Let's FINALLY put this problem to bed! [EP 110] - Serpentine belt installation and A Dinghy Debacle

[@ianscott3180]

I won't be the first to suggest a pair of oars on the dingy. Strap a pair in for emergencies, also good excercise to row round an anchorage in fine weather just for fun.

[@scubaseas1]

Thanks for your excellent videos. If I may comment with best intentions and as a retired master mechanic with some ABYC experience...Your plug carbon fouled not just because of low compression but because without a ground there is no spark. Loose plug makes for intermittent ground and of course low compression. Once you get carbon on the insulator of the spark plug the best way to clean it is by sand blasting. Second best is put it in the flame on the stove for about 30 to 60 seconds. Baking at 235*C for 30 minutes works a charm. Capt. Obvious says this will make the plug too hot to hold, use pliers or similar to move. Spraying carb cleaner into a running carb won't do a whole lot other than burn up carb cleaner. As your alternator is more than 70-80Amps that explains why you chew up belts even if you think the pulleys are aligned. A single wide V belt maxes out around 70Amps. You need double 12.7 mm belts or a multi v like you now have if running a 120Amp or 100 Amp alternator. Glad to see you are now using a multi v belt drive system appropriate to the alternator change from the stock 60 amp. Really common mistake that I see all the time. Changing one piece in a system often has unforeseen consequences. Please tell me you have a working temp sensor on the alternator? You may now be able to make enough power with the multi v belt to literally smoke the alternator if your bank is deep charging. I see this a lot on alternator upgrades also. You may want to have a close look at the new belt after 10 hours to see if you can tell any difference from one pointy part to the next. One side shiny and the other not? Then you have an alignment issue. Multi V belts don't stretch much like V belts do but still prudent to check the tension after recharging or just running after a few hours. Fair winds. Al V42CC #097 Sanctuary

[@gorway7]

Recommend always having a hand held VHF when on the water- even the tender. Never go anywhere without one.

[@RichardPhillips10]

And DSC enabled to be even safer...

[@timjackson3954]

You're lucky the plug called for attention when it did. I've seen one strip the thread in the cylinder head by chattering around loose. Expensive.

[@billroberts9182]

With oars, you can row a mile in 30 minutes. Take a handheld VHF and have Adam monitor channel X so you can contact him if necessary.

[@LucMaes-123e-learning]

Love the style of presentation of you're movies. It's really good, .... even a bit addictive.

[@roncanizares9966]

Saying that of few of your running rigging lines are chaffing through looks like the understatement of the century! You remain delightfully entertaining.

[@robertdunlop993]

You scared the crap out of me when you started the motor and I saw your hand in the engine. (just a little off on the video sync.) As you have heard ( ad infinitum) always take in your dinghy 1) Paddles 2) LIFEJACKET(S) 3) bailer 4) anchor 5) VHF or at the very least a Whistle ! Safe Sailing :)

[@bobrose7900]

Dirt in the fuel bowl. Classic symptom. It will clear and then come back. Clean and lush the fuel bowl through thoroughly. VHF radio, oars, light, life jacket and you've already mentioned an anchor. A dinghy is a boat and can get you into more trouble than with your sailing boat. Chafe is a killer, replace the ropes but also understand why it's happening and sleeve with plastic tube in the case of dock lines. Loctite those bolts on the new pulleys. Great video!

[@sailingcitrinesunset4065]

You should always have an anchor, hand held marine radio even oars in your dinghy.

[@danknox9986]

You guys need a couple of cheap handheld vhf radios. They always work and Can be used to call the Calvary or just remind someone to pick up someone from the store. No more crying! Surprised you don’t have them already. The new belt system looks great. I may look into that. Thank you.

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

You guys need to get that outboard carburetor sorted. It sounds as if the idle jet might be a bit clogged, and needs cleaning. It's not rocket surgery, and the carburetor is fairly simple to take out, dismantle and clean. just make sure you get all the small jets and stuff back in the same place.

[@rikard6273]

Buy two Baofeng vhf radios, program it and you can community. Cheapest vhf you can find And The work well. Great video!

[@alankwai5869]

great new intro, "self inflicted adventure"? I might steal that one 🤣

[@appick01]

First rule, never trust an outboard! Ive learned it the hard way. Pull away from the boat 10ft and they'll stall as soon as you give them half a chance. Always bring a handheld vhf in the dink. Also a set of oars is a good precaution. People get complacent when you use it every day all the time but you can get into big trouble quick as you found out. A small PLB isn't a bad idea to always have on a inflatable. Also the key does no good if you don't wear it on your wrists, lots of people get run over by their own boat when they fall out. Stay safe!

[@HandyC]

A Pick quite a lot of good advice here, I suspect they know it but like everyone, get complacent til it bites them.

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

As an outboard mechanic, no you should not. 90% of outboard engines get poor maintenance, has old fuel and yet they are some of the easiest machines to work on. Want to keep it reliable? Make sure to drain the carburetor when it is not going to be used for a time. Make sure you have fresh fuel in the tank. Clean the spark plugs every now and then. Change the fuel filter and carry a spare. It's a machine that is almost ALWAYS out in the weather. Give it some TLC and it is reliable as any other machine. Give any OTHER machine the same bad treatment and the results will be similar.

[@SoundzAlive1]

@@AlfOfAllTrades And regularly clean the jets in the carby as they can easily get clogged. I put a Racor fuel filter in my tender. All dinghys with a internal fuel tank have them because its too hard to clean the internal tank but why not have it with an external tank, great idea I thought and not had fuel blockage since. André in Sydney

[@AlfOfAllTrades]

@@SoundzAlive1 A filter with a water separator, preferably. They're cheap enough.

[@MikeLoveBuns]

Always enjoy each of your sailboat ⛵️ sailing ⛵️ videos! 😀⛵️😘 Mike from Missouri

[@dalltm]

Electrical and outboards can be the toughest to troubleshoot, looks like you slayed the dragon!

[@robertgarbe6348]

The Balmar kit is miraculous.. plus the reg, and the alternator.

[@franbaas3403]

Good to see you worked it out!

[@nonaparker564]

Great vid as always ... Khiara and Adam, you are always so good at repairing EVERYTHING! Hats off to you both !!

[@kevinquick7521]

My dad had a Tayana 42. We sailed here across the Great Lakes seeing your channel makes me think of her. Her name was Kochab..

[@MrRipsaw1]

A few have mentioned handheld VHFs which I 100% agree with, but few if any have mentioned DSC. This enables you to direct call or 'Page' Milly from the dingy just in case whoever is on Milly isn't in direct earshot of her VHF Radio at that exact moment of the call. DSC Paging will continue to beep on the boat until the call is answered. A handheld VHF obviously also offers the option to place a general (All Stations) call for assistance if things are more urgent. Mobile phones are ok, if waterproof, if can be heard ringing, if adequately charged (x2), if both have credit on their SIM cards. etc. Personally I would make a DSC Handheld VHF the first choice every time. For onboard cockpit to bow and 'up the mast' communications, two way headsets make sense as they are hands free and headphones/earpieces mean no need to shout over the sound of the waves and wind. Of the 20 odd boating channels I subscribe to, the only channel I have seen using headsets are Brian and Mandi of "Take The Water". Link to one of their videos, timestamped with Brian up the mast wearing his headset: kzbin.info/www/bejne/poe0ZKmtdsZ9ac0

[@rfunk727]

Poor Khiara, always getting blamed for breaking stuff.

[@giterdunpete]

Adam.......Every surf life saving club in Australia has a few 25hp outboards. Most of them are Tohatsu. So having been one of those lifesavers for many years, when I heard you say that new fuel was introduced, I immediately thought of water in fuel. Of course it could have been dirt in the fuel or a loose spark plug or a combination of them. But when you swapped the fuel and tested the engine, it behaved just like our motors after we have had water in the engine. Note that the water in the carburetor would still be in the carburetor bowl. Until it is all burnt off----hence the motor spluttering during your test run-----or drained from the carburetor you will still have the problem. There is a brass drain plug on the side of the carburetor bowl with a slot suitable for a screwdiver. Remove it and then squeeze the fuel into the carburetor and watch for the water to bubble out with the fuel. When the bubbles of water cease you will have a lot less water to burn off during your test. Note the spark plugs need to get quite hot to steam off the droplets of water. Can you guess my surf club? Hint : think of the northern beaches of Sydney.

[@beazleteats4031]

G'day from sunny Sydney. Having owned Yamaha 2-stroke motocross bikes for 40 years the first thing I do when the engine 'misfires' is to check the plug. Nine times out of ten there is an issue with the plug...just the tiniest bit of carbon dust where the plug fires can cause it to give you shit...often the plug will oil up causing the same issues. Always have a bit of fine grit water-paper to sand the head of the plug clean. And for some odd reason 2-stroke engines have a canny way of vibrating the plug so it loosens just enough to give you the problem that you discovered. Rule#1: misfire = plg. #2 - check the fuel mix or dirty fuel. Good luck. Oh, and always have a set of oars in the dingy.

[@TimTimTomTom]

Get a decent pair of two way radios. Spend $100, and you don't have to sweat the comm's issue as long as you're within a few miles. Won't work with hills between you guys, but for most dinghy to shore excursions it would work.

[@francinegolbeck3116]

Nice video, suggestions: a) a float thing on the key b) get a hand help Marine radio for person going alone on Dingy c) get Oars for the Dingy in case motor quits....... take care love your videos.... P&F, Sechelt BC.

[@JakeHolman78]

Oars. Should have oars in your dinghy. You guys started with an outboard and when it died you struggled to get to shore, only to immediately get a bigger and newer one. Spend a couple months getting around by oars only. I did Virginia to Grenada and back, always rowing ashore. You are constantly installing and fixing stuff you never really needed, relax and enjoy the trip! The less crap you put on the boat the less time you'll blow fixing and maintaining it. Read some Moitessier books, that will get you on the right path.

[@jimstevenson8194]

Please, please check and clean your air filter after your engine's exposure to so much belt dust . My advice comes from personal experience. Cheers.

[@kmbrophy]

T hank you for your candour!

[@adrianssmith4446]

It's your duty to pre flight check captain's.spark plugs fly you know.did you know that? Windpower rules.try a little sail for the tender,great fun!

[@tigersharkzh]

When using two wrenches or a wrench and an allen key to loosen or tighten a nut, bolt etc then it's almost always easier to have a small angle between the two and the direction of the force closing that angle, not opening like at 14:34 . Thats where you put the wrench 180° on the opposite side. You could also turn the alternator so the axle is horizontal, have one tool on your work surface and the second (with the longer lever) pushing downwards.

[@colinsmith5222]

All true very good tips, also sometimes striking the wrench instead of just pushing or pulling. Think impact wrench on the cheap with no batteries. I use my hand or if it still wont go another wrench or in a real situation if I have room, a dead blow mallet. On a boat where space is at a premium any hammer would do. There is also an old mechanic trick where you can add leverage (as you were doing with the pipes) by taking another wrench and using the box end around the open end (not great for the wrench but great in a pinch). I wrench for a living, hope the tips help and keep on sailing.

[@jginmt]

Spark plugs are cheap I would go buy a couple. I change my spark plug and air filter every year. I run my chain saw from 5,000 ft to 8,500 feet and I have found using synthetic two-stroke oil makes things a lot less fussy. I don't have to change the carb setting for different altitudes. We run our outboard at a mountain lake at 8,000 feet and it makes mixing oil very sensitive. When we switched to using only synthetic oil I found it doesn't matter if we miss-mix a little. The small bottles of oil for 1 gallon of gas makes it really easy to mix 100% correct every time.

[@1006V]

Pulleys and Belt look GREAT!

[@smplyizzy]

Question - does that key have a floating key chain? If not!!!! As for your wiring on your main engine - you should really clean that all up so it is more logically and orderly. This would make future troubleshooting easier. New belt system looks great!!

[@melellington4892]

Get a handheld VHF radio. It ha as a 3-8 mile range from a dinghy; the VHF on the sailboat has around 40-60 miles range. Much cheaper than another SIM card and phone and works anywhere. Always carry a very small anchor on the dinghy-preferably a folding anchor. Lastly, you should always carry oars or a sail & mast. It is surprising how often spark plugs come loose on outboards compared to automobile engines.

[@desolatemetro]

When I was working at a sailing club as a teenager our launch was having real troubles (it went through a few head gaskets before they finally fixed it properly). Our office was completely out of earshot and, by the way, Boston harbor is a pretty narrow shipping lane with LNG tankers coming in regularly. It scared the hell out of me. Constantly shuffling anchors with the sailboats so I always had one with me. To this day I keep 150ft of rode on a second oversized anchor in my Boston Whaler. Also have two huge batteries in it, which not many people do in a boat that small. Hand held VHF would be great for you guys too. If you can get some oars for the dinghy that would be ideal.

[@allynonderdonk7577]

I bought two UV9R-ERA Baofeng radios off ebay. You can program them for VHF and ham radio channels. Super easy to talk for miles when not in the US. They are not US compliant except for VHF marine stuff. I got each one for 35 US and they are billed as waterproof.

[@cliffordodel]

new intro is great!

[@manuelcastro6737]

Priority One. "Always" have some sort of reliable communication onboard your dinghy, boat, & liferaft. Very glad you are safe.

[@californiakayaker]

Now that was a great upgrade. I'd say cover the belt area but you just put a cover over the whole engine so would probably be considered overkill ? Yes, at a minimum a cheap baofeng would be a big help in the dinghy. As this is a marine higher vhf frequency you would need a baofeng which works well outside the Ham bands 146 mhz area is ham.

[@jw6246]

Great work....

[@samuelfox8126]

Beautiful puppies!

[@andre1987eph]

You guys are brave.

[@glassman51]

“Copped a right earful”, thats almost as good as “Rusted to buggery”😂🤣😂

[@peterfrebold]

... laughing ....

[@mattburrell4412]

Oooo new titles. Still my fav sailing channel!

[@nickstokes8497]

New intro. I like it !!!

[@rickhalstead8990]

Nice new introduction!! Best to ya.

[@kevincarey1076]

Love the new intro guys !! A handheld VHF radio in the dinghy would be a good idea. Nice catch on the outboard plug Adam, see Khiara didn't break it LOL ! Nice serpentine belt install guys, hope it solve the issue! Fair winds and following seas Millennial Falcon !!

[@garyfroeschner2523]

Great video

[@cryttersytter]

Love the new intro 👍🤣

[@meestahwah]

I enjoyed the new intro. And... As others have said, hearing the engine start with your hand still in the engine gave me a bit of a start!!! Cheers on the serp belt conversion. That is on my list of upgrades as well.

[@jmtn67]

I have an potential good idea that might help prevent a disaster !! What about a nice colourful floaty thing attached to you outboard key ? 😉 stay safe 🙏

[@pavichapin]

That red cord is not a key, that is a life saving device called a "kill switch" for when a wave tosses you out of the boat, it kills the engine so the propeller does not kill you. It should always be connected to the boat operator. I have several dead friends who refused to use theirs.

[@jmtn67]

@@pavichapin sure I get that but should not the device float so that that if it is dropped in the water when it is not attached to a wrist or the outboard or anything, it floats It would kinda suck being stuck on a boat with a dingy with no ‘kill switch on a lanyard ‘ for the dingy outboard to work , they called it a key I wasn’t trying to confuse things , sorry to hear of the loss of friends 🙏

[@SVWildHare]

Had the same problem with belts. Took the pulleys off, went in had them sandblasted and powder coated and I’ve never had another problem.

[@markbernier8434]

along with an anchor for the dinghy a small plastic box with a couple of tools is wise. couple screwdrivers, needlenose pliers plug wrench and plugs a length of wire and a few cotter pins. thats saved my bacon.

[@renefuentes7085]

New intro!!! Adam’s audio matches Khiara’s! Great work!

[@michaellarson8416]

Love the new intro!

[@crdorado1195]

Just love watching all the maintenance issues, life aboard....

[@Kuokoa]

Love the new intro

[@JCrook1028]

Losing the water maker would be a pretty extreme tradeoff. Thankfully you avoided that!

[@suepeck2772]

Hand held VHF is a must for the dinghy...

[@magdakaniewski]

We use cheap 2 way radioskainly to find the kids when they go exploring. Or if we go off fishing and the motyership needs to contact us

[@bayanicustodio3998]

I definitely think Khiara should apply for a position in a car racing team as a test driver. She can make things misbehave on her stint behind the wheel. 👍🙂 if anything breaks.... what mechanic would ever get mad with such a smile. 🙂👍

[@stubluesjhb1]

The smaller the engine the weirder the things they do. Two strokes sometimes hit a resonant frequency and things undo. Keep safe and smiling.

[@howardwhite9773]

and their smaller flywheels shake the "what for" out of everything

[@quickdry3]

If Adam’s aero eng lecturers in Melbourne were anything like mine in Sydney, resonant frequencies get drummed into you with anecdotes, not just machines and bridges breaking, but stomachs! The Aussie high speed train “XPT” was given a press day and the track.induced cabin vibrations at their chosen ‘cruising speed’ hit the right frequency to cause most people to violently vomit. They chose a different speed for the next press day 😂 (Also makes it a valid excuse for engineering uni students that “no, Mum, I was not so drunk I threw up, it was a combination of alcohol induced muscle relaxation lowering the resonant frequency to that induced by a Sydny metro train”. 😜 )

[@thepigwillfly5869]

Avocado toast on the Millennial Falcon.....hmmmm....perpetuating the stereotype.

[@dahveed284]

A good looker like Khiara getting swept out to sea would have resulted in about 100 ships all looking for her within 20 minutes of being swept out. Now if Adam (or any guy) was swept out to sea, they might have sent a couple of boats out the next day, If the weather was nice. Yeah, taking the VHF radio is probably a good idea. Oars, life jackets, and some water might have been good as well.

[@sgauth]

Hell a I would sail down from Canada to look for a lost Kiara

[@michaelfarinola5044]

After similar problems and stalling we went electric and have had no problems with my Spirit 1.0 Plus.

[@KawaTony1964]

As a non-sailor who just started watching sailing videos a couple years ago because they're fun, I've always been shocked by how much faith you guys put in your dinghys. I remember watching the SV Delos crew off the coast of frickin' Namibia - the "skeleton coast" - nothing but desert for miles and miles - all pile into the dinghy leaving the boat way off shore and headed toward the desert beach. And I was thinking "there is no way I would ever do that without a backup motor". No way. The outboard motor seems like a glorified lawn mower to me, and I wouldn't trust my life to it.

[@Draconisrex1]

Please put a float on your keys. Seriously. It makes me worry that one day you'll be diving for keys and not be able to find them.

[@kenpole1840]

FWIW, Uniden Atlantis 290 does FRS and VHF -- it's truly waterproof -- and it floats!

[@patrolrider]

@@kenpole1840 It is supposed to go around your wrist incase you go over it will kill the motor

[@kenpole1840]

@@patrolrider oops, wrong reply; was about the recommendation about handhelds! apologies

[@Packrat_Garage]

Trick from the mechanic's retirement home - when you have a frozen tight fastener like that one and no impact tools, do exactly what you did, but deliver a sharp series of hits on the outside leg of your spanner with a hammer to 'shock' the fastener loose.

[@Themanoutdoors]

Loving the new intro!!!

[@Resignandreset]

Maybe would be nice to buy a cheap handheld radio to communicate? most of the time you can see the boat or will be in 2km radio, so any cheap one would do it. :D

[@adamlancaster2]

A new intro! Nice. :) About communication, it might be worth picking up some long range two way radios. There are a few good models with ranges over 20-30 miles, which might be perfect. No idea how much they'd cost though.

[@coldwarveteran4239]

Is the spark plug washer damaged. That will let them back out.

[@Rnm1hart]

A common misconception is that metal sheaves and sprockets never wear out. Not so - many application engineers report that a significant number of belt drive problems can be traced to a problem with a metal component. If you have a harmonic balancer make sure there is no movement this is a huge hidden metal part failer due to the internal rubber. Check your sheves for polished spots and ensure that there is no movement in bearings and parts laterally. Spin them all without the belt to ensure none are warped in any way or a bearing is catching. Ensure that all the pulley sheves match the Belt design. Could be that the first belt you started with was wrong to match your pulleys from the start and if you were just matching belt Numbers. Then the wrong design could cause problems. The last problem causing shredding of belt is misalignment or tensioning. Ben Smith Application Engineer The Gates Rubber Co. Denver "Gates belts" troubleshooting Guide www.machinedesign.com/automation-iiot/article/21826398/belt-troubleshooting

[@Firebrrat31]

What about 2 small 2 way radios? I use them with my friends for hunting and they have a few mile range could help with you communication problems.

[@andrewbowlgarte4738]

ADAM dont let here go out without a handheald radio, if you do not have one buy one , its on you to keep her safe, and keep your radio on the boat on and volume up high, or some good walkie talkies

[@MrJJSimonds]

!!! The new intro!!! Yea! Adam!! ;)

[@bluedog1052]

'Self inflicted adventure' hahaha, love the new intro.

[@danbauhaus9571]

Hot tip: Pour suspect gas thru a chamois to remove any water; water will pool in chamois, gas will pass thru.

[@virnan]

Your wife is beautiful and versatile. Not too many women can fix things like that. Plus everything sounds so much more elegant with an accent.

[@KazuxaFilms]

Super !!!

[@allied1394]

You should get a good handheld and always bring it with you that way you can communicate

[@whitebeardactual]

New Intro...I like it!

[@va7dgp]

Marine radio HT to connect with boat or others on Channel 16. AS a radio operator I see too many folks rely on cells.

[@markturner4353]

I watch a number of these sailing channels and a common theme in all of them is a problem with the outboard. The battery powered tender engines seem to be a lot more reliable. Maybe it's worth the investment to get the battery powered outboard?

[@MrJeyTV]

to always keep in contact with each other Walkie Talkie with a range of 10 to 30 km would be perfect, wouldn't it ?

[@jonathanbay3461]

Hi! Not criticizing!!!! It’s these moments where you find the weaknesses in preparation. What if she went around the corner at dusk with current!!! Venezuela is the next stop!!! Get a watertight bag with flares, vhf, extra pull cord, spark plug and basic tools. And have a communication plan when you are in motion. While it worked out ok..... it could have been frantic searching for her when it occurs to you she’s late and out on the open sea and dusk!!!!!

[@horstkotte6114]

If the belt issue was misalignment, the serpentine belt won't fix that by itself. Would be interesting to find the actual cause of the excessive wear, check for bent sheaves and worn sheaves (if the profile is not V shaped anymore, google it, there's plenty of pictures)

[@gregrymelnechuk4791]

Because of the ethanol used in gas. You need to consider carrying a spare carburettor. Check your main jet.

[@ChrisHudsonVlogs]

New watcher, liking the Chanel! But please wear kill cords!!! Doesn’t take much for the boat to come back and hit you if you fall out! Seen it in my experience working on yachts! 🍺

[@joestrong2862]

At the risk of breaking a tool..., remember that if you need a cheater bar, and you want a longer one, if one piece of pipe will fit inside another, voila longer cheater bar. Just make sure you've got enough inserted to keep it from slipping as that may be a lot of force... :)

[@firemansam63]

Have you thought about a cheap two way radio, and a set of oars??

[@gabrielmoreno1592]

Excelente

[@timvukman4734]

Put a flare kit in the dingy. Seriously :)

[@Parastorm.]

like the new intro..

[@sunfastx]

How many amps does this alternator give? And which battery config does your boat have?

[@martinsmoot7499]

anodized blue pully's, that should give you a few more HP.(kidding) I didn't see a tensioner, is it tensioned by the alternator bracket?

[@robertgarbe6348]

Yep. There is even an attachment you can get that makes the adjustment with a bolt.

[@kenlee-97]

Ha Ha , -funny comment, I was actually believing it ,till I thought "hang on", that's not true!! - haha.

[@thedolphin5428]

Aaaah, did you know that the backup for outboards are called oars.

[@justlooking2222]

Not sure your pulleys will still be aligned by flipping the crank shaft pulley. Did a search for your water maker setup but didn't find anything. Does the water maker pump have enough forward adjustment to line up with it's crank mounted pulley, if you mount it forward of the new pulley and make the water maker belt the outer belt ?