What caused my engine to stop?

[ngt]

First of all, I am VERY new to boats. I have had mine for about a month and have been out 4 times. I am guessing it was my fault, but I'd like to know what exactly happend in the engine. I have a Honda 4 stroke. 7.5 hp...and a small aluminum boat (12ft). I was out on the Napa River near the mud off of Russ Island with a buddy and it was a pretty wide area. Well, the wind picked up pretty heave and we were in steady 2-3 foot rolls from the wind, white capping..etc. We fished in that for about an hour or so in that....kinda sucked but we caught fish, lol. Anyways, when we were leaving, I started it up and we took off against the wind. Big splashes and we were soaked. We go about a half mile through it and I was going full speed through it (guessing caused it?)

Then the engine just stopped. We were drifting fast towards some rocks. We get out the oars and are keeping the boat from smashing into these rocks. Honeslty, I was kinda scared, lol...new to the water and all. So I toss down the trolling motor and get us away from the rocks so I have time to get the motor started. It started, then stalled out and started again a bit later. We went slowly through everything and got back safely.

So what caused the motor to stop. I figure I should have been going slower, water was splashing on it. We were going up and down over big rolls gunning it.....but what actualls happend in the engine to make it stop?

thanks for your time if you read all of that, lol.

-E

 

[5150abf]

Re: What caused my engine to stop?

First of all you should really avoid that kind of weather in that small of a boat, one rouge wave and you are swimming in it, pretty dangerous.

I believe you had a badly timed mechanical failure, nothing you were doing should have caused the engine to stop running unless you actually hit bottom with the motor.

It runs like it should now or no and is the prop buggered up?

 

[ngt]

Re: What caused my engine to stop?

First of all you should really avoid that kind of weather in that small of a boat, one rouge wave and you are swimming in it, pretty dangerous.

I believe you had a badly timed mechanical failure, nothing you were doing should have caused the engine to stop running unless you actually hit bottom with the motor.

It runs like it should now or no and is the prop buggered up?

LOL, I know this now. I went out with someone who has been out on boats his whole life and said it would be fine. I guess he was wrong, lol. He's known for toughing things out though, lol...fishing all night in the rain, etc..

So just bad luck? I didn't hit anything with the motor. We were in about 10 feet of water when it died.

We had about a third of a tank of gas left. Do you think maybe the rocking got in the way of gas getting to the motor?

Time for a tune-up on the engine?

I just don't see how it could just "stop" working without something actually happening. If it was mechanical failure...why would it start back up?

just looking for a logical answer...

"it just died" is something that is scarier to me that having an actual cause. lol

thanks for the reply! I hope you're wrong, lol...no offense...just me hoping

 

[Shizzy]

Re: What caused my engine to stop?

it is possible that all the rolling uncovered the pickup in the tank causing the issue.

have you had it out with a full tank on a calm day since then?

 

[ngt]

Re: What caused my engine to stop?

it is possible that all the rolling uncovered the pickup in the tank causing the issue.

have you had it out with a full tank on a calm day since then?

That was what I was thinking, because I've never had the gas that low and I've never gone over rolls that big. I've always had it at full to half. The other day I had it at 2/3 when I started and we drove about over an hour total from there. I checked the gas and it was about 1/3 after it stopped out there.

I haven't had it out since then, but I did start it again when I got home to flush it. I had emptied the extra tank into it (filling it up) prior to flushing it though. It didn't start at first but eventually started up. I then shut it down and gave it a quick pull. It started right up first tug.

So I've never been in rolls that big and never had the gas that low. Those together sound like a logical explanation of why it stopped.

What actually happens in the engine when the gas shifts in a big roll to uncover the pickup?

 

[gullake]

Re: What caused my engine to stop?

If your Honda has a fuel filter I'd be checking it. Sounds typical of a plugged filter. It plugs up after extended running at WOT, dies, then will start and run again after sitting awhile as the debris settle out of the filter.