We left about 4:30 am from Edisto headed for the Edisto Banks and were having a great ride out. About 35 miles out the motor tone changed and then the went to idle and then died. First thought was something clogging the fuel flow in the engine but we found that the fuel bulb was sucking air. Nothing was evident looking through the tank port, so we called Sea Tow but were a little too far away. The Coast Guard relayed a message them and we were given a ETA of about 4 hours. We anchored up in 90 feet and settled in . Sea Tow arrived about 40 minutes early with 35 gallons of gas and some fuel line and a fuel bulb and in about 15 minutes we were running using the 5 gallon jerry can with the fuel line as a pickup going straight to the engine. It turns out that the fuel pickup in the tank was broken and after the fuel level dropped 20 gallons it sucked air.
I can’t say enough good about the Sea Tow guys. They were great. After we got the boat running the Sea Tow captain led us back 35 miles to the Yacht Club at Edisto Beach making sure the fix worked. About an hour after we got to the dock, we got a call from Sea Tow making sure that we we happy with the service and making sure all was OK.
It was the first time I have ever been in a break down offshore and the system worked as it was supposed to. Sea Tow and the Coast Guard were right there with us. I can’t say enough good things about the service.
Sorry you trip went south. Glad to hear everything went good with the CG and sea tow. These stories are why I dont complain went I send sea tow the payment.
A wise man once said “Do as I say not as I do” Good advice when I tell you that.
That is great to hear. I’m a member and thankfully never have had to call them. Just curious, Where did they come from? I used Bennett’s point as a home port and they had me with Hilton Head Sea Tow
08 210 sea hunt 150 yamaha ‘86 14’ super scout too much yamaha
quote:On mine, it comes in from the top. If it came loose, you probably couldn't get the first drop out of the tank.
That’s the way most modern tanks I’ve seen are built. I’ve worked on many of them and the plastic tube connects to the fitting at the top of the tank. I have seen them come loose too. Also once had an old Chris Craft with galvanized tanks and copper pick up lines, and the copper corroded in the middle.
If you find that you can’t draw fuel from the tank pickup, you can remove the fuel hose, remove the pickup fitting from the tank, then stick the bare hose down into the bottom through the fitting hole. If it won’t fit through that hole, take out the sending unit (sea conditions permitting, don’t want to slosh gas everywhere) and stick your fuel line down that hole, tape over it with some duct tape and come on home
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
“Ships are the nearest things to dreams that hands have ever made.” -Robert N. Rose
I haven’t pull the cover yet but some pickups have a metal tube with a rubber tube attached that is cut to fit the exact depth of the tank. The tank has been in the boat since new about 14 years. It is a 105 gallon tank and it died after 20 gallons or so. We had all the screws on the tank cover out except one and with the tools that we had on board, we were going to strip it. Decided not to push it with Sea Tow on the way.
I’m going back to the beach this weekend with a impact screw gun that will get it out and then I’ll see what actually happened. We topped the tank off at the marina Saturday and squeezed in all that it would take.
I suspect that if you had a long piece of fuel line you could feed it in the fill fitting on the boat and feed the motor that way.
I have had those plastic tubes crack at the top on portable tanks. Motor would run good until the fuel got far enough down for it to start sucking air. Bet that is what happened to it.
