Polish the fuel, Polish the fuel,Polish the fuel, and don't forget to Polish the fuel!!
I've delivered quit a few boats, both new and old, back and forth to the Caribbean, and the most diffiucult delivery was on a boat with dirty fuel. Lesson learned: Don't believe the survey, and Polish the fuel! Regarding surveys, always double check the report, and carry several hand held back up gps's, radios and a portable solar panel just in case.
We ended up in Bermuda with just one working hand held gps and no power whatsoever.
The joke I make about that delivery is, "It was the perfect learning experience, because everything went perfectly wrong." Many miles later I'm grateful for the experience but the most important lesson was to make sure the fuel is clean, that you have many spare filters and knowledge on how to change them and bleed the system, and knowledge on how to clear dirty fuel lines. I've delivered some real junk, but as long as the engine can be started it's possible to survive about anything (so far).
I've delivered quit a few boats, both new and old, back and forth to the Caribbean, and the most diffiucult delivery was on a boat with dirty fuel. Lesson learned: Don't believe the survey, and Polish the fuel! Regarding surveys, always double check the report, and carry several hand held back up gps's, radios and a portable solar panel just in case.
We ended up in Bermuda with just one working hand held gps and no power whatsoever.
The joke I make about that delivery is, "It was the perfect learning experience, because everything went perfectly wrong." Many miles later I'm grateful for the experience but the most important lesson was to make sure the fuel is clean, that you have many spare filters and knowledge on how to change them and bleed the system, and knowledge on how to clear dirty fuel lines. I've delivered some real junk, but as long as the engine can be started it's possible to survive about anything (so far).