Diesel Engine Course Instructor

[Tam Lin]

I have been asked to organise an RYA Diesel Engine Course for my sailing club. Can anyone recommend an Instructor who will come to our club in Essex and do that for us?

 

[TimfromMersea]

I’ve sent this on email to ‘Diesel Dave’ Lewis, who is a member of our Club and runs our courses. He might be able to come to you. He’s based on Mersea.

 

[Ali-alshira]

Colin Stracey at premier Sailing based at North Fambridge. He's excellent and a really nice guy too.
Premiersailing.co.uk

 

[MoodySabre]

I did one of these courses but found it a bit general. Hanging around whilst an engineer did a through service of my engine was more instructive.

 

[gilesfordcrush]

+1 for Colin Stracey at Premiere Sailing. First class chap, and very good with engines.

 

[Tam Lin]

I did one of these courses but found it a bit general. Hanging around whilst an engineer did a through service of my engine was more instructive.

Yes, I agree, I learnt about installing engines from watching mine being fitted! However, I have been asked to arrange a course so will do my best. Thanks for the suggestions so far everyone.

 

[Hydrozoan]

I did one of these courses but found it a bit general. Hanging around whilst an engineer did a through service of my engine was more instructive.

Mrs H did the course and found it enjoyable, though it is inevitably rather generic. But I agree with you, and to maximise the benefit from it I should have got her to do an annual service after she had helped me with it once or twice.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Obviously not East Coast, but I have to say that the course we attended in Scotland was excellent, covering all the bits and pieces needed to understand how to care for a diesel engine, and stand a chance of getting it going again if there was a problem at sea. Generic, yes,, but so are most small marine diesels! The guy we had did a very useful demonstration - he put a bit of cotton wool at the bottom of a glass tube, and banged a plunger into the tube, thereby setting the cotton wool on fire, demonstating compression ignition better than a description would have! I think it was Seatrek sail training that ran the course, but it was a while ago!

 

[Hydrozoan]

Obviously not East Coast, but I have to say that the course we attended in Scotland was excellent, covering all the bits and pieces needed to understand how to care for a diesel engine, and stand a chance of getting it going again if there was a problem at sea. Generic, yes,, but so are most small marine diesels! The guy we had did a very useful demonstration - he put a bit of cotton wool at the bottom of a glass tube, and banged a plunger into the tube, thereby setting the cotton wool on fire, demonstating compression ignition better than a description would have! I think it was Seatrek sail training that ran the course, but it was a while ago!

I wasn't knocking the course at all: just pointing out that to get the most from it - and to be best prepared for that 'problem at sea' - one needs to follow it up by gaining a good understanding of where everything is on ones own particular engine. As I said, Mrs H found it enjoyable (at Bisham Abbey IIRC) - as well as useful.