After verifying that the prop was free from barnacles, I started the engine. When in neutral, the engine had a range of 1000 RPM to 2500 RPM. Shifted in gear, however, the engine had a range of 800 RPM to 1300 RPM. Conclusion: Something is definitely wrong with the engine.
I then visited Gatewood Marine. Chris, the guy who works the front office, could tell right away I was not happy. I told him I wasn't unhappy; I just wasn't pleased with the results. About a minute later Gatewood walked in from the shop area. I gave him the symptoms:
- The engine has significantly less power today than it did before they started working on it. It can only achieve 1300 RPM. Before they started working on it, it could achieve 1700 RPM with a few barnacles on the prop.
- The engine has difficulty starting when the battery bank is showing 13.40 volts. Before they started workin on it, I could start the engine when the battery bank was showing 11.50 volts.
He stated he saw it blowing black smoke when I was exiting the cove last weekend. I'm not sure how that relevation is in any way MY problem. He was the person who was paid, and paid well, to ensure I had a fully functioning engine. If he witnessed it blowing black smoke, then maybe, just maybe, there is a problem with the engine that he needed to fix at some point in the three months he had to fix it.
Then he claimed that the prop was the incorrect size, and this was causing the low RPM and the black smoke. I countered by stating the prop on it today is the same one that has been on it for years. I stated it ran at higher RPM, with the same prop, just last year. The prop on it is the same size as the one from the factory blueprints (20LH13). (Afterwards, I verified the current prop size from a recent survey, and checked the blueprints to verify the prop matched the recommended size).
He then claimed that the low RPM is because the engine is old, and it doesn't have the power that it had when it was new. I asked him why it would have lost that much power if I had paid him to overhaul the engine? He tried to claim I had not asked for an overhaul, but I interrupted him and listed all of the things he was supposed to have done:
- Replace all belts
- Replace all hoses
- Replace all clamps
- Replace all fluids
- Replace all filters
- Perform all maintenance tasks
- Do anything that is required
He tried to claim I had stated "only replace hoses that need to be replaced", but that is blatantly false. If he ever digs up the original work order he should see "replace all hoses" spelled out on the form. Plus, every time I spoke with him, I stated he needed to "do whatever it takes". I did not hold back funds in any way. I always authorized him to perform whatever he recommended as "best practice", even when there were cheaper alternatives presented.
I reminded him how I had stated, on numerous occasions, "If I find myself 1000 miles from land, and there is a hurricane bearing down on me, I need to be able to use the engine continuously for a week and not have to worry about it." he tried to say he never heard me say that, but I told him, "I told it to you, I said it to Chris, I said it to Gene (the mechanic), and I know I said it to your wife (who also runs the front office)".
I was pretty close to losing my temper at this point, so I knew I needed to get out of there before I became truly irate. I told him that he needed to figure out what was wrong with the engine, then tell me what he was going to do, and tell me what timeframe it was going to be done. He knew how to reach me.
The bottom line is I gave Gatewood Marine a blank check to ensure I did not have engine problems. I gave them ample time to do it (three months). I authorized everything they wanted to do. In the end, the engine still has problems. If they do not resolve the problem, the next blank check I write will be to an attorney.