What would you do, when your engine fails coming into Berth?

[oldvarnish]

Ahhhhaa, one of the fuel lines had a BEE inside, causing fuel starvation. Yes, you read correctly, A BEE. This single BEE had cost us thousands...

haha

I have to sympathise. Faults on boats are more often beyond reason than confined to the rules of logic. That's why 'Fault Finding' books are rarely of help.
I speak as one who spent two weeks trying to find a fuel supply problem eventually traced to a pin prick hole in the feed pipe, in a conduit, in a GRP duct, beneath the galley only evident when pitching and not rolling.
There was something similar on a previous boat which I never solved and ten years later I'm still thinking about it.
(And, yes, I did warn the eventual purchaser about it)

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I'e had three experiences of engine failure.

1) Not me, but my brother, while he was using Capricious to see the "Queen Elizabeth" depart from Glasgow. Started the engine; engine ran fine, but no thrust, either forward or reverse. He sailed Capricious to just outside the marina, and then contacted the marina to get a (paid for) tow into the marina. Sailing into Kip marina would be a) difficult and b) against the rules. Turned out that the coupling between gearbox and shaft had come loose.

2) This one happens from time to time. Everything working fine - but no thrust when I put her into reverse to stop her as I come into the pontoon! Every once in a while, the folding propellor doesn't open in reverse. There is nothing wrong with it, and it is perfectly free, but if the boat is moving forward, it can happen there is just too much flow to prevent it opening. Remedy - go DEAD SLOW into the pontoon, and use plenty of throttle initially when hitting reverse. Also, don't panic, and put it into forward gear momentarily before re-engaging reverse!

3) An incident I've reported here before - engine wouldn't start while south of Ardlamont Point. Sailed to a location where I could safely put her alongside.

1 and 3 could potentially have been fixed while at sea (3 especially - it was a fuel tap switched off!). In the case of 3, I have to admit that it was pretty bouncy and I never imagined it would be something so simple, so I didn't really try and trouble-shoot it at sea. 1) was a case where diagnosing the problem would have been in the "feasible but tricky" class, and improvising a solution might also have been difficult.

 

[ProDave]

Indeed. That is because we were told that the fuel limes were fine and had recently been replaced.

NEVER NEVER assume anything you are told is correct.

When we bought our boat, it's outboard motor was serviced immediately before we got her.

First launch from the trailer and as the boat floated off, the motor would not start.

On that occasion we warped her into the harbour and took the motor home. The fuel filter was blocked solid. Some "service" that was.