Hi all
I had a bit of an embarrassing moment yesterday when returning from a sail on the river
Returning back to the bay in a nice breeze we started the engine and I dropped the head sail and was about to drop the main when the engine cut out
Tried to restart it and no luck and my mate said I don't suppose we have run out of diesel
I ducked down below and had a look at the sight tube on the tank and found that we had about 1 inch of fuel in the sight tube on the low side of the tank but because we still had the sails up and we're heading uphill into the bay the boat had a bit of a heel on it and the pickup in the centre of the tank was sucking air instead of fuel
Luckily I has 10 litres of diesel on board that I had intended to top the tank up with but had been slack so I found a funnel and tipped it in while my mate sailed her around the bay on the main
The tank in the Sailmaster is bolted under the cockpit floor and the cav filter is a fair bit Lower and the bowl was still full so I unscrewed the steps to access the engine and worked the lift pump and bled the yanmar filter on the engine and then the pump bleed screw and she fired up again after cranking her a few times
If she hadn't started we would have sailed her on to the mooring or failing that dropped the anchor but it was reassuring to have the diesel back running again
The lesson I learnt is to keep a eye on the fuel level and that the diesel in the fuel container Is better off in the tank
The locals here must have wondered what we were up to doing laps around the bay on the main as the sun was setting
Regards Don
Select to expand quoteDonk107 said..
Hi all
I had a bit of an embarrassing moment yesterday when returning from a sail on the river
Returning back to the bay in a nice breeze we started the engine and I dropped the head sail and was about to drop the main when the engine cut out
Tried to restart it and no luck and my mate said I don't suppose we have run out of diesel
I ducked down below and had a look at the sight tube on the tank and found that we had about 1 inch of fuel in the sight tube on the low side of the tank but because we still had the sails up and we're heading uphill into the bay the boat had a bit of a heel on it and the pickup in the centre of the tank was sucking air instead of fuel
Luckily I has 10 litres of diesel on board that I had intended to top the tank up with but had been slack so I found a funnel and tipped it in while my mate sailed her around the bay on the main
The tank in the Sailmaster is bolted under the cockpit floor and the cav filter is a fair bit Lower and the bowl was still full so I unscrewed the steps to access the engine and worked the lift pump and bled the yanmar filter on the engine and then the pump bleed screw and she fired up again after cranking her a few times
If she hadn't started we would have sailed her on to the mooring or failing that dropped the anchor but it was reassuring to have the diesel back running again
The lesson I learnt is to keep a eye on the fuel level and that the diesel in the fuel container Is better off in the tank
The locals here must have wondered what we were up to doing laps around the bay on the main as the sun was setting
Regards Don
My mate did that in his tinny when I was with him as well. We where living in Sydney at the time and as our parents where at a party overnight. We decided to take the tinny for a spin ( that was already in the water). As I had my own tinny I though he would have checked the fuel, apparently not. Long story short ( to avoid a micky
) we ended up rowing for 40 minutes back to the beach.
Select to expand quoteShanty1 said..Donk107 said..
Hi all
I had a bit of an embarrassing moment yesterday when returning from a sail on the river
Returning back to the bay in a nice breeze we started the engine and I dropped the head sail and was about to drop the main when the engine cut out
Tried to restart it and no luck and my mate said I don't suppose we have run out of diesel
I ducked down below and had a look at the sight tube on the tank and found that we had about 1 inch of fuel in the sight tube on the low side of the tank but because we still had the sails up and we're heading uphill into the bay the boat had a bit of a heel on it and the pickup in the centre of the tank was sucking air instead of fuel
Luckily I has 10 litres of diesel on board that I had intended to top the tank up with but had been slack so I found a funnel and tipped it in while my mate sailed her around the bay on the main
The tank in the Sailmaster is bolted under the cockpit floor and the cav filter is a fair bit Lower and the bowl was still full so I unscrewed the steps to access the engine and worked the lift pump and bled the yanmar filter on the engine and then the pump bleed screw and she fired up again after cranking her a few times
If she hadn't started we would have sailed her on to the mooring or failing that dropped the anchor but it was reassuring to have the diesel back running again
The lesson I learnt is to keep a eye on the fuel level and that the diesel in the fuel container Is better off in the tank
The locals here must have wondered what we were up to doing laps around the bay on the main as the sun was setting
Regards Don
My mate did that in his tinny when I was with him as well. We where living in Sydney at the time and as our parents where at a party overnight. We decided to take the tinny for a spin ( that was already in the water). As I had my own tinny I though he would have checked the fuel, apparently not. Long story short ( to avoid a micky) we ended up rowing for 40 minutes back to the beach.
I have three 200 ml oil container filled with fuel as a backup keep on the boat.
I have used them twice in the last three months.
When we got the new boat we spent a bit of time sailing onto the mooring with the engine available if we needed it, and we still often sail into the mooring to make sure we keep up our boat handling skills. Given the very high number of boats that end up with a rope around the prop when they try to recover a MOB, it seems that being able to sail up to a mooring or MOB without the donk can be an important skill.
One of my more embarrassing moments (and there's been lots of them) was not running out of fuel when trying to get back to the mooring, but realising I'd left the keys in the dinghy. We were down-tide, with no wind. Luckily there was an oar or paddle on board so I got to spend a desperate half hour or so padding a 28'er as hard as I could so we could get up the river and onto the mooring before the ebbing tide got stronger and pushed us and our guest down harbour for the night! 
Select to expand quoteBundeenabuoy said..
I have three 200 ml oil container filled with fuel as a backup keep on the boat.
I have used them twice in the last three months.
Yeah, I'm not really convinced that 600ml is really enough to get you anywhere. 
Select to expand quoteLooseChange said..Bundeenabuoy said..
I have three 200 ml oil container filled with fuel as a backup keep on the boat.
I have used them twice in the last three months.
Yeah, I'm not really convinced that 600ml is really enough to get you anywhere.
Hi Loose,
I calculate that I get three minutes engine running time (4hp) for every hundred mls of fuel.
That eighteen minutes after a race to get me back to the berth at the CYCA.
+10
This explanation was the absolute in a long long time, amongst the plethora of facetious or inane excuses, this forum emitted. 
Select to expand quoteBundeenabuoy said..LooseChange said..Bundeenabuoy said..
I have three 200 ml oil container filled with fuel as a backup keep on the boat.
I have used them twice in the last three months.
Yeah, I'm not really convinced that 600ml is really enough to get you anywhere.
Hi Loose,
I calculate that I get three minutes engine running time (4hp) for every hundred mls of fuel.
That eighteen minutes after a race to get me back to the berth at the CYCA.
Bundeenabouy being competitive can be a great thing .........................but .......RYOK ?
I alway plan to have a full tank.
The 600 mls is the backup.
I started doing it after I had to sail into the berth three different times.
This turned out to be a 'blessing in disguise' as I now feel comfortable doing something I would never have attempted otherwise.
