Literally as we were making the final approach onto the pontoons in Bristol Floating Harbour yesterday, the Morse control cable linking to the fuel pump failed so that the engine wouldn't go over tick-over speed (the mode of failure being fracture of the inner where it attaches to the rod end in the controller). An easy fix, (Force 4 just over the water had a suitable spare [1] which went in this morning), but another hour of boating would have seen us riding the tide down to the sea. Could have been nasty (although I reckon an emergency botch could have been sorted in ten minutes with wire)!
Do these fail regularly? Our cable must have seen at least 2000 hours of use. Should they therefore be replaced routinely (the gearbox control cable might well get swapped out as soon as we're home)? There's no means of telling when one is about to fail. Are there better alternatives? Should a neatly coiled piece of string be fixed to the business end of both controls, ready for rapid deployment in an emergency? Wassail! nb Boden, Bristol, waiting for tide and weather to take us to Sharpness. [1] £19.99 plus 1 p change in the RNLI box as insurance -- Martin Phillips [email protected]
