Headed out on Sunday in my 42 Fountain. Boat ran great all weekend up until this happens, Get up on plane and just start to give her some more throttle while trimming her up and WHAM, center motor loses rpms and shuts off. Over 3/4 tank of fuel. Oil pressure was fine in all three motors while planning off and accelerating. Stop the boat and try to restart. Fires, sounds terrible, and really rough and dies. Keep trying to fire her and its turning over hard and sounds like ****. Check all my MSD connections, pull dipstick, pull valve cover caps and breathers and look and no moisture, oil looks clean so I am like WTF! Let it sit thinking ok maybe vapor locked it or something dumb, or drive seized up. Just for ****s I switch so it cranks using all batteries and it wings over fine but no fire. I say screw it and I decide to fire other two motors and go back to camp and put it on the trailer. Just fire other two motors, slip it into gear and starboard motor quits and won't re-fire. Now I am thinking it is something dumb! While cleaning the cockpit that morning I accidentally hit the fuel tank transfer switch from starboard front to starboard rear (saddle tank) and I always leave those empty. Flipped the switch back, cranked starboard motor and she fires. Cranked the center motor awhile and whammo, back on my way! Went from that nasty feeling of thinking she blew up or broke a drive to back in action! Just thought I'd share what an idiot I am.

LOL! Chit like that happens to all of us!

YOU ARE NOT AN IDIOT-- all you did was "pay a little tuition" for some wisdom.

Thanks for sharing

Safe Boating

3pointstar

It happens man! Have a beer and celebrate it was that easy!

Heck, I have redone complete electrical system cause someone stepped on the Dangleing kill switch cord just hard enough to to trip the switch but Not pull the cord out....Sh*T Happens.....

Happens to everyone, few are lucky. This weekend I had port engine at zero oil pressure and light on at start-up, engine was running fine no beeps from computer. Shut it down, checked everything, re-fired and same gauge reading with engine running fine. Starboard engine at proper pressure, had an issue last year with oil pressure sensor on starboard so thought that was the problem. With sweat rolling down my forehead I ran the boat up on plane, if it was the sensor computer would of went into limp mode, with no issue and gauge at zero. After a few miles gauge started to twitch and the gauge gods re-energized the failing gauge. Obvious bad/broken connection but an "Oh Crap" moment for sure, so I feel your pain.

hey crap happens lol at least it wasn't something tragic lol

LOL....but only because my weekend started the same way! Dipped boat, fired it up, ran it at idle for 1/2 mile downriver to Lake Michigan, jumped on plane...and port motor dies. I went back and found that when I was rebuilding the fuel pump, I had accidently kicked the shut-off valve. Oh...and the fuel line TO the pump was only finger tight. Cycled the ignition key 15 times to get fuel pressure back, and it fired right up.

I would be willing to bet $50 that someone, somewhere did something dumber on a boat this weekend. Wait till you do the same in a small plane and hear "the loudest silence in the world" looking for a landing spot etc. Then you realize you just need to switch fuel tanks.

Seen on the news last weekend a couple in fla got tossed out while their boat sped away at full speed. No lanyard, doh!