third was a true engine failure. Based on our experiences, I would not go out without a backup motor. We travel big water up here.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it! Great to see you guys are back into a C-Dory 25 Bob and Betsy!!

Peter

[thataway]

I have almost always had a get home alternative on board--many times that was sail...
In 1961, I had a V8 in a 26' Owen's Sea Skiff fail--I had fabricated an emergency bracket out of 2x4 "just in case", put that on the swim step, and used the 2H johnson dinghy motor to get the last few miles home from Catalina--slow but did the job.

I had a transmission fail, on our 62 foot sailboat--in the Rue d'Brest, with the tide just starting to ebb. This boat weighed over 65,000 lbs, and got her up to about 2.5 mph with a 4 hp dinghy motor on a 10' hard dinghy This gave me steerage way, and allowed time to inflate & launch the 13 foot inflatable, and getting the 25 hp outboard on it going--got the big boat up to a little over 5 mph. Breeze came up--and got some sail on--enough to stem the now ebbing tide of over 6 knots--and eased the boat into a side tie at the municipal marina in Brest...

I found that using an inflatable as a "tug" and pushing was the best way to handle this situation. By pushing a large boat, you use the motor in a directional fashion as a rudder. If side tied, there will be torque and side displacement before you can get the larger boat moving.

Had a few engine failures, but those two above, were the only ones where I had to use some kicker type of assist,--and could not immediately "fix" the issue (such as as a fuel problem.)

[colbysmith]

Twice it came in handy. Once when weeds blocked my intake in a small river and I forgot to check that before starting the kicker and going to the nearest dock to check it out. The other time when I forgot to turn the fuel tank selector on before pulling out on to the Mississippi River. After starting up the kicker, it dawned on me to check the fuel selector.... So, I had it and used it, but had I not had the kicker, I would have probably realized the issues sooner and dealt with them on the spot. Other than that, I've mostly used my kicker for salmon trolling, and just to use it when I'm not going anywhere fast and feel like putting along on it... Colby

[Edwin]

After 40 some years of boating I finally had a breakdown on my main engine last June that left me heading back to Prince Rupert from the Work Channel area. Approximately 25 miles with the 9.9 averaging between 5 & 6 miles /hr
My main engine is a 2003 Yamaha 9o hp four stroke. The regulator/rectifier shorted out internally and blew the main 30 amp fuse.
Mechanic tells me it could be an age problem on that part but so far no definite reason for the failure.
Ordered the new part once home and relatively easy to install.
Thank god we had calm weather but still near 5 hours trip at that speed.
Now I will have to rebuild my confidence.
Ed

[johnr]

Just last week, my steering cable broke about 100 yards outside of the Bellingham Squalicum Marina...on a busy opening day of the recreational crabbing season...with a moderate S wind blowing us towards the rocks. For those of you who use that marina, you know how bouncy that water can be. We used the kicker to get us to our slip. It was not graceful, pretty, or practiced.

[texasair]

Twice.
I/O offshore fishing boat blew a cooling hose, came in from the Gulf of Mexico on a 15 hp kicker. Slow going but we trolled in and landed 2 king mackerel on the way in.

Second time was on our houseboat trip down the Mississippi in 07.
Main motor died with Tug and barges a mile or 2 out but coming our way.
Fired up the 8 horsepower kicker and quickly got out of their way.

[nordicstallion]

Oh ya!! 12 miles south in heavy fog about 200 yards off the beach & very few boats out that day & the closest 20+ miles north. that's when that get home motor cost was very well worth every penny. The problem was caused by the constant leakage past the wrong lazzerate hatches onto batteries & wiring that the builder used & has caused brats many of the same problems.Hatches replaced, electrical problem solved, got home with my get home. Happy man!

[Jack in Alaska]

I had to use my kicker to get home once. A 1977 2 stroke Johnson. I was anchored up in 155' of water aboiut 10 miles offshore. THe main engine would not start......dead in the water. I pull started the old Johnson and pulled the anchor, very slowly, and motored 10 miles in.
Other than that I use it like Colby does........salmon trolling and just cruising around at slow speed and low fuel consumption. I have newer motors now.
Lack of use it the main problem with kickers.

[NewMoon]

Used our kicker to get to safety at least 6-7 times in 45k nm cruising our small boats over 25 years. Several times due to kelp blocking water intakes, with onshore wind and rocky shore, or strong currents creating a hazard.

Also thanks to belt tensioner and other mechanical failures on our 26-footer.

Wouldn't be without one. On our Nordic Tug the dinghy motor will have to do, and launching it takes a while. I'll be taking good care of the big Cummins.