Keeping engines and shafts in line is often the key to a smooth ride. Advances in hulls, engines, propellers, and even acoustic ... aboard 100,000-pound yachts traveling 30 knots. But the shafts, struts, and bearings that tie engines ...

-forgotten-transmission might leave you spinning your wheels. I am often asked about engine ... , they may leave a working engine with no way to transfer power to the propeller. A transmission problem can be devious: When an engine fails, the propeller stops spinning, but a neglected transmission could lock ...

that dinghy batteries are charged, engines start, and drain plugs are installed before launching. Engines ... a new spark plug. If the boat was stored without running stabilizer through the engine first ... trouble, idle the engines and select a course that won't roll the peanut butter out of a jar ...

. But with no tools aboard, our only solution was to limp back to the dock using the engines to steer. Weekend ruined ...

or four main-engine impellers because they failed while underway, yet I've had two- or three-dozen generator pumps fail. The reason? Generators run long after engines are shut down, sucking up abrasive silt ...