Safety boating topic. About a engine not restarting in desolate areas.

[cyclops2]

Use 2 DIFFERENT fuel tanks on your boat.  ONLY refill 1 at a time. Bad load of fuel ?  Only the 1 tank will not start the engine.  Switch to the other tank to get back.  Yes You do have to realize the engine ran great for a couple of minutes before stopping.  For no real reason.   2 separate tanks !!

[Jig Man]

Mine is built in 55 gallons, thus 36 volt trolling motor with 3 strong batteries.

[airshot]

I have a small kicker motor and an electric trolling motor.  Yes, the little kicker has had to bring me back on a couple ocassions.  Wouldn't leave the dock without some kind of backup power.  In reality, I have less costs in my kicker motor than a single tow would have cost, so money ahead !!

[cyclops2]

Funny thing about open water fishing and trolling. 

[Skunkmaster-k]

Good point cyclops. When a person is buying fuel there’s no way of knowing whether it’s good or not. I only have one fuel tank, so it’s important to fill it with non - methanol fuel so I have a better chance of getting what I paid for. For back up I use my trolling motor and paddle when my batteries are depleted. 

[Tennessee Boy]

Over the decades there have been countless times when my outboard would not start.  Reattaching the kill switch has always fixed the problem for me.  🤣

[MN Fisher]

Just now, Tennessee Boy said:

Reattaching the kill switch has always fixed to problem for me.  🤣

One time this past season, the 'rude 25 would not kick over...puttered around on the TM for a while, then checked...I'd connected the fuel line backwards, swapped ends and it ran just fine.

[gim]

Not a chance I'm adding second fuel tank to my boat.  I'll stick with the internal 20 gallon tank that they installed at the factory.

[haggard]

Always good to have backups. I carry a 1 liter jug (sometimes two) which is enough to get back to the launch if the main tank runs out. Beats paddling.

[Bird]

I've had several failures on the water with one requiring a tow.

Fuel has never been an issue though simply because my boat doesn't sit long and fresh fuel is being added regularly " non ethanol " .

Blew a lower unit last year on the water but luckily only 300 yards from the ramp.

[stk44]

2 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Over the decades there have been countless times when my outboard would not start.  Reattaching the kill switch has always fixed the problem for me.  🤣

I was fishing a tournament and was getting ready to run to another spot. Each time I tried to start my boat it would beep 2 or 3 times. Had no idea what it meant so I checked the vessel view app and it was the kill switch lol. I was seconds away from jump starting my cranking battery…

[A-Jay]

There's little to no chance my fuel will suddenly go bad out on the lake.

But if I somehow killed my cranking battery,

I carry a booster pack deal.

A-Jay

[cyclops2]

The small 16 aluminum Lowe open fish boat with the 1986 30 hp 2 cycle Everrude is perfect. I had it set up by my mechanic to have slightly slow timing .  Like me.  That does 1 very important thing to the engine.

Removes ALL ALL chance of a dangerous backfiring of the engine. Prevents a true pull hand cranking yank that   WILL WILL ...RIP... the rubber  handle out of your strongest grip. Thought I broke several finger joints when the small 4 stroke, hand start, lawn motor yanked the handle out of my hand. It was a HARMLESS ???  larger weedwhacker.

 

The slow timing is very slight. I could hand crank that 30 forever.  But it fires up with only 1 or 2 feet of the pull cord pulled out of the engine. Sparkplugs are always very clean. Even after hours of trolling at idle speed.

 

[Skunkmaster-k]

I had a lawn mower like that.  

[cyclops2]

I am fearful of any strange / different motor for that very reason.  Bless electric starters

[TOXIC]

I have 4 AGM size 31 batteries.  One, or some configuration of more than one, better be able to start my boat because pull starting a 250 Yamaha is out of the question.  I’ve been thinking about getting one of the 3 way battery switches or at least carrying a jump pack.  As for fuel, after my last experience of draining both tanks, I am planning on only using 1 of the 26 gallon tanks.  

[airshot]

Good maintenence might be the best answer to everything.  I also carry 4 batteries and check them before leaving, no chance they will all be dead. Carry jumper cables also.  The local farmers made there own fuel station and properly maintain the system and I only buy boat fuel from them, so no fuel issues there. Never leave the dock without a kicker/ auxilliary motor as a backup.  Each spring check electrical connections and clean and tighten where needed. Always check air pressure and grease before leaving my barn.  With all that, still had an electrical short last year, wire rubbed on a ground screw and tripped fuse.  The wear spot was the size of a mosquito head, that was fun to find that one !!   Reduce your chances of problems by doing thorough maintenence !!

[Susky River Rat]

I have a jump pack and a TM. If those two do not work I’m going to need a tow. That is one thing that does worry me from getting to stupid is busting something and not getting back to the ramp.

[Big Rick]

On 2/10/2024 at 9:39 PM, A-Jay said:

There's little to no chance my fuel will suddenly go bad out on the lake.

But if I somehow killed my cranking battery,

I carry a booster pack deal.

That new motor didn't come with a kickstart option??

 

I have learned that general maintenance performed with consistency in a timely manner prevents situations like the one described by the OP. No amount of maintenance will keep a battery at full charge out on the water. Including a booster pack on large lake outings is sage advice...

[gim]

21 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

I have a jump pack and a TM

Same, and I also have jumper cables too. And a paddle.

 

My insurance policy has a towing option in it too. Most of the lakes I fish are relatively small except for two of them.

[TnRiver46]

I’ve seen more than a couple times when those booster packs wouldn’t do it. My mom had a dead car battery recently with the car nose into the garage where you couldn’t get another car close. Her neighbor brought over a jump pack and she plugged it in all night and I it wouldn’t jump the car in the morning . Could have been operator error, the car batt was definitely all the way dead, but I’ve seen other instances where they weren’t strong enough. I know if I had one it would be sopping wet and rusted over 

[gim]

17 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Her neighbor brought over a jump pack and she plugged it in all night and I it wouldn’t jump the car in the morning . Could have been operator error

 

They're not a charger.  They're a jump pack.  All you have to do is hook it up, turn it on, and press the button to jump start the other battery.

 

Hooking it up all night long does nothing except waste power on the portable jump pack.  The jump packs do need charging themselves too, periodically.  Make sure you have an adequate sized power pack for the size of the battery you need to start too.

[Susky River Rat]

@gimruis I saw two guys Saturday in the river floating down it motor wouldn’t start. The pull start was ripped they were using a drill to start it. The motor wouldn’t fire so they hit into a bunch of rocks. I went over asked if they needed help. They basically looked at me like I was stupid and said no we can paddle right down to the sketchy ramp. Ok see ya

[TnRiver46]

26 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

They're not a charger.  They're a jump pack.  All you have to do is hook it up, turn it on, and press the button to jump start the other battery.

 

Hooking it up all night long does nothing except waste power on the portable jump pack.  The jump packs do need charging themselves too, periodically.  Make sure you have an adequate sized power pack for the size of the battery you need to start too.

It wasn’t a battery charger. She didn’t hook it to the car all night, granted I didn’t see the device. Plugged it into the wall all night then hooked it to the car in the morning. I  thought you had to keep a boost pack charged somewhat but I’ve never owned one 

 

the other time I’ve seen them fail was when people had left them in the backseat or trunk for years and they didn’t have any juice left 

 

trusty ole jumper cables don’t need charged 

[gim]

Sorry for the confusion @TnRiver46 I thought you meant they plugged the booster to the dead battery all night.

 

But yes, the booster packs do periodically need charging themselves too.  I charge mine once a year even if I don't use it.  If you just leave it forever then yes its going to be dead and therefore, useless.  That's what my old man does with a lot of his stuff.  He just leaves it in the garage to collect dust and then the one time he needs something every 10 years, he expects it to work properly.  I learned my lesson on borrowing his stuff years ago.  "Why won't this pressure washer start?  I just used it 6 years ago?"

 

This is the one I have.  Had it for almost 2 years now, haven't used it.