Wish Someone Told Me

[jennis9]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

this is the first season with our new to us boat.... the previous owner is a friend and we would call with small crazy stuff - or email with a short list. We are lucky.

Scott told us from day one - pull the throttle out and pump it down a few times and it will start right up. It did on the first try... but as the season went on - it became harder and harder to shift out of neutral. Come to find we needed a new throttle cable and controller - ours was worn and had to be replaced. Since it wouldn't go into idle it made it terrible to dock the boat - so we would use the kicker to come in.

So we got a new throttle cable and controller. But the mechanics didn't tell us to prime - it starts up fine without, but I am sure we need to prime this one too. Hope we're not wrecking our carb... but it all makes sense now.

thanks for the great post and the explanation from fisnguy...

 

[JustJason]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

is it just me... or do people just not understand carb'd engines anymore......
I should start holding seminars or something.

 

[fishrdan]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

is it just me... or do people just not understand carb'd engines anymore......

Probably not, with all auto engines being fuel injected over the past 15-20 years, it's what people are used to.

Off subject a bit, but I got a kick out of a rental car I had a few months back, Pontiac something or another. The ignition key would start the engine if you only bumped the key, bump the key and the starter keeps going 1-2 seconds until the engine is running. OR, if you held the key in the start position,,, and kept it there for 10-15 seconds (which would normally grind the starter to shreds) the electronics would disengage the starter once the engine was running.

Give it another 15-20 years and people will say the boat's starter turns off then I release the key from the start position

 

[cribber]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

My Glastron has a 3.0l carbed Penta I/O drive and I run it on muffs until the temp gauge show 150 degrees before I trailer it the five mile drive to my favorite ramp. The mechanic where I bought it told me to disengage the drive by pushing in the center button of the throttle and pump it three times before cranking it up. I hardly ever stall it following this routine and feathering the throttle when pulling away from the trailer once the drive unit is engaged.

 

[govols019]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

One time several years ago we were putting the boat in the water at the begininng of the season when it wouldn't start. We were ready and anxious to get out on the river but instead we were stuck on the trailer with a motor that wouldn't make a sound. I mean it wouldn't even try to crank. First thought was the kill switch but it was attached. Second was the battery so I got my spare out of the truck but that didn't help either. By this time I mad and also holding up the ramp traffic so I pull the boat back out of the water and pull over to the parking lot to think.

About the time I'm getting ready to tell everyone that we were going to have to go home, it hit me. The motor won't start when it's in gear. I was so ashamed that I almost didn't tell anyone and just let them believe the motor was the problem and not the idiot behind the key.

 

[evinice66]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

Give it another 15-20 years and people will say the boat's starter turns off then I release the key from the start position

in my 2003 volkswagon golf gti 20th anniversary, once i started it you could not turn the key forward and grind the starter...! it had alot of other smart features too...

 

[daydreamer1252]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

that was a feature of VW back to the original beetle days at least as early as 1969 anyway. Sometimes we could maybe learn a lesson or two from others, its not all invented here......

 

[david_r]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

that was a feature of VW back to the original beetle days at least as early as 1969 anyway. Sometimes we could maybe learn a lesson or two from others, its not all invented here......

yep have had three different old bugs, '68, '72, and a '74 superbeetle.

in the '68 the wife gets in and just sits there so i go over to the car and she cant turn the key........ she did the exact same thing in the '73, thinking its newer and doesnt have this feature....then she got wise when we got the superbeetle and never had this prob again.

i think ALL the ignition switchs should have this function.

sometimes i still kid her about that funny look she had and the doubts she had about weather or not she could operate the car.....that reminds me of the slant 4 gear box incident but thats a story i dont think she would appreciate me telling.

 

[bigboneli]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

I want to know why some people think it's funny, or, laugh it off to inexperience, while putting their family, and everyone else out there on the waters at risk. You wouldn't drive your car without knowing how to start/stop it would you??? You wouldn't cruise down an unfamiliar highway loaded with your weekends gear and your entire family without having a license, knowing the rules of the road, being insured, or at least having read about what you were up against would you? The fact you put MY FAMILY at risk without knowing what you're doing isn't something that I find particularily funny. And no, it isn't different if you're telling a story about 'someone else'...

So why is it that what most people would NEVER do, i.e. putting their family in a boat in which they have no reason being on is fodder here?

You laugh when you make it back alive, or see someone else ignorant of life making mistakes that you would never make. I guess that's why this forum is so popular here. It makes you feel like you're a 'seasoned' boater once you endanger everyones life and make it back to tell about it? I understand that everyone makes mistakes, and it's a valuable tool to learn from others mistakes, and I also understand that MOST of the other boaters out there are inexperienced idiots I have to be aware of. Guess that's why they teach defensive driving for automobiles. You would think there should be a law for knowing how to start a boat before you put it in the drink. But laughing at follies that can/could/will/do harm innocent others to me is true ignorance of learning what you're doing in the first place. I hope that for the most part, none of you are on my waterways, endangering me or mine, especially if you're too lazy or ignorant to learn the basics, let alone safety measures.

A fellow marina person once told me to write my kids names on their pfds...Why? So the authorities could ID their bodies. Was a one sentence lesson I'll never forget...Kind of took that to heart, so listening to people with their 'You won't believe what I got away with today because of my immense stupidity' threads just kind of pisses me off. You got lucky today. Tomorrow? Who cares. So long as your ignorance doesn't interfere with me. Good luck.

 

[bigboneli]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

bump...
because everyone thinking they're not the ones ill informed enough to not die are the ones i worry about on the water....

 

[BLDFW]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

I want to know why some people think it's funny, or, laugh it off to inexperience, while putting their family, and everyone else out there on the waters at risk. You wouldn't drive your car without knowing how to start/stop it would you??? You wouldn't cruise down an unfamiliar highway loaded with your weekends gear and your entire family without having a license, knowing the rules of the road, being insured, or at least having read about what you were up against would you? The fact you put MY FAMILY at risk without knowing what you're doing isn't something that I find particularily funny. And no, it isn't different if you're telling a story about 'someone else'...

So why is it that what most people would NEVER do, i.e. putting their family in a boat in which they have no reason being on is fodder here?

You laugh when you make it back alive, or see someone else ignorant of life making mistakes that you would never make. I guess that's why this forum is so popular here. It makes you feel like you're a 'seasoned' boater once you endanger everyones life and make it back to tell about it? I understand that everyone makes mistakes, and it's a valuable tool to learn from others mistakes, and I also understand that MOST of the other boaters out there are inexperienced idiots I have to be aware of. Guess that's why they teach defensive driving for automobiles. You would think there should be a law for knowing how to start a boat before you put it in the drink. But laughing at follies that can/could/will/do harm innocent others to me is true ignorance of learning what you're doing in the first place. I hope that for the most part, none of you are on my waterways, endangering me or mine, especially if you're too lazy or ignorant to learn the basics, let alone safety measures.

A fellow marina person once told me to write my kids names on their pfds...Why? So the authorities could ID their bodies. Was a one sentence lesson I'll never forget...Kind of took that to heart, so listening to people with their 'You won't believe what I got away with today because of my immense stupidity' threads just kind of pisses me off. You got lucky today. Tomorrow? Who cares. So long as your ignorance doesn't interfere with me. Good luck.

This is an old post and I was enjoying reading about other peoples experiences and learning from them but GAWD, LIGHTEN UP.

Trust me, the first day you went out on your boat you were just as stupid as you suggest everyone else is.

JEESH!

 

[j_martin]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

Last night I was idling toward the trailer (v6 merc OB carbureted) and it just quit. I tried to restart, and gave up. Jumped in the lake and dragged it onto the trailer. (a ton of bass boat on bunks)

Got home with it, checked the kill switch....OK. Checked the fuel/water seperator.....not a drop. Checked the primer bulb, a little soft. Pumped it one squeeze, twisted the key and it started right up.......doh.

Skipped the fuel pump PM this spring......chickens come home to roost.

I feel dumb. All I had to do was pump the durned bulb 1 squeeze.

John

 

[78 GT-150]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

My motor does that occasionally too, any idea why? Fuel pump going?

 

[Tim Frank]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

My motor does that occasionally too, any idea why? Fuel pump going?

More likely a small air leak....the fuel line connector fittings are prone to that.

 

[78 GT-150]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

I will replace them, Thank You!

 

[KeyWestBoater]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

I want to know why some people think it's funny, or, laugh it off to inexperience, while putting their family, and everyone else out there on the waters at risk. You wouldn't drive your car without knowing how to start/stop it would you??? You wouldn't cruise down an unfamiliar highway loaded with your weekends gear and your entire family without having a license, knowing the rules of the road, being insured, or at least having read about what you were up against would you? The fact you put MY FAMILY at risk without knowing what you're doing isn't something that I find particularily funny. And no, it isn't different if you're telling a story about 'someone else'...

So why is it that what most people would NEVER do, i.e. putting their family in a boat in which they have no reason being on is fodder here?

You laugh when you make it back alive, or see someone else ignorant of life making mistakes that you would never make. I guess that's why this forum is so popular here. It makes you feel like you're a 'seasoned' boater once you endanger everyones life and make it back to tell about it? I understand that everyone makes mistakes, and it's a valuable tool to learn from others mistakes, and I also understand that MOST of the other boaters out there are inexperienced idiots I have to be aware of. Guess that's why they teach defensive driving for automobiles. You would think there should be a law for knowing how to start a boat before you put it in the drink. But laughing at follies that can/could/will/do harm innocent others to me is true ignorance of learning what you're doing in the first place. I hope that for the most part, none of you are on my waterways, endangering me or mine, especially if you're too lazy or ignorant to learn the basics, let alone safety measures.

A fellow marina person once told me to write my kids names on their pfds...Why? So the authorities could ID their bodies. Was a one sentence lesson I'll never forget...Kind of took that to heart, so listening to people with their 'You won't believe what I got away with today because of my immense stupidity' threads just kind of pisses me off. You got lucky today. Tomorrow? Who cares. So long as your ignorance doesn't interfere with me. Good luck.

What in the world does not being familiar with the starting procedure in most cases here when launching have to do with endangering anyone? Are you implying that all those here that related those stories are "ignorant or lazy" and that "MOST of the other boaters out there are inexperienced idiots"? I think you unfairly assume to know how qualified the other boaters are in this thread. For sure most here are educated in boating operation and safety or at least are attempting to do so. I find your remarks to be way over the top.

KWB

 

[WTR4FUN]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

 

[skargo]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

Dang, the guy posted that last October.

 

[Thad]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

About a month ago a buddy of mine bought a nice little Bass Tracker and I went over everything with him I could think of. That weekend I got a call from him in a panic. He had stopped for a swim, and then the boat would'nt start. I was about 13 miles away, kids and dog swimming and the wife and I lounging. Told him be there in a while, throw in a line or something.
Called back 5 min. later, anchor line let go, free floating out of control, lots of boats around.
I flew up to him, my wife at the helm now, I swam over to his boat in a panic and got in. Gave it a couple of pumps on the throttle and gave it some choke. So, now as I am driving his boat up the river he says...

Kind of the long way around the story, but, my point is we are learning every day.
I was probably more guilty for not remembering to tell him about trottle and choke.

 

[lowkee]

Re: Wish Someone Told Me

Hehe, I had no idea about the fuel squirt thing until I was dismantling the carb for an overhaul. I went to disconnect the throttle and thar she blows! I thought it was so cool I reconnected everything just to figure out how to make it happen from the controls. Not entirely sure the point of a choke if you can prime the engine manually.

Disclaimer: I was in my yard while performing this insanely ignorant and endangering stunt which risked the future of the entire population of the universe by my complete boating ignorance as to how to make gas squirt into a carb. .. hmm, or it was just cool