What to do if your outboard engine dies out on the water

A dodgy battery is the most common cause for engine failure while out on the water, followed closely by running out of fuel – both easy things to fix before you head out.

But sometimes an outboard engine can fail to fire for other reasons, creating a bit of an emergency that needs some quick thinking.

So, how should you handle this situation? Here is the boatsales guide to what to do if your boat’s outboard engine suddenly decides it wants to take an unplanned holiday in the middle of a trip.

The first thing you need to do is ensure everyone onboard your boat is aware that there is a problem, and that you’re working on fixing it. And because a non-operational outboard engine exposes everyone onboard to a heightened risk, everyone onboard needs to put on a life jacket. If the water police turn up to help and discover no one has a life jacket on, the skipper could face a steep fine.

Donning life jackets is a smart move anyway because if you don’t have an engine to push your boat around, you’re at greater risk of either taking on water or becoming swamped if you can’t turn to face the oncoming seas.

This is especially important for offshore boats with deeper vee hulls that can tend to be less stable when rocking from side to side than compared with more shallow-vee boats.

A smart move is to drop the anchor as soon as you realise something is wrong. This will at least allow you to get onto the problem quickly and look for a possible solution without needing to worry about what you are drifting towards. It also means you’re not drifting away from where other boats, some of which may be willing to stop and offer help, are likely to pass by.

Drifting into unfamiliar waters may lead you to where currents, tides and underwater hazards are likely to complicate things, either for you or the people coming to your assistance.

Sometimes it’s not possible to drop the anchor, so it’s more important to slow your rate of drift as much as possible.

An easy way to do this is using a sea anchor. These are like heavy-duty parachutes that force the boat to drift as slowly as possible with the current rather than be pushed along quickly by the wind.

But not everyone carries a sea anchor, so what can you do? Use the resources on your boat.

Anything that creates drag in the water can be used as a sea anchor, from buckets to coats, seats, ice boxes and more. Even throwing a bundle of ropes tied together in the water can slow a boat down and help it steer to face the oncoming seas.

Always fit anything that will be used as a sea anchor to the bow of the boat so that it faces the weather.

Note how fast you are drifting, and in what direction. This will be very handy information to pass on to rescue services if you end up needing assistance. Monitor your depth, too, just in case the water shallows and it is better to drop the anchor.

If anyone onboard is in immediate danger, such as the boat drifting close to rocks, make a mayday call straight away.

If no one onboard is in immediate danger and some basic troubleshooting doesn’t solve the problem, make a pan-pan call to alert other boaters and rescue services, to your situation. The pan-pan call also lets other boaters know they don’t need to desperately rush to your aid, although they will be aware you’re in need of help. A boat hearing your pan-pan call should respond and let you know how long it will be before they reach you.

Once you know help is coming, prepare the boat. Arrange for a tow line and even craft a bridle that a boat coming to your aid can use to tow you with. If you have anything that makes the boat more visible, such as a V-sheet, get it out.

Once everyone onboard is safe, and you know someone is coming to your aid, it’s time to do some basic troubleshooting for common outboard engine problems. If you happen to get the engine running again, you can easily cancel the radio call for help.

An outboard engine needs three things to work: fuel, air, and a spark. Any unexpected change in either of these three factors is worth checking.

The easiest to check is fuel – take a look at the fuel guage, or if you’re using a tote tank give it a shake to hear if there is any fuel sloshing around in it.

Check the fuel hose connections for leaks – either fuel leaking out or air leaking in – and look at the fuel filter to see if there is anything blocking the line such as sediment in the tank. If you’re using tote tanks, make sure the tank’s air breather valve is open, otherwise it creates a vacuum that will stop the fuel flowing to the engine.

If you have a manual fuel pump, give it a few pumps to see if it is drawing fuel out of the tank – it should go hard after two or three squeezes. If it doesn’t fill with fuel, it’s likely a blockage in the fuel line such as a poorly fitted connector or a closed breather valve. If it does reinflate but doesn’t go hard, it’s an air leak.

Spark is sometimes an easy problem to fix – have a look and see if your outboard engine’s kill switch is connected properly to the engine or throttle control box depending on whether your engine is a tiller steer or forward control. Unless it is properly clipped in, the kill switch will continue to cut the engine’s ignition, although it will still turn over.

You can physically check the engine’s ability to spark by removing the engine cover and pulling off one of the spark plug leads to create a small air gap between the lead and the top of the spark plug. Turn over the engine to see if a spark jumps across the gap – if there’s no spark there’s a problem with the electrical system.

Lack of air is rarely an issue unless something is blocking the inlet. Check to see that nothing is blocking the air intake such as leaves or plastic bags that have been sucked into the intake.

Finally, if the engine won’t turn over but the electrics all still work, look to see if you’re trying to start the engine in gear. It’s easy to turn the engine off while it is in gear and forget to return the shift lever to neutral.

One of the main advantages of buying a new outboard engine is reliability. Outboard engine makers have honed their products over time so that the reliability of a properly serviced and maintained engine will give it years of life.

Gone are the days when boats needed a kicker engine, a smaller outboard engine that could help a boat limp home, as a backup.

If an outboard engine has started to show signs of becoming unreliable, it’s time to replace it.