engines in Tiki 38

[luis]

hi,
Kaimiloa is now in Natal, Brazil, coming from Culatra Portugal and bound to Uruguay S.America.
Although she has one new yamaha 4 stroke 9.9 and one old Tohatsu 9.9, both have problems to start after being some days sailing in blue waters.
My thought is that there are too much exposed to water chops while sailing in heavy weather.
Does anyone had this problem? And in the affirmative case, how you dealt with it?
Tks
Rds
Luis

[Ann and Neville Clement]

Congratulations on your recent trans Atlantic.

Nev and I have a Tiki 46 and Nev is now making a fairing on the bottoms of our engine wells using ply and foam and they are to provide a V shape to stop heavy seas bumping them when motoring or when they are in the up position while sailing. These new fairings also go a few inches aft of the engine well transom to deflect water past the engine leg when motoring. He also noticed that when the engines are changing from forward to reverse or reverse to forward, the wells twist like a cookie tin does with the top off. So, thinking about cookie tins with the tops on.... he is making a cover made of ply to stabilize this twist. We are in Bahamas now and plan to install this stuff when we get rid of our old 9.9 yamaha 4 strokes and put on new 20 hp Tohatsu engines during the summer in Rhode Island. We will report in late summer.

For your immediate problems Nev says - Standard proceedure is to check all electrical connections and spray everything electrical (including ignition coils) with WD 40 or similar. Try pumping fuel pump bulbs a few times before attempting to start. Check the spark plugs and replace as needed. Drain carburetors to remove any water or gunk trapped inside. Check fuel and filters are clean - the new ethanol gasoline is not helping outboards be happy at all. We have large size fuel filter/separaters installed between the fuel tanks and the engines as well as the standard small size filters which are on the engines themselvesbecause Nev feels they may not be completely adequate. Change the small filters frequently.

All the best - Ann and Nev

[kim whitmyre]

How is the fuel and spark? Engines do like to run: I start mine periodically to keep the internals happy.

BTW, congratulations!

[Meinhard Koch]

Dear Luis!
To say it in advance: the solution with 2 outboard engines on our Tikis is the best of all bad solutions. Good maneuvrebility, easy to remove for repair (I use the Gaff as a crane), price in comparison to other solutions ok, production in big numbers, well developed technolgie and (according to brand) worldwide service...
But- VERY exposed to the humide environment, also no chance to dry out comletely when lifted out of the water. Exept one opens the Engine covers, but then you have no seats in the cockpit any more. Mounted on a motorboat they have open air and sunshine on their head.
To keep at least spraywater away or better to minimise it I mounted triangular pieces of tarpaulin material (I used the type which is used for truck covers) on both sides of the engine boxes reaching up to the underside of the plateau. Sounds easyer than it is to mount, especially on the sides which face the hull! There is little room to work. This covers fold when the enguine box is lifted for sailing position, when it is down they are streched. I try to find a picture, but am not sure if I have.

Hope this is an idea to protct the engines better in the configuration we use.
Meinhard from Tiki 38 Tikimata

[luis]

thanks for the replies.
what do you think (disregarding cost) about a diesel engine after the pod, with an retractable arm, like a westerbake?
I think less maneuvrebility, but also less inconvenience at start and functioning moments and other possibilities of good life onboard as diesels provide.
i'm not so sure that in that place it can be fitted (just after the beam, in the platform behind the pod.
meinhard, very clear your explanation.
ann, understood and tks for the congratulations as well as kim.
i didn't make the cross, but a friend singlehanded.
rds
luis