[VirginIslander]

Well, it's been a week from hell here, getting this thing together, between monsoons.

Just the way you always want to be spending your vacation time.

It was a classic case of everytime I fixed a couple things, another thing needing to be fixed revealed itself. Jeeeeze, I hate when that happens.

Anyway, I launched it Wednesday for the first time, and it idled away from the pier just fine. It's really easy to launch and retrieve. As I gave it some gas, it was fine at first, but as the rpm came up to about 3000, the warning horn would come on. ... Back off and all was fine. Tried this a few times and each time the same results. The temperature was fine and it was pissing out a good stream, so it had to be a fuel restriction warning. I settled for a liesurely trip around Christiansted harbour and then loaded her back on the trailer. I was pleasantly surprised that the fishfinder and VHF that came with it actually worked. (I did have to replace the antenna and coax for the vhf though)

Back at the house, I started to dismantle the fuel sysytem to see what may be causing a restriction. (I'd already checked the spin on filter/seperator and it looked good) Anyway, when I pulled the inlet hose off, and looked into the hose, there was a big wad of aluminum shavings that was jammed up at where the hose barb would have been. I pulled out quite a pile with a pair of needle nose pliers and a small screw driver.

I recalled the seller telling me that he had a new tank put in a couple years back, ..... if it had been cobbled together by the local blacksmith, that would explain all the shards of aluminum. Anyway, I cut an access hole in the floor under the console over where the hose connects to the tank. I blasted air thru the hose to purge any additional debris ... another big wad of shavings came blating out. Then I added an auxilliary filter a few inches from the pickup so that when this happens again, (and I just know it will) it'll be a quick, easy thing to deal with. .... Clean out a few inches of hose and replace the filter.

It would have been a lot simpler if the fuel pickup was removable and I could just shorten it a bit, and add some fine mesh screen to the end, but noooooo, the pickup is a tube welded into the tank with just a 3/8" pipe by 3/8 hose fitting screwed on it. .... Another fine example of local engineering! ... That's why I figure it'll all happen again with the aluminum shavings.

I had it all already to go for this morning, but it seems the rain gods were against that plan, so maybe the floods will subside by tomorrow and I can try again.

I'll get some pictures if the freakin' sun ever comes out again.


From the waterlogged caribbean,

Darlene