Cruisers Stranded - in Need of Advice

[GordMay]

Marine Diesel Ltd. are Yanmar dealers
#5 Shirlea Road, P.O. Box CB 11039
Nassau, Bahamas
Tel: (242) 394-2135
Fax: (242) 394-1825
24-hour: (242) 477-4094
Email: marinediesel@batelnet.bs
➥ Marine Diesel Ltd - Nassau, BS

[pillum]

In terms of nav, it's an easy sail to get back to the US. Why not just try to pick up a couple of crew rather than a skipper?

[imagine2frolic]

My 3GM30F, was spitting oil from who knows where? Within a couple of weeks the second motor started spitting oil. Turns out both breather tubes were plugged. The tube sits at the rear of the valve cover, and goes to the intake manifold. 20 minute job, and just reseal the gasket with some goop of some kind. I use copper sealant for engine stuff with heat.......i2f

[imagine2frolic]

I forgot, I used a vacuum on the intake manifold while I probed around the hole. To suck out any debris, and keep it from entering the block. I removed the air filter to do this.......i2f

[rtbates]

It's a sailboat, right?

Use your sails!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Seahunter]

Originally Posted by osirissail

From the symptoms and diagnosis already done it sure sounds like a blown piston. That pretty much eliminates any fast fix.
- - But I have had friends in similar circumstances and they mounted a outboard motor bracket (the raisable kind) on the transom and bought a 25 hp 2-cycle outboard and used it to provide propulsion when it was not prudent to rely only on the sails.
- - A 15hp 2-cycle outboard is a little small but you might be able to get by with a 20hp. You should find some either used or new at a reasonable price.

I agree with osirissail on the solution. It doesn't sound good for the engine right now; a compression test would confirm.
Good Luck.

[Bright Eyes]

We do have sea cocks to prevent water from rushing in while working on it. I am not sure about abnormally fast spinning. We will check the breather tubes also, thanks.

The more we talk about it, we would only need an extra hand or two for the sail to MD.

Marine Diesel was the first mechanic we used that said we need a new engine.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Bright Eyes

... Marine Diesel was the first mechanic we used that said we need a new engine.

Sorry to hear that. I had (formerly) thought more highly of them (from 15 years ago).

[jphillips48]

Originally Posted by osirissail

From the symptoms and diagnosis already done it sure sounds like a blown piston. That pretty much eliminates any fast fix.
- - But I have had friends in similar circumstances and they mounted a outboard motor bracket (the raisable kind) on the transom and bought a 25 hp 2-cycle outboard and used it to provide propulsion when it was not prudent to rely only on the sails.
- - A 15hp 2-cycle outboard is a little small but you might be able to get by with a 20hp. You should find some either used or new at a reasonable price.

I had trouble starting my Yanmar (37 catamaran) and strapped my dingy with a 9.9 hp to the ladder located in the center of the stern, put lines from the stern of the dingy to the stern of the cat to keep it in line and pushed the cat through a treacherous canal into deep water, put up the sails and came home. The little 9.9 pushed the cat against the tide and wind at 3.5 k. I had a very light wind going home so I set the throttle at about ¾ and let it push. It worked really well.
After getting home I was having trouble starting my 27 hp Yanmar so I attached two 12 volt batteries in series and applied 24 volts to the starter on my Yanmar and started it, using gas fumes on a rag to get it started it then ran OK. Good luck, also be sure to isolate the starting motor from the interior of the boat if you use the 24 V starting system.

[StuckonLand]

Hello,

With the gulf stream you should be able to make Port Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Fl in a long day. Boat US and Sea tow there. I have sailed almost to the locks with the right wind. There are one or two marinas outside the locks. There is a Yanmar dealer in Cocoa, Fl. Good Luck.

[sgtPluck]

Hi Bright Eyes,
I'm so very sorry to hear about your trouble. I was anchored right next to you in Georgetown (I was the guy with the spare Kindle.) I've been having my own trouble with my transmission and came back here to Ft Lauderdale to get it fixed.
If you're considering Ft Lauderdale, the sail back here is easy for the most part. Getting into Bimini harbour without power wouldn't be so easy, so if you need to wait for weather to cross the stream I'd say anchor off Cat/Gun, or on the southern side of north Bimini which has more water than the chart shows.
There are tons of good mechanics to choose from in Ft Lauderdale, and rates are not as high as I thought they would be. Every vendor under the sun is here. You can anchor in Lake Sylvia which is very well protected and not too far from the inlet, or there's a special at Cooley's marina for 65 cents a foot with 25% boat us discount for 6 day stay.
Did you try Albert's Marine in Nassau? They are just off East Bay St, I found Albert to be very knowledgeable.
Good luck, if you do come here give me a shout, I'd be happy to help out in any way I can.

P.S. Albert's monitor channel 69 in Nassau

[Bright Eyes]

Albert's was the second mechanic we used and they also wanted to pull the engine out.

I took the valve cover off today and hand cranked the engine. All 6 valves moved up and down in pairs as I cranked. I did notice a substantial oil leak coming from the back of the valve cover gasket. I think that is where most of the oil has been leaking out of because I can follow an oil trail that runs down the engine and then along the side to where I thought the transmission gasket was leaking.

I checked the breather and it was not clogged at all.

I also checked the air intake and the air filter's lower half was soaked in oil. That doesn't seem right.

To take the head off it appears I have to disassemble a lot more, like the exhaust manifold, fuel lines, and alternator.

I was taking off the exhaust elbow to check for clogging when I stripped a bolt and couldn't get it off the manifold. So that's as far as I made it today.

We are figuring out the details to sail to Maryland in the next few weeks.

[keyspc]

I spoke with a boat US captain last night that was draging in a boat. he said FT lauderdale has a huge antenna and might be in range and yes, they will tow from nassua! i know my Seatow coverage would cover it.

[Cheechako]

Be careful, they wanted $600 to tow me about a mile last spring on the intercoastal. My coverage was for $200..... a new engine might be cheap compared with towing. BTW: Never accept a commercial tow line until the $ have been discussed...

[zeehag]

sailboat, right????--is a seidelmann sloop and sails damnfine-- why NOT use sails... i sailed near year in a seidelmann 37 -- fun and fast. as long as sails work, why tow??