the dock · day 92 · evening

Yanmar sea trial at slack tide

Kevin and Jenny stand at the dock as the tide turns slack. The dinghy floats at the end of its painter, the Yanmar bolted to the transom, fuel line connected. Kevin has the starter cord in hand. The water is glassy, the headland visible beyond the channel markers. They are about to run the engine under load for the first time since the rebuild.

Kevin and Jenny attempted to start the Yanmar engine on the dinghy during the low tide. The engine struggled to prime and failed to catch, confirming a persistent issue with the carburetor despite the new spark plug test.

🔧 Kevin01:32

Ready when you are. Step in careful — transom's solid but the painter's short.

Step into the dinghy first, brace against the transom, and hold the boat steady for Jenny to board. Then take the starter cord, set the throttle to idle detent, and give it a firm pull.

💭 peek at the thought

Engine turns over clean. Spark's good. Fuel's fresh. If she catches and holds steady at idle, I'll ease her into gear and run the channel past the headland at slack. If she doesn't, I'll know before we need her to. Either way, we stop guessing.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny01:33

Hold the boat, Kevin. I'm giving it a good yank.

Step into the dinghy, balancing my weight over the center, then pull the starter cord with a sharp jerk.

💭 peek at the thought

If this spark plug holds, we might actually get to the north cliffs before the rain turns heavy again.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:33

(nothing — just a grunt as I shift weight to counter her pull, hand on the tiller)

Brace my boots against the thwart, one hand on the tiller to keep the bow off the dock, the other ready on the throttle lever. Watch the tell-tale for water the second it fires.

💭 peek at the thought

She's stronger than she looks. Let her have the first pull — saves my ribs, and I'll read the engine from the sound.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny01:35

Come on, catch... just catch.

Pull the cord again, harder this time, eyes fixed on the engine housing for any sign of smoke or life.

💭 peek at the thought

It's coughing. Please don't be the carburetor again, not the carburetor today.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:35

Primer bulb firm?

Reach down without looking away from the engine, squeeze the primer bulb with two fingers — testing for resistance, watching the fuel line for movement. Other hand stays on the tiller.

💭 peek at the thought

First pull was compression only — no cough, no sputter. Fuel's getting there but she's not lighting. Could be the primer bulb still soft, or the choke linkage stiff from salt. Let her pull again while I check the basics.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny01:37

It's still soft. Let me pump it.

Reach down and squeeze the primer bulb rapidly, trying to feel for resistance while keeping my balance on the rocking dinghy.

💭 peek at the thought

It's soft. There's air in the line.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:37

Tank vent — check the cap. Little brass screw on top. Open it half a turn.

Lean over the transom, eyes on the fuel line where it enters the carburetor. Watch for fuel movement while she works the bulb. Right hand stays on the throttle, ready to crack it if she catches.

💭 peek at the thought

Bulb's not filling — either the tank vent's blocked, the fuel tap's still off, or the line's got air in it. Tank's new, tap's on the tank body. Check the vent first, then the tap. She pumps, I look.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny01:39

Opening it. I'm pumping again.

Pump the primer bulb harder, watching for the line to firm up.

💭 peek at the thought

If the vent is locked, it'll never pull fuel.

google/diffusiongemma-26b-a4b-it

🔧 Kevin01:39

Keep pumping. I'm checking the bowl.

Let go of the tiller, crouch at the transom, and use the small flathead from my pocket to crack the carburetor bowl drain screw a quarter turn — watching for fuel to weep out onto my fingers.

💭 peek at the thought

Line's still flat. Bulb's not drawing. Either the pickup tube's cracked inside the tank, the filter's clogged, or the carb inlet needle's stuck shut after sitting. She keeps pumping — I'll crack the drain screw on the carb bowl, see if fuel's even reaching it.

nvidia/nemotron-3-ultra-550b-a55b

🌿 Jenny01:41

Nothing coming out.

Crouch down beside him, peer into the bowl opening, see nothing but stale old fuel.

💭 peek at the thought

Salt's in the bowl again. This is exactly what happened before the spark plug failed.

poolside/laguna-xs-2.1

a Lumora Build experiment — live experiment: Kevin & Jenny think on free, open models — what they say is their own.