hblair

I had something happen to me and thought I'd share it along with a lesson I learned...

Three weeks ago, me, my son, nephew and a friend took the trip over to bimini in my 30 foot scarab. This is the boat we basically restored 3 years ago. We took the deck off, replaced stringers, transom, built engines, transmissions, steering, painted the whole outside, etc. etc.

We took the trip over from Dania Beach and the water was pretty rough, 5 footers or so, good hour and a half of getting beat up. When we got over there the first day we went out boating a while and came back and the right motor died and would not start. uhoh. No fuel pressure. Shouldn't be out of gas, should have half a tank. Fuel pumps at the marina were off for the day (the bahamas). Next morning we filled up, mottor fired up, we were good to go, finished up our trip. Got up next day, filled up and made our way back to dania beach. Beautiful water, smooth, great trip back.

As we were pulling up on the trailer, literally as I was gassing the boat onto the trailer, right motor dies, 15 seconds later, left motor dies. AS I WAS GETTING ON THE TRAILER AFTER CROSSING 56 MILES OF ATLANTIC OCEAN! No fuel pressure!!
Guys the only thing I haven't redone on this whole boat was the fuel tank pickups. Today I hole sawed my way to them, and as I expected. They Gone! Don't be a meathead like me. If not for the Good Lord, we would be bobbing out in the Atlantic somewhere. Check your pickups and be sure they're not about to fall off. Our boats are getting old. If you're going offshore it is a big stinkin deal.

Team Archer

Lucky bastard !

outonsafari

iTrader: (4)

holy come to jesus moment batman !
save those for christmas tree ornaments.
as it happens i have 2 pickups from a 150 gallon tank from a 1984 30 scarab.
15 3/4 length from tip to threads on 90
just over 1/2 inch o.d.
just over 5/8 inch o.d. on the stainless 90 threads
very thick wall stainless cut on angle at bottom as p/u's are out on the edge of the tank bottom flat spot
in good shape, the white stuff at the 90 is pipe dope, it didn't taste like corrosion, and the insides are clean.
my micromoter is a plastic easy bake oven variety, plus i'm irish catholic and the nuns said those kind of numbers were the devils, so
i can't get better measurements.
edit in, they are yours if they'll work for you and or if you want them, pm me where to ship them

Unlimited jd

iTrader: (5)

Wow, we found the pickup fell off the race boat 2 weeks ago, have about 4' of 1/2" I.d. Stainless tubing if anyone needs some some very reasonably, had to buy minimum $120 worth

hblair

Thanks guys I'm going to let it sit a while and start on the big boat.(3 tanks) I'll prolly buy me some stainless tubing to make the pickups in it from. Dan do I remember reading that you use aluminum for your pickups?

dereknkathy

the entire fuel system in my hatteras is solid copper. none looks aged, except for a little discoloration. this april was my boat's 50th birthday.

h2oboater

Last year I fought a fuel starvation problem on a friends mid 80's Formula, we replaced all the filters & fuel lines still no good. Pulled the fuel pick ups all looked good but for some reason I pushed a wire through the pick up tube it stopped. I found a fine mesh screen inside the pipe mid way up, it was blocked. Removed the screen problem solved.

Wobble

I installed these over my pickups and fill connections, https://www.westmarine.com/buy/imtra...12?recordNum=4

14 apache

iTrader: (1)

Are the pickups part of the tank? Is there a chance that the screens just got plugged up and shut the motors off? Looks like a bunch of crud on them.

racinfast002

You know something. Occasionally my Scarab will have the port motor lose fuel pressure. Makes me wonder if I'm having the same issue. Good news is there is no hole saw required to pull mine apart.