Joy and I had a day out in Chichester Premier Marina 'Boat Show' today. The attraction was free flare disposal for Premier berth-holders!
There was a good talk from a chap called Jonathan Parker on 'Avoiding breakdowns at sea'. He spent 10 years working for SeaStart and said that 90% of the breakdowns he attended could have been avoided with simple preventative maintenance. He said that a yacht engine should not be treated like that of a modern car, where the bonnet is only lifted between services to top up the washer fluid, but like a classic car which is loved and tended.
We were reminded of the need for daily checks of oil, water, fan belt, & pre-filter, and oil change annually or every 100 hours. There were some good tips which are worth sharing:
- keep floor of engine bay clean so any new drips of oil or coolant are immediately obvious
- if at annual service the pre-filter is pristine you don't need to change the main fuel filter
- the bolts securing the impeller cover of the water pump can be replaced with some studs which make locating the gasket and cover easier (useful if you're drifting windlessly onto a lee shore!). Wing nuts then go onto the studs, easier and quicker to fit than bolts.
- diesel can stay in a yacht fuel tank for a long time as so little is used. Keep tank as full as possible even in summer. Use a diesel bug inhibitor, but this is not needed if you exclusively use Premier Marinas diesel as it is already added
- Use engine a lot because most of the fuel drawn from the tank is returned to it having gone through the filters so you're keeping the fuel clean (not sure us sailors quite agree with that!)
- Don't run engine at full throttle but at about 80%
- Spray engine including electrics with a corrosion inhibitor e.g. Corrosion Block
- Check round area of fan belt for black dust indicating wear.
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