The NEW tender and outboard MUD DISASTER... Got to love outboards !

[Gunfleet]

Rowing a laden Avon into wind and tide, hats off to you.
I don't think it would be possible on the typical newer style of dinghy because the oars often barely reach the water, they are constrained by the fiddly fittings and are fragile into the bargain. Seago used the Avon style rowing fitting for a long time which at least meant you could ship longer oars but I see the new ones have the sad brackets.
With the new styles you are often better off paddling, as long as you have some crew.

Everything I have ever found with boats boils down to intended use, personal preference and compromise.
If you generally sail alone or + 1, want space exploration quality, regularly bring the dinghy aboard and deflate it, and suspect you may be doing some rowing; then it may well be Avon.
If your outboard is reliable and you don't mind always using it, you have crew, won't be giving the thing too hard a time, make longer trips and a dry ride is top priority; then a newer style may suit.

After trying every combination, over time, I have come around again to an Avon Redstart with partial solid floor.
PS
When I had a long commute like you, I used to keep a large, rough tender at the Yacht Club and something smaller always on the boat.

This is interesting. I've always been able to row reasonably well, but I can't move my 3m inflatable floor Zodiac against any sort of tide. I'd just presumed I'd encountered yet another ignominy of ageing.

 

[NormanS]

Rubber dinghies are never going to row like proper rowing boats, but an Avon type dinghy with Avon type rowlocks, and importantly, lengthened oars, can be rowed quite well. My oars are the normal Avon wooden two part oars, but I made longer looms (?) for them, so that the oars are now 1.8 metres long. That makes a huge difference.

 

[GregOddity]

Rubber dinghies are never going to row like proper rowing boats, but an Avon type dinghy with Avon type rowlocks, and importantly, lengthened oars, can be rowed quite well. My oars are the normal Avon wooden two part oars, but I made longer looms (?) for them, so that the oars are now 1.8 metres long. That makes a huge difference.

I have been wondering about extending our oars, the ones that came with the dinghy feel like you’re trying to row with tea spoons. Perhaps by fabricating an inner length of aluminium tube you can extend out 1m or perhaps 80cm added to the length of that oar would make all the difference I think.

 

[GregOddity]

Still no news from the Outboard… at first was the fuel, then the jet stopped... still waiting to hear something. I'll just have to give Seagull err... Mariner a call tomorrow.

 

[Gunfleet]

Still no news from the Outboard… at first was the fuel, then the jet stopped... still waiting to hear something. I'll just have to give Seagull err... Mariner a call tomorrow.

It can be both. I had endless outboard problems till I chucked the fuel, cleaned both fuel container and ob fuel tank, took the carb (bowl, jets) out and cleaned them. Any contamination can muck a modern outboard up good and proper. I think the reason behind this is that modern obs are very lean running (you know, fuel consumption climate change etc) and are at very fine tolerances. They are built right on the edge. Any resistance to fuel flow at all bu88ers them up. The reason people say 'my seagull/A65/C15(name an engine from the 60s) never let me down' is the tolerances are greater.

 

[RupertW]

Thats what I tried, but stopped before it folded or it would simply break it. They simply cannot be used like a wooden oar. Or as an Oar in general. A bit too short, a bit too fiddly, a bit too fragile.

I have used the grapnel on a line and threw it commando style (in my head at least, it was many years go when I sailed on the east coast), up the mud ahead of the dinghy and hauled - I'd lose about six feet until it held then the dinghy would slide up nicely until I reached the anchor, then did it again. I gave up this technique after an under mud rock scoured a near-hole in the dinghy and would now find a better place to land.

 

[GregOddity]

It can be both. I had endless outboard problems till I chucked the fuel, cleaned both fuel container and ob fuel tank, took the carb (bowl, jets) out and cleaned them. Any contamination can muck a modern outboard up good and proper. I think the reason behind this is that modern obs are very lean running (you know, fuel consumption climate change etc) and are at very fine tolerances. They are built right on the edge. Any resistance to fuel flow at all bu88ers them up. The reason people say 'my seagull/A65/C15(name an engine from the 60s) never let me down' is the tolerances are greater.

I think that is actually the case. I see no other reason why an engine would be so fuel sensitive otherwise.

I have used the grapnel on a line and threw it commando style (in my head at least, it was many years go when I sailed on the east coast), up the mud ahead of the dinghy and hauled - I'd lose about six feet until it held then the dinghy would slide up nicely until I reached the anchor, then did it again. I gave up this technique after an under mud rock scoured a near-hole in the dinghy and would now find a better place to land.

hehe I did try that Commando style but they are dredging at the moment and the all channel has this 10cm layer of very fine mud that really did not help our case. I did get however a load of mud on my face the second time I threw it.

 

[Gunfleet]

hehe I did try that Commando style.

Without your pants on?

 

[GregOddity]

Without your pants on?

C’mon... I am a proper Gentleman, off course without my pants on. I say…

 

[Gunfleet]

I think whirling a weapon around your head is what the Vikings called 'berserker.'

Later - I've been on Google. "The berserkers are spoken of as fearsome enemies to meet. They were often said to be so intoxicated by battle-lust that they bit their shields, attacked boulders and trees and even killed each other while they were waiting for battles to begin."

 

[GregOddity]

I think whirling a weapon around your head is what the Vikings called 'berserker.'

Well by that time I was well foaming at the mouth with rage at Mariner and having visions of flames and outboards. I may also have looked slightly more deranged then normally.

 

[solent clown]

I think whirling a weapon around your head is what the Vikings called 'berserker.'

Later - I've been on Google. "The berserkers are spoken of as fearsome enemies to meet. They were often said to be so intoxicated by battle-lust that they bit their shields, attacked boulders and trees and even killed each other while they were waiting for battles to begin."

sounds like the Royal Scots.

 

[GregOddity]

sounds like the Royal Scots.

er.. well.. the closest I got to that was biting the bullet and wading into the mud. I would have bitten a Mariner rep at that point. sadly, there was none to be had. I'm still waiting for a call to tell me what was wrong and when can I go get the Outboard.

 

[Billows]

Modern outboards don't have shear pins I think, some sort of rubber friction bushing so what happens after a prop strike
I found my Mariner 6hp difficult to start if using the integral tank but easy if using the remote tank and bulb.
Never cut out though, touch wood.

 

[solent clown]

I repaired and used a mariner 3hp this weekend on our flubber tender. It had sat for many years neglected after being borrowed by someone and coming back broken. I was lent it on condition i restored it to running order. Not rocket science, but no mean feat after years of being sat. I had it running very well, starting on first pull and idling splendidly. I put it on one of boats, ran it up, splendid again. As soon as I fitted it to the back of our flubber it refused to start. Turns out the float valve was past it's best, and flooding was ensuing. Avon Redstart, home fabbed engine mount, and first test this morning. All was good, though with the improvised floor, the engine was tucking under the stern more than I would have liked, so we were not breaking any speed limits. I am ashamed to say we had no real disasters apart from after I knocked it into neutral and we paddled to come alongside our yacht, Karen for some reason chose to sit facing backwards and paddle the wrong way, thus turning the flubber into the bows of the trident, which she duly struck with her head. I could have warned her, but I thought the knock might serve as a lesson, and there was an audience so it had to be done. That will teach her for making me the galley slave this morning.

 

[Stemar]

I could have warned her, but I thought the knock might serve as a lesson, and there was an audience so it had to be done. That will teach her for making me the galley slave this morning.

For Sale two Trident 24s Probate sale by grieving widow

 

[solent clown]

I could have warned her, but I thought the knock might serve as a lesson, and there was an audience so it had to be done. That will teach her for making me the galley slave this morning.

For Sale two Trident 24s Probate sale by grieving widow

hee hee.

 

[GregOddity]

I repaired and used a mariner 3hp this weekend on our flubber tender. It had sat for many years neglected after being borrowed by someone and coming back broken. I was lent it on condition i restored it to running order. Not rocket science, but no mean feat after years of being sat. I had it running very well, starting on first pull and idling splendidly. I put it on one of boats, ran it up, splendid again. As soon as I fitted it to the back of our flubber it refused to start. Turns out the float valve was past it's best, and flooding was ensuing. Avon Redstart, home fabbed engine mount, and first test this morning. All was good, though with the improvised floor, the engine was tucking under the stern more than I would have liked, so we were not breaking any speed limits. I am ashamed to say we had no real disasters apart from after I knocked it into neutral and we paddled to come alongside our yacht, Karen for some reason chose to sit facing backwards and paddle the wrong way, thus turning the flubber into the bows of the trident, which she duly struck with her head. I could have warned her, but I thought the knock might serve as a lesson, and there was an audience so it had to be done. That will teach her for making me the galley slave this morning.

I laughed, and youre in the Doghouse

 

[GregOddity]

UPDATE !

So today we got the Outboard.
Good news ends here.
Diagnosis from the agent with the means they had, which is fair to say they did do their best so far and have been more then helpful, was that it was something to do with our fuel.
They run the engine in the tank for some time with no problems, then they switched to our fuel and say that the engine stopped. Therefore, it must be our fuel.
Since we purchased the fuel from BP, I duly went there and told them I was informed that my engine had stopped at sea because of the fuel they sold. The manager got on the horn and we ended up talking to a nice lady that is taking care of sending us the fuel analysis for that batch, and that their testing suggests nothing was wrong with that batch of fuel. Since they are very close to a reservoir and there are a lot of boating activities around the area one would think that more outboards had stopped. That was not the case however.
So, we contacted Mariner and got a visit scheduled for next week Thursday. They will run the engine with our fuel to see what’s up with it.
I’m very curious to hear what they will say. BP was also less than thrilled to hear about it.

 

[Bouba]

Re: UPDATE !

I have to assume that when you bought the fuel you decantered it into a jerrycan before putting it into your outboard. Any chance that your jerrycan was contaminated?