Went out for a short trip (under power) to get some practice maneuvering the boat. Up to now, I’ve only taken the boat from the boat ramp to the dock. Still feel uncomfortable whenever there are solid things around the boat I can run into.
Motor started up on second crank and ran smoothly. As we approached open water I opened it up but the engine would sputter at 3,200 RPM. Reducing the gas lever a bit brought it back to a smooth 3,100 RPM. No matter what I did it refused to go any higher. I’m thinking it’s a gas problem, but don’t have much experience with outboards. First step is to replace the old gas line.
Coming back to dock we have a double open spot. But still struggled with wind coming one way and the river pushing the other way. Took three passes and finally on third just went with the wind and “hand bombed” it over to the proper spot. Yup, that’s the new term we now know from the other boaters in the marina that came over to help.
UPDATE: See Motor fixed! New fuel line, replaced gas then followed the gas lines inside the outboard motor to find the fuel filter. That’s when I noticed that two of the four clear lines going to the primer were detached. They are just pushed onto the nubs and held on by friction. Popped these back on and the motor ran smoothly right up to 4,500 RPM. Yes, it only took me over two weeks to finally figure this out.
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