Bathdave
Well-known member
Finally getting ready to go cruising again (have managed quite few day sails in last month, in perfect conditions )
Thought I would run the Honda BF2 (circa 2006) at home before I took it to the boat, couldn’t get it to start ..decided to do a carb strip down and clean - a first for me to strip it down and put it back together by myself. Got it running sweetly at tickover and low revs but it died when gunned ...mates advice was that there maybe a gasket leak. Dismantled and reassembled again, splashed on the gasket sealant and it seems to be running fine at all power levels.
Whilst this was in train I pondered selling it and upgrading to a new one...it seems to burn a lot of oil, use fair mount of fuel, it had an immersion last year (immediately stripped down and cleaned, oil changed, fogging oil sPrayed everywhere )
Now it’s serviced and running sweetly there is ready market and my cost to to upgrade to a brand new one net of sale proceeds feels digestible...but then I started to ponder whether an electric might be the answer if I am going to splash out on a new one.
Even though the Honda at 13kg is manageable, I find it a less than trivial getting it off the pushpit bracket and down the ladder and getting it onto the dink (we have a aft cabin and small, narrow swim platform)
I get the historical arguments against electrics (cost, battery life, power and range) and I had I initially pondered an modern upgrade to my Honda. But I am attracted to the convenience ease of use and quietness of electric, and the fact is battery technology is moving in leaps and bounds...I suspect it will be a non choice, being blindingly obvious in say 5 years,
Now it appears to be running sweetly, doing nothing is an option
Dinghy is 240 airdeck
Thought I would run the Honda BF2 (circa 2006) at home before I took it to the boat, couldn’t get it to start ..decided to do a carb strip down and clean - a first for me to strip it down and put it back together by myself. Got it running sweetly at tickover and low revs but it died when gunned ...mates advice was that there maybe a gasket leak. Dismantled and reassembled again, splashed on the gasket sealant and it seems to be running fine at all power levels.
Whilst this was in train I pondered selling it and upgrading to a new one...it seems to burn a lot of oil, use fair mount of fuel, it had an immersion last year (immediately stripped down and cleaned, oil changed, fogging oil sPrayed everywhere )
Now it’s serviced and running sweetly there is ready market and my cost to to upgrade to a brand new one net of sale proceeds feels digestible...but then I started to ponder whether an electric might be the answer if I am going to splash out on a new one.
Even though the Honda at 13kg is manageable, I find it a less than trivial getting it off the pushpit bracket and down the ladder and getting it onto the dink (we have a aft cabin and small, narrow swim platform)
I get the historical arguments against electrics (cost, battery life, power and range) and I had I initially pondered an modern upgrade to my Honda. But I am attracted to the convenience ease of use and quietness of electric, and the fact is battery technology is moving in leaps and bounds...I suspect it will be a non choice, being blindingly obvious in say 5 years,
Now it appears to be running sweetly, doing nothing is an option
Dinghy is 240 airdeck