Re your coil: if they are failing that often it could well be the result of too much current through the primary. That would also prematurely trash your points. Is there a ballast resistor in the circuit?
Rich Rich Knowles IFDS 2014 Worlds Support Chair > On Aug 5, 2014, at 3:26, Paul and Darlene Clarke via CnC-List > <cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > > First of all, thanks to everyone for your input. Much appreciated. I’ve not > posted very often, but have lurked for years, and I respect the voices of the > familiar. > > I sail out of Vancouver, British Columbia, and most of the cruising we do is > local, in the summer. We have islands right in our back yard (so, my home > waters are totally protected), or we will cross Georgia Strait (20-25 > nautical miles) to get to the very protected Gulf Islands on the east side of > Vancouver Island. Last year we went north up Georgia Strait for 50 or 60 > miles to Pender Harbour and crossed to Texada Island and back over 10 days or > so. I’ve sailed and raced since I was a teen, and this part of the world, in > the summer anyway, is usually pretty “Pacific”. In general, we’re looking for > breeze in the summer, not trying to shelter from too much (although that can > happen, of course, in which case you hole up for a day or three and conduct > scientific experiments on the efficacy of various single malt whiskeys); I > bought a North light air gennaker the year we bought the boat, and thank > goodness I did, because it’s seen lots of use here in the Pacific SouthWest > (as we Canadians refer to it); crossing the Strait is similar to coastal > sailing where the C & C hull proves again and again it is very sea kindly. I > have only used the engine because there is zero wind, hence little or no > waves. When there is breeze, we sail! And of course, motoring into most slips > is required. > > What led me to ask about outboards is that every year for the last 5, we have > departed on summer vacations and ended up being stranded somewhere with > Atomic 4 issues. Spinning around in circles at the whim of the tidal currents > in zero wind with wife and kids aboard is not fun. I’ve sat at distant docks > twice for several days trying to troubleshoot/ wait for a mechanic. I’m not a > mechanic, and it is increasingly hard to find mechanics that are familiar > with this older design. I guess I was thinking a 40+ year old engine, even > one that is being regularly maintained, has more surprises up its sleeve than > I am used to. If it wasn’t for the Moyer web site, I’d be completely in the > dark. The issues around its ignition coil alone has mystified better men than > me, as the long-as-your-arm threads on the Moyer Marine forum devoted just to > this one issue would attest. I think I’m on coil # 5, and have plumbed the > depths of 2 qualified mechanics over the years, and the problems just won’t > get solved. > > Three years ago I had to rely on the goodwill of a fellow boater to tow us in > after sitting 2 miles off our holiday destination as the sun was setting in > zero wind. Two years ago after spending days with a mechanic, the engine died > again, and I had to push my C & C home using my Avon with a 4 hp kicker. This > year… well, notwithstanding tune-ups, mechanic time, etc., running it at the > dock weekly, the engine lasted an hour into our first day before announcing > it had had enough. Started again later, as it often does, but not quite the > reliability I had in mind. We sailed onto our anchorage that afternoon, and > the next day sailed off the hook, but I can’t sail into my home slip. > > I can see why a newly rebuilt engine has appeal, but we’re not wealthy, so > spending up to 10 K on a new engine, installed, would be more than the boat > is worth, and not something we can afford. > > The downsides of an outboard as I gather from your collective responses are: > > 1) cavitation in waves which means not sufficient oomph in a seaway if you > have to get anywhere under engine. > 2) not pretty > 3) not in the original design > 4) not cheap (just less expensive than the alternative) > 5) can be annoying hanging over the transom raising/lowering the transom > mounting bracket > 6) might not supply enough electricity to run house lights/VHF/GPS etc needs > (true? would this be an issue?) > > I have to admit, those are a lot of negatives. Food for thought for my wife > and I. > > Again, your thoughts are much appreciated. > > -Paul > > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go bottom of page > at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com >
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