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I’d just dropped the kids and the wife off at Honeymoon beach on St. John and was returning to the boat, our Bowman 57, Searcher. I hit a large wake from one of the ferries that speed by on its way from Cruz Bay to West End on Tortola in the BVI. The RIB took a leap into the air and the 15 HP Yamaha flew off the transom. It was gone in a flash. The fuel line separated at the priming bulb, the end hitting my glasses, knocking out a lens. All was silent. The engine was five feet down at the end of its safety tether. It took a few seconds for me to realize what had happened, my glasses, broken, the engine missing. Then it hit me, realization of what had just happened, and what I needed to do about ti.

I hauled the engine up by the tether and laid it down in the bottom of the dinghy and rowed out the rest of the way to our ketch. When we bought the AB RIB and the Yamaha the previous summer the choice was 2-stroke or 4-stroke. Having to wrestle the engine on and off the dinghy and stow it on the stern push-pit bracket, the 2-stroke, weighting 20 pounds less, won out.  I was certainly grateful for the choice now.

When I reached the boat, I hauled the outboard up out of the RIB with the mizzen halyard and secured it to the stern bracket. I removed the cowling and was surprised to see it was dry inside. I sprayed the engine block with fresh water anyway,  giving it a good rinse. Out came the tool kit, and out came the 2 spark plugs. I WD-40ed the cylinders, and the carburetor. Then I thought, “when in strange waters . .  seek local knowledge.” I found the phone number for the local Yamaha dealer in a USVI marine guide I’d picked up ashore a few days earlier. Offshore Marine was a Yamaha dealer over in St. Thomas. I called on my cell phone. The manager told me the following:

WD-40 the cylinders

Remove the carburetor and rinse it with WD-40.

Spray the entire engine block with WD-40

Put in new plugs

Use double the amount of oil in the fuel and run a few tank full through the engine.

Get the thing running as soon as possible . . . today!

I removed the carburetor, not as easy task, and took it to the table in the cockpit for inspection.  I removed the float mechanism and sprayed all the parts. Then I re-assembled the devise and was about to re-install it when I found a little black rubber plug left on the table. Where did it go? The casting has a number of holes where it could fit, so I left it out and bolted the carburetor back to the engine block. I inserted the old spark plugs and connected up the fuel line. A few pulls and the engine came to life. It worked, but it smoked and could not rev up with our stalling.

I got the engine back on the RIB in time to pick up the family from the beach, with the outboard sputtering and smoking. I needed help. Next day, we sailed over to St. Thomas towing the RIB. I need more advise, and the Manager at Offshore Maine had the answer. Looking at the exploded parts diagram on his computer, we found little rubber plug was an important part of the carburetor. It blocked the fuel float bowl from flooding into the carburetor itself, chocking the engine, and making it smoke and stall. He had a spare one, as well as new spark plugs and a can of Yamalube, Brake and Contact Cleaner, which he said would be better then the WD-40. Total cost $25.

Back on Searcher, the outboard came off the RIB and was back on the stern bracket. I removed the carburetor, again,  and doused it with the Yamalube. I inserted the little rubber plug, into the right hole, and reassembled the carburetor, again. Back on the RIB, the engine started right up, and ran like a top. I sped around the anchorage for a while, then took the kids for a ride to run oil-rich fuel through the engine.

The Yamaha has been running just fine for 7 months of heavy use.  “We get a call every other week of engines that have gone swimming,” said Off Shore’s Manager . “Today’s outboard are designed and made well enough to withstand a dunking . . . if you get them running right away.” The cause for our dunking?  The transom of the AB Inflatable is not thick enough. The bolts that secure the engine to the transom are not long enough. When tightened all the way down, they are not tight enough. I’ve since bolted a piece of wood and a backing plate to the transom so now the engine is better secured. Live and learn.

Unpublished story . . .  © 2010 by David H. Lyman

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