Boats are full of surprises!

Well, my boat has once again proved it is definitely a female. After I wrote about taking care of her and running the engine on a regular basis, she had to punish me for ignoring her. I had not run the engine in over a month and a half. I knew it would be a bitch to start, but I had no idea just how bitchy she would be…

I had treated the fuel with Seafoam, one of my favorite products for 2-cycle engines. I figured the fuel was fine and all she needed was some coaxing to come back to life. Well, I cranked and cranked, got a couple of sputters…then the battery was done. Nuts.

Okay, plug in the charger and let it rip overnight. The next morning I checked the battery but the charger was off. WTF??? The power cord had been pulled out of the socket by one of the dogs! Great, another day gone and a still-dead battery. This time I plugged in the charger AFTER the dogs went inside for the night and awoke to a fully charged battery and I looked forward to firing right up.

She had other plans.

Crank, crank, crank. Nothing; not even a cough. I checked the fuel; I could hear the gas going into the carbs as I squeezed the primer bulb. I opened the throttle wide open and choked her for all I was worth.

Nothing. But I did see a little gas dribble out of the lower carb…great, now it’s flooded. Okay, crank with the throttle at idle. A cough or two gave me hope, and I gave her some more gas and cranked…the engine roared to life, racing to 6,000 rpm until the limiter kicked in as I yanked back the throttle lever. Then, it was quiet again. Nuts!!

Back to square one – crank, crank, crank. Nothing. I am sure I could hear her giggling softly. Definitely a female.

So, I put the battery back on the charger and I’ll try to romance her today into running. I got her new spark plugs and a new fuel line. Maybe she will appreciate my gifts and reward me with normal operation.

Until she gets pissed at me again.