Novice Afourian seeking acceptance to the guild.......
 

Greeting oh wise and experienced Afourians !

I present myself with humility and humor as a shiny new Afourian novice for acceptance to the guild with high hopes of gaining knowledge and having fun with the minimum of mishaps unless of course they come with a humorous and useful antidote.

Ahhh the backstory you seek?
An unrepentant sailor of seas, lakes and oceans, graduate from a stinkpoting youth, a reformed diesel consumer with a smattering of Palmer one lunger experience and stories of craft ranging from the homemade dingy (Blue and wrinkled as it was) to a massive (for the young crew) Tartan 41 (Why yes, those are IOR hips) and now starting a new chapter (as the indentured crew have all launched from the nest) with a lovely C&C 29 containing a recently rebuilt Atomic Four just the right size for my sailing bride and I.

How shiny of an Afourian am I and my bride you ask?
Well, weather permitting (or be damned) we will camp aboard our new craft this coming weekend for the first overnight and will spend Saturday messing about in boats, playing with the heralded Atomic Four for the first time and getting a bit of pre-winterization sailing in before spending Sunday tucking her in for her long winters nap in the slip.

During the long lake winter, she will no doubt dream of the upgraded propane and shore power systems that she will awaken to (as long as my fingers don't drop off during the installation phase) and she will be comforted by the glimpses of the renewed cushions already being planned and patterned by the brides crafty hands....... She will sleep well our little Firefly.

But first there is exploration and new experiences for us !

What say you oh wizened (wisened?) Afourians ?

What advice have you for the shiny novice's first start up ?

I await all input with the excitement of the knowledge hungry novice which I am........

Respectfully, "CnC for me"




By the way, I don't always type that way but every now and then it is fun. Hope it made you smile. Thanks in advance for any and all thoughts and suggestions !
CnC for me

Get copy of the Moyer manual
https://moyermarine.com/product-category/manuals/

Start with the easy basic stuff: Tune ups, oil changes, fuel system service.
You will get to know your engine quick.

If your new bride is so inclined get her involved in the process.

ex TRUE GRIT

First off, welcome to the forum! You've definitely found one of the best places on the Internet!

Probably the number one advice for A4 novices is "No extended cranking with the cooling water valve open!" Failing to heed this can send you down a rabbithole of significant repairs.

As we head into Fall, the cooler temps will make the A4 a little harder to start, and thus the likelyhood of extended cranking is high. In my own case, based on direct advice from Don himself years ago, I always start with the valve closed, and only open it once the engine starts. Just don't forget! I usually have my wife standing-by at the valve while I crank. This has worked well for us for over ten years.

Have a great sail Saturday!

Welcome and I got a kick out of your intro. You can get a detailed tech sheet on spring commissioning from our host's web page. To help in the spring start up I would address some issues now - change the oil at the dock just prior to haul out, oil fog the engine and cylinders, stabilize the fuel, drain the carb bowl and fuel lines and in the spring pump the bottom two gallons of fuel out of the tank. Of course appropriately winterize the A4 depending where you are - drain or pump in some glycol.

and of course... the free videos are priceless! Some are really overhaul-oriented, others cover more usual troubleshootings.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8G...eTOSSLXZhCBdJg

And Moyer manual has an infinite return on investment !

CnC, have you ordered your Moyer Manual yet?

Welcome....

Please come here for Atomic Four advice exclusively. The other forums are full of know-it-alls who dispense BS. Here any BS gets checked and appropriately corrected.

Buy from Moyer. His prices are fair and as good or better then you will find elsewhere.

Moyer has posted free videos on youtube. watch them.

There are plenty of threads to search for questions and answers, but dont be afraid to ask a question.

Welcome

And do not forget to enjot the You Tube videos, by the Boss himself
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8G...ZhCBdJg/videos