The Boat That Wouldn't Start
Here it is.
In a small town, out by the sea, in a land far, far away...
In this small down, there was a marina where they stored and launched boats with an overhead crane.
The marina had a repair shop with about five mechanics, parts department and a new and used boat sales department.
One day, a customer used his inboard boat for water skiing and left it parked at the dock overnight.
He came in to use it the next morning, and the battery was dead.
He had left his running lights on.
So the head mechanic pulls the battery out and takes it to the shop for a quick charge.
A while later, they take the battery back to the boat, they put it in and try to start it.
The starter spins up, you can hear the motor turn, but it doesn't engage the flywheel.
It started fine several times just the day before, but would not start now.
They pull the starter off figuring that the starter is no good.
They put the starter on the bench in the shop, and everything looked okay. In fact, they tested it, and it started right up. It worked perfectly.
So they put it back in the boat again. It spins up, but doesn't engage the flywheel.
An hour later, they figure out the problem. Then they fix it.
There was nothing wrong with the motor, there was nothing wrong with the engine, and there was nothing wrong with the battery.
So, what was the problem?
