R.Ems
Active member
Double-enders in the smaller sizes must have issues,,, mine is 34' on deck and a big fat man can just can't get down the side of the engine, while a skinny short shanked one can.
Engines and engine rooms
- Thread starter Wansworth
- Start date
Stemar
Well-known member
I don't know, all you people whingeing about access on a monohull grumble, grumble - Try a twin engined cat with it's narrow hulls and access from aft, plus a small hatch in the bulkhead forward of the engine if you're lucky. I had to get a younger and more flexible mechanic to change the starter motor on mine because I don't bend like that any more
geem
Well-known member
I had that on our previous boat, a Prout Snowgoose 37. A single engine in the central nacelle. Horrendous access. I quickly learnt that it only took an hour to lift the engine out. Every three years or so, I would lift it on the boom and touch up paintwork, clean electrical contacts, paint bilges, etc was far easier than doing those things with the engine insitu
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Tranona
Well-known member
I sold the old Pekins from my GH to someone who had bought a Catfisher 33 without an engine or drive. Odd setup with the engine in a box in the wheelhouse with a shaft driving to a Sonic leg between the hulls. Originally had a 3 cylinder Yanmar and fortunately the Perkins was virtually identical in all dimensions so fitted straight into the very tight box. Probably another candidate for lifting out for servicing rather than doing it in situ!
Wansworth
Well-known member
Improvement could be made by proper lighting instead of fiddling with a torch or wandering lead,lots of light could be a game changer
Stemar
Well-known member
That could be a plan. but one engine is tucked under the battery box and the other under the gas locker.
dunedin
Well-known member
We don’t have an “engine room” - but we do have a light with a switch marked ”engine room light”
Wansworth
Well-known member
It’s a start?We don’t have an “engine room” - but we do have a light with a switch marked ”engine room light”
R.Ems
Active member
Yes in every single E/R I have entered, (maybe more an indication of the manky rustbuckets I've workerd on lol)
geem
Well-known member
Haha, we have two long LED strip lights over the engine. Two more over the bench plus a couple of LED spotlights as well.
Tranona
Well-known member
This might be of interest. Engine bolted down yesterday. Just exhaust fuel water and electrics to connect. Fuel filter will be bottom left with a shut off valve through the front face of the engine box. Seawater inlet is now immediately below the strainer. All the electrics are on the right hand side with bus bars on the side panel below the shorepower, switch cluster and battery monitor on the front panel. Batteries under where I am standing, so all cable runs are very short - good when battery cable is £7 a metre plus of course reduced voltage drop. Battery charger and B2B for the bow battery under the bunk on the left. Engine box designed so that it can be dismantled completely if necessary. Access to all regular service points will be through a removable front panel and lift up lid in the usual manner.
Wansworth
Well-known member
Fuel tank?
Tranona
Well-known member
Two tanks under the aft deck accessible (at least the outlets) through a hatch in the cockpit. The more flexible person who is installing it all gets in there to access the bolts holding the stern tube in.
geem
Well-known member
We had a Victron B2B failure. It charged our 12v generator battery from the 24v domestic bank. We didn't know it had failed until the generator starter clicked. It's just been replaced under warranty. I will be adding a voltmeter to the 12v AGM generator battery so I can more easily monitor the voltage. I thought just looking at the Bluetooth output from the B2B would be sufficient but it was lying as it was faulty. Relying on electronics on a boat is becoming commonplace but not with reliability issues.