Day 24
Begin: Mechanicville
End: Waterford
Day 24 was another sour day on the boat, we had all intentions of making it to Scotia on the Erie Canal but due to motor problems, that did not happen.
We left very early for us, wanting to beat the heat of the day, and headed off towards Lock C2 without eating breakfast. Unfortunately within a mile we where having engine problems. The motor ran, but it would not operate above 1000 RPM, rather it just went back to idle it the throttle was pushed further. This meant that the boat would only go about 2-3 mph, a very dangerous speed on a river. We then limped along at a blistering 2-3 mph and made it to the next lock. With no great spot to tie up, we pressed on, knowing that there is a nice boat launch and dock at Lock C1.
We made it to the dock and then assessed the problem. After looking through everything, all seemed to be in order. The motor ran fine at idle and up to about 1000 RPM. The the throttle was pressed further, then the motor would just go back to idle, but ran fine at idle. This was very discouraging. After about a half hour of taking the engine apart, I found what was wrong. The throttle is connected by a piece of plastic to the motor. This plastic part broke off at about the 1000 RPM mark and if the throttle was pushed further then the engine’s throttle lever would fall off the plastic part and the engine would return to idle. This was good and bad. The good part is that it is a small issue, and the main engine/carb is not damaged in anyway. The bad is that a small issue is a big issue when you are motoring along and have no car to get to the local dealer. Furthermore this is a part that I doubt is carried in stock.
I decided that instead of trying to find the part, we would fix it using some ‘puddy cement’ that I had aboard. This play-dough type cement harden to a rock, and I hoped would work well enough to get us home. I applied it and let is cure for about an hour. I then put the engine back together and gave is a go. It worked! After testing the engine many times at the lock I decided that there would be no harm in continuing on to Waterford. It was only a few miles away, and if the fix broke, we would still make it there at the 2-3 MPH. Plus, Waterford is closer to our friends in Troy who would have given us a ride to the dealer if necessary.
We made it to Waterford without issue. We arrived and grabbed the only spot left, it was on the high wall, between two large tugboats. Its a shame that they allow people to dock for extended periods here when there are transients who would gladly use the wall. Many people use the $10/night rate (free for first two days) as a cheap way to keep their boat somewhere while they head off for days at a time.
We made it by 4:00, but unfortuantely wasted most of our day fixing the motor and motoring slowly. We walked into town, but did not get anything more than fuel and a slushy. Then we decided we needed some time away from the boat so we walked across the bridge to Peebles Island State Park. This was a nice change of pace after being frustrated all day. Back aboard we decided just to call it a day, had dinner and watched a movie. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
Sorry, no photos today.