Posted by Dennis Lancaster (69.7.41.226) on May 17, 2004 at 15:05:04:
Had an interesting occurance with my engine temp while cruising this last weekend. Because I needed to reach my distination before dark, I needed to motor sail. The boat was moving at 6 knots and heeled maybe 15 degs. I normally run at 170 degs. at cruising rpm, my engine is fresh water cooled. I began to notice a rise in temp shortly after starting the motor sail. When I checked again, it had gone up to 190 degs. I shut the engine down and checked for raw water blockage.. I feared that the freshwater pump (Oberdorfer) was having an impeller problem. I called one of our club members sailing along who knew about A-4's and he told me that it was because the engine was not oiling efficiently at that heel angle and that there is a load placed on the prop when sailing that fast. He also said that the A-4 can take 200 degs with no problem and that I would have seen steam coming from my exhaust if I was overheating. I changed my tack and motored with the boat more level and the engine dropped back to its normal 170 and stayed that way the rest of the weekend.
Has anyone experienced this kind of thing while motor sailing?
Thanks,
Dennis Lancaster Columbia 8.7 "Slow Motion"
Bellingham, Wash.