My neighbor, the fuel polisher, will tell you that you won't know you
have a developing problem until you hit some rough seas and stir up the
crap in the bottom of your tank.
Of course, then it's too late and at the worst time.
Gordon

"Gordon" wrote in message
...
My neighbor, the fuel polisher, will tell you that you won't know
you have a developing problem until you hit some rough seas and stir
up the crap in the bottom of your tank.
Of course, then it's too late and at the worst time.
Gordon

Motor boat talk!

If the seas are rough it means there's wind. If there's wind you use
your sails and not your motor. I can always tell who the pretenders are
by their knowing that rough seas cause diesel problems because there's a
blender at work mixing all the crud at the bottom of the tank with the
fuel.

I've also noticed that diesel boat people have this motor = security
blanket syndrome. You see them, even at anchor, when the wind pipes up
on goes their motor. I think they have this idea they can motor forward
to reduce the tension on the rode. But, boy oh boy, why not just get
ground tackle you can depend on? Running the motor and taking it in and
out of gear might be the worst thing you can do during a blow because
the boat will then end up sideways to the wind and the pull on the
anchor jerks sideways with extra force. I often wonder how many anchors
get broken out that would have otherwise stayed put if only the diesel
was kept turned off.

This is but one example of deviant behavior engaged in by diesel boats.
In general diesels make sailors incompetent. The best sailor in the
world is a man who has no motor whatsoever on board.

Wilbur Hubbard

Wilbur Hubbard wrote:

"Gordon" wrote in message
...
My neighbor, the fuel polisher, will tell you that you won't know
you have a developing problem until you hit some rough seas and stir
up the crap in the bottom of your tank.
Of course, then it's too late and at the worst time.
Gordon

Motor boat talk!

If the seas are rough it means there's wind. If there's wind you use
your sails and not your motor. I can always tell who the pretenders are
by their knowing that rough seas cause diesel problems because there's a
blender at work mixing all the crud at the bottom of the tank with the
fuel.

I've also noticed that diesel boat people have this motor = security
blanket syndrome. You see them, even at anchor, when the wind pipes up
on goes their motor. I think they have this idea they can motor forward
to reduce the tension on the rode. But, boy oh boy, why not just get
ground tackle you can depend on? Running the motor and taking it in and
out of gear might be the worst thing you can do during a blow because
the boat will then end up sideways to the wind and the pull on the
anchor jerks sideways with extra force. I often wonder how many anchors
get broken out that would have otherwise stayed put if only the diesel
was kept turned off.

This is but one example of deviant behavior engaged in by diesel boats.
In general diesels make sailors incompetent. The best sailor in the
world is a man who has no motor whatsoever on board.

Wilbur Hubbard
What auxiliaries do you have in your Swan 68 and Allied 32 footer? Just
curious.
--AG

That's true and fairly well known but it's a different problem.

Considering how promptly stuff started showing up in my filter bowl after I
started puting in StarTron, I think it must be doing a pretty good job of
moving the stuff into suspension and into the fuel intake. This is also a
sailboat the routinely heels 15 - 20 degrees so the tank gets pretty well
mixed. Thge slow build up from stuff moved into suspension is what I'm
concerned about tracking. You can't do much about the sudden clogs except
be ready to change filters in less than optimum conditions.

--
Roger Long

On Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:52:23 -0400, "Roger Long"
wrote:

That's true and fairly well known but it's a different problem.

Considering how promptly stuff started showing up in my filter bowl after I
started puting in StarTron, I think it must be doing a pretty good job of
moving the stuff into suspension and into the fuel intake. This is also a
sailboat the routinely heels 15 - 20 degrees so the tank gets pretty well
mixed. Thge slow build up from stuff moved into suspension is what I'm
concerned about tracking. You can't do much about the sudden clogs except
be ready to change filters in less than optimum conditions.


A guy in Singapore who used four or five filters moving his new (to
him) boat about ten miles from Raffels marina to the Republic of
Singapore club spent several days washing out his tank and then added
some stuff called "soltron". I think it is the same stuff except sold
in the U.K. He got much the same effect, fine deposits in the filter
bowl. It lasted for some time, as I remember. He had vacuum gages on
his filters and said that the filters didn't seem to be clogging, just
this "stuff" in the filter bowls.


Bruce in Bangkok
(brucepaigeATgmailDOTcom)

That is consistent with what I'm seeing using StarTron (repackaged Soltron).
There is stuff that seems to be coating and sticking to the bottom of the
sediment bowl but the fuel in the top of the bowl is clear and the engine
runs fine at max RPM.

I pulled the filter yesterday and it looks good. I know this doesn't mean
much but there was no corresponding build up.

I went to the Racor dealer yesterday to buy a vacuum gauge but they were out
for the time being.

--
Roger Long