Don't Get Hosed

INSPECT THE SOFTER PARTS OF YOUR BOAT TO AVOID TROUBLE LATER ON.

- Peter Frederiksen

Tearing up the river toward the inlet, I was anxious to get even with the striped bass making things miserable for the schools of bunker worrying the water near the beach. Suddenly my engine began coughing and threatened to stall as I approached the jetties. I throttled back in a hurry and the outboard calmed down, but the fishing would have to wait until I diagnosed the cause of the problem and fixed it properly.

Turning around in the inlet, I continued nursing the throttle, hoping the condition was manageable enough to get home. My first impression was an issue with the fuel, but I also knew the fuel and filters were clean, the tank cap was vented and the spark plugs were fresh. I was hoping for a simple solution, but I wasn’t prepared for what I discovered when I tied up at the dock. Two kinks had developed in the fuel hose: one near the tank connection, the second at the engine fitting. How did that happen? I wasn’t sure, but every day you leave the dock is a chance to learn something new and that day, I did.