john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
Time to share my tale of woe.
In-laws and children plus daughter's friend plus SWMBO decide we will have a couple of days on the boat. We have an easy day on Saturday and eventually get on boat late afternoon. As its getting on a bit we decide we will take them into Sutton Harbour, Plymouth. This is not somewhere we normally go but we can get fish and chips and the Barbican is close by so they can have a bit of local culture as part of the deal.
As we enter the berth allocated, which is a finger at the end of a long pontoon and is against the prop walk, I finish the turn, give a burst of ahead with rudder on to kick the boat's stern towards the finger berth, and a burst of astern to stop the swing and stop the boat and .....nothing. No drive. Son is on the pontoon saying 'stop dad' or words to that effect. Wife looks on in amazement as we gently climb the pontoon at the end and come to a halt. Fortunately, no damage done, and I explain that we have lost drive. A quick inspection shows that its the rubber 'coupling' between the flywheel and the gearbox.
Take it to bits. Realise that if I can get home, I can put some bolts all round the edge and regain drive temporarily. Next day wife and I dinghy all the way up to Saltash, get in car and drive home. A hours work and we have a coupling that might work. Drive down to Sutton, pay for car in car park, fit the coupling. and escape the next day (bank holiday Monday) after being stung for an extra day of marina fees. As we sail across the sound, wife remembers that she might not have paid enough on the meter in the car park for the whole day.
Accounts for the week-end.
Extra night in Sutton £28
New coupling ordered from Volvo and arrived Wednesday to replace bodged one £367!!!
Parking ticket for failing to remember to put enough money in the car park meter £30
I also discovered that there is a fault on the exhaust and it appears that water is getting into my brand new rebuilt engine.
Who wants a boat?
In-laws and children plus daughter's friend plus SWMBO decide we will have a couple of days on the boat. We have an easy day on Saturday and eventually get on boat late afternoon. As its getting on a bit we decide we will take them into Sutton Harbour, Plymouth. This is not somewhere we normally go but we can get fish and chips and the Barbican is close by so they can have a bit of local culture as part of the deal.
As we enter the berth allocated, which is a finger at the end of a long pontoon and is against the prop walk, I finish the turn, give a burst of ahead with rudder on to kick the boat's stern towards the finger berth, and a burst of astern to stop the swing and stop the boat and .....nothing. No drive. Son is on the pontoon saying 'stop dad' or words to that effect. Wife looks on in amazement as we gently climb the pontoon at the end and come to a halt. Fortunately, no damage done, and I explain that we have lost drive. A quick inspection shows that its the rubber 'coupling' between the flywheel and the gearbox.
Take it to bits. Realise that if I can get home, I can put some bolts all round the edge and regain drive temporarily. Next day wife and I dinghy all the way up to Saltash, get in car and drive home. A hours work and we have a coupling that might work. Drive down to Sutton, pay for car in car park, fit the coupling. and escape the next day (bank holiday Monday) after being stung for an extra day of marina fees. As we sail across the sound, wife remembers that she might not have paid enough on the meter in the car park for the whole day.
Accounts for the week-end.
Extra night in Sutton £28
New coupling ordered from Volvo and arrived Wednesday to replace bodged one £367!!!
Parking ticket for failing to remember to put enough money in the car park meter £30
I also discovered that there is a fault on the exhaust and it appears that water is getting into my brand new rebuilt engine.
Who wants a boat?
