The Ol' Outboard

Okay, so maybe this isn't related specifically to the Lockley-Surprise, but I'm sure it's something most trailer sailors (and many small boat owners) can appreciate. For those of you who have read my earlier posts you have learned what a pain in the ass my "iron jib" has been. Getting it to run fairly reliably has been an exercise in patience and the occasional use of brute force via a small wooden oar.

When I was given the boat in fall of 2006 I immediately started thinking of secondary propulsion (even on a 14 footer). The Surprise was build to handle a small outboard, with a reinforced transom and a strip of teak to protect the fiberglass. My first thought was a trolling motor. They are clean (no emissions) and inexpensive and can be found at almost any sporting goods store. The disadvantage is the need to accommodate a large battery (the only storage on the Surprise is a small storage cuddy forward of the mast), and the need to keep it charged. There is also no easy way to measure how much "fuel" you have left. Nothing like staring down the barrel of a t-storm with a dead battery! Finally, I figured that the environmental impact of disposing of a dead battery would be the same (if not worse) than the infrequent use of a gas-powered outboard so I found my Gamefisher on ebay and bought it for the same price as a new trolling motor.

And so the saga begins...

After the nightmare on Norris lake (and a second outing to Cowan) I started researching the motor online. Chris found some articles on line as well.I knew that the motor was made by Tanaka, and was sold under 3 names (Tanaka, Gamefisher and AquaBug). The starup process consists of:
1- Unscrew the vent on the top of the gas cap
2- Turn the fuel valve to the "ON" position (straight down)
3- Turn the choke on
4- Place the throttle lever to the "Start" position
5- Pull cord feverishly until the flesh pulls away from your hands

The motor would fire up and run for all of a minute or two and suddenly shut down (it features a built-in sesor that triggers the shut-down procedure at proper intervals; ie in a harbor surrounded by $1M boats, when the wind dies or when staring down the hulls of 3 Cigarette Boats). We deduced that the trouble could be one of two things: the oil mixture or the fuel ventilation.

When I bought the outboard I went into normal "boater" mode, buying marine-grade 2-cycle oil from Quicksilver (The Mercruiser guys). However, the motor is air-cooled (it's basically a chansaw motor with a propeller) and we learned that marine oil is too thick for these types of motors. I went down to my local Wally World and bought a few 2-cycle bottles (from the lawn and garden section) and mixed up a new batch of fuel. The engine ran better, but still sputtered and died shortly after starting. On to the fuel vent.

The fuel cap has a threaded knob on top that is to be unscrewed to allow air to mix into the fuel tank while running. Unfortunately mine appeared to be stripped out and was no longer opening. I read an article on a website where someone had been having the same problem until one day they accidentally dropped their gas cap overboard. They ordered a new gas cap from Tanaka and had no more problems! So off I went to Tanaka's website got the part number and was able to order it from Sears for the grand total of $14.95. The new vent featured a nylon, 4-spoked fuel valve (vs the old cap which featued a metal, grooved valve). With one short turn the valve opened up as it was supposed to. This may be it!

I took the boat up to Cowan earlier this week for a leisurely evening sail and decided to test out the outboard. I didn't have much time so I only ran it for about 5-10 minutes at varying speeds. However, it ran like a champ! No stalling at all! Problem solved? Later this week I will be at Cowan again and plan on an extended test. I'll keep you posted.