This week I take my first trip to Avalon and things do not go as planned. Sometimes lessons are learned the hard way. Tune in to see basic sailboat engine troubleshooting and find out what went wrong!
Marine mechanic here who also owns a Catalina 30 with a Universal engine. Don't forget to order yourself some secondary (engine mounted) fuel filters as well. The Racor is a fuel/water seperator so that clear bowl is to check water so you can drain it. If you are seeing sediment (which is algae) you need to polish your tank. Put a biocide in the tank every time you fill it to keep algae at bay and to avoid serious fuel system issues that can destroy the injection pump and injectors.
This was the most exciting episode so far! Engine failure at sea in the middle of the busy shipping channel. But Fujin's captain kept his calm, and the tow line didn't snap on the way back in. One question: were the aerial shots leaving the harbor done with a drone?
I'm a keelboat newb and out of the hundreds of videos of "influencers" Ive seen begging for cash and exploring exotic locales, this video was the best. You hung tough, admitting ignorance but not defeat. Great video for me to see. It reminds me of Lewis and Clark's 1st night of the expedition. They departed Independence, MO and camped for one night for the "show" and make sure they didnt forget anything. They did. Had to send someone back to town. Sub'd.
I think your being to hard on yourself - It's not like your the first person to ever call for help ! That's what the service is for . I hope it didn't cost to much!
I noticed the racks that you have for your dinghy. Can you tell me where I can find them or who makes them. I also have a Catalina 30 and have enjoyed watching your videos. Thanks.
@@dbruner6255 trust me, you don’t want those racks. I went through two dinghy’s before realizing the racks caused the seams to tear apart. The dinghy does not like to naturally hang like that. Seam failure is almost impossible to repair.
@@dbruner6255 trust me, you don’t want those racks. I went through two dinghy’s before realizing it was the racks causing the seams to tear apart. The dinghy does not like to naturally hang like that. Seam failure is almost impossible to repair.
Great you made it. Lovely boat by the way. You are right. You need to be able to do basic troubleshooting while at sea and the ability to fix things like fuel filters, glogged fuel lines, oil leaks, and check all these before every sail. I would suggest you go on a course for Boat Mechanics. In the UK, the RYA (Royal Yachting Association) has just that vey course. Don't know in the US though. On our RYA dayskipper courses you are taught quite a lot of this and taught that you should not sail unless you have the right skills, spare parts and tools onboard to get you out of the commonly occurring faults. 9 times out of 10 it is something to do with your fuel system or a loose ground wire, if you have your engine serviced regularly. Best of luck and get yourself on a course. Well worth the time and money. It will give you the confidence that you can fix things yourself, rather than relying on others.
Your vid showed up on my feed so your doing something right. I have an old Cat 30 too. There is nothing wrong with reefing lines at the mast. I do clip on with my safety harness when going forward to reef. Fuel troubles never go away. I put a round inspection port in my tank so I can clean it out. A vacuum gauge on the filter tells you at a glance if the line is blocked. Sometimes you have to take off the fuel line from the filter and blow the crud back into the tank if that is blocked. Keep the furling line under tension while rolling out the head sail even while it's out. Nice winches but you don't need the extra blocks, they only add drag. A dodger is a must for cruising. Sailrite sells a nice kit. Dana point is a nice hop for you and you can anchor for free. What else? I hoist up the inflatable with the spin halyard and lash in down on the fore deck, deflated for long trips or heavy weather. I glue a Scotch Brite pad from West M. to a block of wood with a handle on it so it floats and hold my breath, no weights. 45 minutes and I'm done. A tea pot full of hotish water pored over your head is wonderful in this cold water! Wally Erickson Little Hope Sandy Eggo
Thanks for all the tips! I have someone building a heavy duty dodger for me right now. Definitely alot more expensive than sailrites but it’s ridged and beautiful. I’d like to start anchoring in places like Dana Point but my ground tackle isn’t ready yet. I barely have any chain along with a 20lb delta anchor. The next big project is figuring out the best way to get a good system in place for the windlass and chain locker. Was thinking about modifying the chain locker and making it deeper since there is barely room for anything on the Cat30s. Was also thinking about mounting the windows on top of the chain locker. It will sit on a stainless steel plate right below the hatch for the chain locker. The hatch would have a hole cut in it so it could close it over the windlass, and the windlass would stick out through the hatch on deck. Saw someone do this setup online somewhere.
Thanks for watching! DO NOT GET THOSE DINGY RACKS. They have wrecked two of my dingys now. The weight of the dingy hanging on the hooks eventually pulls the seems apart. Right now I just tow the dingy and put it up on the bow for now.
Great video. Consider a racor type fuel filter/water separator. I have the 500 series, and I can change filters in just a few minutes. And, water can be drained from the bottom, and there is a nice clear bowl where I can see what is going on. The best part is that after changing the filter, I just top it off with fuel, and then no bleeding is necessary.
Bought my old Catalina 27 in San Diego. I rigged up a temporary clean fuel tank in order to motor to Los Angeles. Several people had warned me about the fuel tank being contaminated.
Without becoming more aware and practical about the systems of your boat don't go far from land until you have gotten a bit more experienced. Take your boat out on a few weekends that aren't nice preferably with a skilled yachtie.
Good for you for hanging in there. Bert Ankrom's comment below about about sharing experience and workshops in a Cat 30 community sounds like a great opportunity. Thanks for sharing your fun!
We're neighbors at Cabrillo. I bought my Catalina 30 a year ago. Had the same fuel filter issue about a month ago. I'm setting up two primary filters with fuel line valve to be able to switch on the fly if necessary. Going through my 12 volt system now and going to haul out for bottom paint on 4/3... Keep up the videos there's another dude in Long Beach that got Cat 30 and has been putting out content too and there's a sailing meetup at Cabrillo that has some helpful workshops... My goal is to make it to Catalina for the first in a couple of months....mainly I sail between Pedro, Long Beach or Alamitos.
thanks for watching! I'm actually tracing out my whole 12v system today. It would be cool to come check out your setup some time. If you have an insta account hit me up on there @sailingfujin, or just email me at twebster7676@gmail.com.
Get a Racor 500 fuel filter. All you do is unscrew the top, pull the filter out and drop in a fresh one. You wont have to do any bleeding. Takes 30 seconds, no tools needed, and no fuss or mess unlike the kind you currently have. The 500's size is overkill for your size engine but its worth it.
I'm not sure what the exact term is for the hooks, but they are made by Edson Marine. I just scoured their website and couldn't find them or anything else like them on the rest of the internet. They've probably been on this boat for decades. I'm also not sure if the dinghy likes sitting on the cradle like that; it might have been what contributed to the tear in the seams. I'll probably just end up towing the new dinghy most of the time cause I'm scared of wrecking another one haha.
I have a universal engine in my boat, I put a raycor filter on as well. Very easy to clean and has a visible bowl to drain water or debris. Can’t hurt with an extra filter.
Thanks for watching! It’s called Autohelm 3000 I believe made by Raymarine. It is about as primitive as it gets. A belt wraps around the wheel and is driven by an electric motor. The motor is connected to a head unit that has a gyro inside it, and it steers by magnetic heading.
@@SOLDOZER The brand name IS Autohelm 3000 and it IS made by Raymarine. CPT is another brand of the same style of autopilot. They both have the same function of steering by an internal gyro compass.
Thanks for the video. You made it 👏 These things happen. Got a suggestion for you; you got the outboard on you so if you install a bracket for it it can be your backup in case all else fails...just an thought. Take care.
Thought about lashing up the dingy to the boat and pushing it to Avalon lol. Pretty sure I would have ran out of fuel long before getting there haha. Thanks for watching!
Yeah. Been there done that. Same thing. Fueled up, it stirred up sediment in the tank, engine died. I ended up sailing back to my home port several miles south on the Chesapeake Bay, with a wicked southerly. (Look at a map of the chessie to understand while that is important). 8 hours of 20+ knot winds beating into the wind to get back to home port. Ever since then, I have paid exceptional attention to my fuel system. it has never happened again.
Gotta have the dual filter with live switch over. Those things usually clog right when entering or leaving a crowded harbor….also can use the old filter housing and a cheap pump to polish your own fuel every so often. If you do that, and filter the fuel going in, you won’t have to worry about your fuel system. Cheers.
Mabey you should read your manual. There's a trouble shooting section. Guys have sailed around the world without an engine. Is that a sailboat or a stink pot?
Dude, I was in the Indian Ocean, and I had the same thing happen to me. I just took the old filter out, and washed it out with diesel fuel from my tank, and it lasted all the way through the Suez canal, and I bought a few spares in the Med. Grow a pair.
I enjoyed watching your experience. Shit happens and if you don't have the parts you are screwed. If you had the filter though you should at least try. As you learned it is an easy fix. Your diagnostics skills are good for sure! You do not plan to take your Cat 30 to Hawaii do you?
