Boat owners’ near universal whinge

[Kukri]

WHY does almost every near-routine maintenance task involve lying down in a contorted position and scrabbling for something just out of reach with one’s finger tips?

NB: the size and ‘pedigree’ of the boat make no difference at all. One just gets older and less and less fit.

 

[Parsonsheath]

It was stipulated to ensure that those in denial of the ageing process or infirmity should see the light; sadly it rarely works !

 

[RJJ]

Tom cunliffe advises equanimity. I paraphrase, but....when you contort yourself, cut your knuckles, break your back and lose your tools, remember and be thankful for the time you enjoy the extra internal and external space such design offers you.

 

[pvb]

When I was faced with replacing the inaccessible oil cooler on my last boat, I chickened out and got a Volvo Penta guy in to do it. He confessed it was very much a younger person's job.

 

[ryanroberts]

Have to assume the optimal physique for boat maintenance is a 6'6" version of the aliens from close encounters of the 3rd kind.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Every boat needs a double-jointed orang-utang to do some jobs. The worst I recall was fitting a new fuel tank - there were 4 bolts to be done up. Three were fine, but the 4th involved getting my arm through a hole narrow enough to scrape the skin off it and reach at arm's length with a nut taped onto my fingers hoping I could get it onto the end of the bolt while my wife turned the bolt. I'd never have done it single-handed - it was quite impossible to turn the bolt while getting the nut in place, as it was only just possible to reach far enough to get the nut onto the bolt. Of course, the end of the bolt was quite invisible, so you had to work by touch... And once the nut was started I then had to reach in and get a spanner on the nut so we could tighten the bolt fully. I suppose I was lucky - I didn't drop the spanner!

 

[Refueler]

Not only boats need arms thin as BBQ skewers and 3x long ... with baby hands on end with strength of a gorilla ...

Try changing headlamp on a Volvo or most cars today ... or if you have a V70 XC70 ... one of the rear lamps !!

 

[Elessar]

WHY does almost every near-routine maintenance task involve lying down in a contorted position and scrabbling for something just out of reach with one’s finger tips?

NB: the size and ‘pedigree’ of the boat make no difference at all. One just gets older and less and less fit.

No idea why but it is so true.

The sub clauses of the same rule
i) when your arm is out of sight there is always a strategically placed tie wrap to cut it
iI) the time it takes to do the job doubles even when you know it’s on a boat and leave “enough time”
iii) the price triples on the same basis.

Hey ho.

 

[coveman]

Not only boats need arms thin as BBQ skewers and 3x long ... with baby hands on end with strength of a gorilla ...

Try changing headlamp on a Volvo or most cars today ... or if you have a V70 XC70 ... one of the rear lamps !!

Well - yes- I remember trying to change the headlamp bulb on a V50 - spent ages cursing the car and then eventually looked in the handbook - one small pin pulled out and all revealed - yes I did feel stupid!!

 

[johnalison]

Good luck to anyone of 6' 6" trying to replace the PRV under the base of my cockpit locker.

 

[michael_w]

What you need is a finger tip that can morph into a screwdriver, socket set, eyeball, etc. An extra wrist in one's forearm would be useful too.

More so would be the designers and builders have a bit of thought to future maintenance.

That said I'm sure even on a ship like the Emma Maersk there are areas that are a struggle to get into.

 

[Zing]

Yes, but which is the bigger complaint. That boats break so often or that boats are so hard to fix? I suppose they are the same problem in a sense. Bad design and not enough regard by the makers to maintenance issues.

 

[Refueler]

What you need is a finger tip that can morph into a screwdriver, socket set, eyeball, etc. An extra wrist in one's forearm would be useful too.

More so would be the designers and builders have a bit of thought to future maintenance.

That said I'm sure even on a ship like the Emma Maersk there are areas that are a struggle to get into.

If you ever have walk on deck of average tanker ..... they put gauging points under pipelines midships .... the pipes running fore and aft are just about forehead height .... you climb up and over frames and pipes to get to essential items ...

 

[Kukri]

If you ever have walk on deck of average tanker ..... they put gauging points under pipelines midships .... the pipes running fore and aft are just about forehead height .... you climb up and over frames and pipes to get to essential items ...

And then some bright spark had the idea of making the tanks easier to clean by putting the frames on the deck not in the tanks...

I also recall with particular affection the naval architect at a famous British shipyard who had designed a tanker with the heat exchangers for cargo heating on the weather deck. When I pointed out that the things would become a mass of rust in half no time, he replied, ‘Maintenance is the owner’s problem!’...

...maybe yacht designers were taught that, too...?

 

[LittleSister]

You'd think, with the bottom falling out of the chimney sweeping market, there'd be hordes of skinny, lithe 10 year olds only too eager to clamber about the innards of boats to earn a few pennies.

 

[Kukri]

You'd think, with the bottom falling out of the chimney sweeping market, there'd be hordes of skinny, lithe 10 year olds only too eager to clamber about the innards of boats to earn a few pennies.

I had a serviceable pair. But they are now 25 and 18 and are bigger than me!

 

[Wansworth]

Not enough space and thought given to having to fix things in boats when things going well there’s pleanty of space to quaff the vino but god forbid any thought should be given to getting a fuel tank out for example.Boats should have engine rooms ie rooms for engines........I gave my last boat away as I realized there was no way I could even do basic maintenance

 

[johnalison]

You'd think, with the bottom falling out of the chimney sweeping market, there'd be hordes of skinny, lithe 10 year olds only too eager to clamber about the innards of boats to earn a few pennies.

A day or so ago I found myself watching a YouTube video about building a B24 bomber. At one point a midget (their term) was needed to enter a wing section to carry out some task. Hint for boatbuilders perhaps.

 

[Kukri]

Not enough space and thought given to having to fix things in boats when things going well there’s pleanty of space to quaff the vino but god forbid any thought should be given to getting a fuel tank out for example.Boats should have engine rooms ie rooms for engines........I gave my last boat away as I realized there was no way I could even do basic maintenance

Funny you should say that. My boat has got a Yanmar 4JH5E under the cabin sole with great big sound proofed hatches over it. Perfect! ...

... except that the bottom of the engine bilge is just three feet below the sole... some bits can be reached and others can’t, because the engine has been shoe horned into the space...

... There’s a screwdriver that I dropped into the engine bilge six months ago, which has worked itself to a spot that is just out of reach... if you see me over canvassed and rail under on the port tack you will know why...

 

[Wansworth]

Funny you should say that. My boat has got a Yanmar 4JH5E under the cabin sole with great big sound proofed hatches over it. Perfect! ...

... There’s also a screwdriver that I dropped into the engine bilge six months ago, which has worked itself to a spot that is just out of reach... if you see me over canvassed and rail under on the port tack you will know why...

Yes those designs that had the engine under the saloon table above the keel where great,your boat is from that period?