First, I know there is a lot online and in
books on the subject, but as usual I prefer to hear personal accounts and practice
Question one: Can you tell when your
engine is about to stall, and can you hear/feel what might be the problem as soon as it happens?
Question Two (Trouble shooting): How do you go about finding and fixing the (usually or most likely) problem(s)? Ever had an
engine stall for no apparent reason and just crank back up and be fine?
Question Three (Situational): Any tips/stories on
boat handling during the potentially disastrous moments going from engine to none?... like get
sails up or check
charts to find a place to
anchor... some of these may seem pretty obvious.
Engine stall has happen to me a handful of times over the years and ever time I slightly panic. So far I've had.... Run out of
fuel because I didn't switch
tanks in time, clogged primary
fuel filter(s) from a rough sail, fouled prop by a line or net, And once there was no real sign of a problem. This last time was entering Pago Pago. I was entering at night so I had all my lights on even some I rarely use... I went up to drop the main and came back everything was dead. Engine stalled and killed my
batteries. A small convenient breeze carried me down to the anchorage and I dropped the hook near the marina. Later when I had a barge in the
battery for a start, took a few days with no sun for
solar, the engine cranked, but had a little trouble for about a 30 seconds and then ran smooth. It seems to run a little quieter now but I can tell. I've run it for about 200 miles now and no problems. I'm currently motor-sailing from Suva to Lautoka and all is well.
Thanks for sharing