She Lives! (And Other Sweet Sounds Before Launch)
The Joy (and Terror) of That First Diesel Cough
Ah, spring. And what a spring it’s been. If you live in the Northeast, you know what we’re talking about. Thirteen Saturdays (and a number of Sundays) have been nothing but rain. Lots and lots of rain.
We finally got the canvas off two weeks ago. The bottom got painted Friday and the beer got warm. There was nothing to celebrate. Progress was painfully slow.
Launch day was just two days away and the crush rush was on.
And for many of us, the most harrowing moment of the entire commissioning season isn’t the sanding, or the varnishing, or even dangling off the toerail with a buffer in one hand and regret in the other.
No, it’s that first push of the starter button, or turn of the key.
The Engine Moment.
Canadian Ken, Green Mountain Josh (Josh is from Vermont, in case you’re new to this newsletter), and I call it The Diesel Reckoning.
Because if you’ve ever turned the key on a Universal, Yanmar, Perkins, Volvo, or Westerbeke after a long winter nap, you know the feeling:
Will she start? Will she cough? Will she…do nothing at all?
Anticipation: The Engine Room Mind Game
In the days leading up to launch, there’s a quiet dread. Even if you did everything right—winterized properly, changed the filters, charged the batteries, even left yourself a polite little note (DO NOT FORGET: OPEN RAW WATER INTAKE!)—there’s still that creeping doubt.
It’s the boatyard version of Russian roulette. Minus the glamour.
You check the fluids. You crack a few bleeder screws. You mutter the sacred pre-start prayer:
"Come on baby, come on baby..."
You turn the key.
And when she doesn’t start, your brain immediately dives into the diagnostic death spiral:
Water Not Coming Out the Exhaust? Could Be:
A dry impeller
(You did lube it, right?)
This was our issue. The engine turned over and started, thanks to a new battery (see below), but no water came out the exhaust. Panic.
But then we thought it through.
We’d struggled getting the new impeller in, so we started there. We took the impeller cover plate off, turned the engine over, and saw the impeller wasn’t spinning.
Turns out it had jumped the key. We pulled it, re-lubed, reseated the key, and carefully reinstalled the impeller. Turned the engine over again—and it spun! Closed it back up, fired the engine, and…success! Water flowing. Phew.
A clogged exhaust elbow
(Carbon: nature’s way of saying, “you waited too long.”)
Didn’t happen to us this year, but it surely will. The exhaust elbow contains a very corrosive soup of salt water, heat, and exhaust gases. This can create excessive carbon buildup and corrosion and it will eventually plug up the system…
A blocked heat exchanger
(Hello, zinc graveyard!)
This happened to a friend. Old zinc fragments clogged the outlet. Easy fix—once you know where to look. So discover your heat exchanger, say hello, and become friends. Learn how it works, how it comes apart, and how to put it back together. It’s important. And replace the zinc on yours if it has one.
Other Culprits
Battery weak?
Starter sounds like a dying goat?
That was our first problem. Our old battery (liquid acid)—5+ years on—gave one half-hearted turn, then flatlined…
We tossed it and installed a gel cell. (When we say tossed it, we brought it to Hamilton Marine for the core charge refund!)
Turned the key: instant start.
Nice. (But not so fast…remember the no water coming out the exhaust? That’s what happened next…)
Fuel line dry?
You forgot to bleed the system, didn’t you?
Prime those lines. Read your engine manual for the spots to bleed air from. And, if that’s like reading a foreign language, Google it. We found all we needed to know about bleeding air from our Perkins 4-108 from a YouTube video…and it worked.
Starter motor dead?
Not this year, Satan.
But…eventually? Sure. We know. So we’re considering buying a spare.
Bonus Rookie Mistake
Start the engine—yay!
Forget to check the raw water outflow—shit…
Five minutes later: down below smells like burnt toast and failure.
You probably just melted your impeller, if you caught it in time. Ask us how we know.
If you’re starting on the hard, make sure you’ve got water flowing through the system. We have a setup for this. If you need tips, let us know. We call our contraption The MacGruber. IYKYK.
And before launch day? Open your raw water seacock.
Write it on your hand if you have to. This year I wrote it on Canadian Ken’s forehead.
Diagnosis, Discipline, and Dumb Luck
Here’s the trick: think like a sailor, not a panicked landlubber. Systems thinking. Logical steps. Smell. Listen. Feel.
Start with the simple stuff.
(Is the kill switch stuck in the engaged position? Is the battery switch on?)
Check the raw water thru-hull. Open the strainer. Crank manually if you must. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. And be super kind to whoever helps you!
When She Finally Starts...
That first rattling, clattering, miraculous diesel roar?
It’s the sweetest sound on Earth.
It means launch day is a go.
It means you’re not calling a hauler.
It means summer might actually happen.
We fist-bump.
We crack a beer.
We curse the hours lost googling “how to bleed air from the fuel system on a Perkins 4-108.”
And most importantly—we laugh.
Because if there’s one thing we’ve learned: owning an old boat requires patience, profanity, and a very dark sense of humor.
And if you don’t have those?
Don’t worry — your engine will supply them.
Got a Spring Start-Up Story?
Impeller mishap? Dry fuel lines? A squirrel’s nest in your air intake?
Hit reply—we want to hear it.
Fair winds and fully charged batteries,
—Tris, Canadian Ken, and Green Mountain Josh
BoatFools Sailing
Sea Reads & Things
Summer threads and lids: My buddy from high school started a really cool apparel biz called Evrywear. Check it out! You know how there’s talk of removing hundreds of government navigational aids? You can memorialize your favorite one with a hat, t-shirt, or sweatshirt. Or you can represent your hometown or favorite spot. Evrywear: Everywhere you want to be. Pretty sweet! Click the pic to check out his website!
Has anyone watched WIND lately? I know it’s cheesy but I love it! What’s your favorite sailing movie?
The BoatFools Market Report
This beauty has sold. She took 25(!) years to complete - but what a stickin’ cool boat. If you’re interested, check out the video below. Also check THE BOATFOOLS MARKET REPORT for updates on the boats we have profiled!
Summer Rental with John Candy. Just as realistic as Wind when it comes to sailing, but without "The Whomper"