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Engine Mechanics 101 Big news of our morning was when the impeller broke. That means, we'd just pulled out of our anchorage and were motor/sailing along when our friend Chris yelled that there was no water coming out of the engine exhaust (no cooling going on!). Moments later, Karl investigated and discovered that the raw water pump impeller was kaput.
"What's the impeller?" you may ask. It's a handy dandy little black rubbery wheel-like thing which pumps seawater to the engine to keep it cool. In another 15 minutes we'd have heard alarms going off; then the water muffler would have melted which would have led to engine exhaust blowing throughout the boat. Engine parts would have started burning. The heat exchanger manifold might have been irreparably damaged. And ultimately, the engine would have burned up. In other words, drain all the water out of your car; take that car for a nice long drive, and then watch the engine melt. That's what would have happened to us that morning. WOULD have happened! Whew. Now I understand why we carry replacement parts for virtually every square inch of the boat. No West Marine, no Home Depot, no electronics stores and no engine shops in the middle of nowhere. Are you starting to see a pattern here? "Boats are busy boxes!" as Karl says. If it isn't one thing, it's another; perpetual repair seems to be a law of the sea. Chris keeps telling me our boat is in GREAT shape. I'd hate to live on a boat that was in BAD shape. Actually, I wouldn't BE on a boat in bad shape. Hummm, where would I be .... |
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