French canals - water inlet modification?

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dawnsall

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We are going through the French canals in our yacht this summer and would like to know if I need to be concerned about weed restricting the water flow into the engine. The boat is out of the water at the moment so if there is something I can do now to the inlet I would like to get it done. Any experiences or suggestions would be most welcome. Thank you.
 
Hi, have a look at www.seagipsy.com we did tis last year, you will most certainly have to protect the raw water intake if it hasn't already got a course strainer on it. you need to check your strainer every couple of hours and clean it religiously every time you stop the engine. We picked up a small round black seed that fitted nicely into he pipe work and had to dismantel the cooling systems several times. If you have the time, fit the largest raw water strainer that you can. We ended up using the calorifier on three occasions to remove surplus heat from the engine, giving us time to reach a safe place to moor. yu don't say what size your boat is?
Check out our website and if yu would like any more info just drop us a line.
Have fun.
 
Last year weeds were particularly bad between Dijon and St Jean de Losne on the Burgundy Canal. Elsewhere they weren't at all bad and outside the Burgundy canal we had no problems at all with the exception of a nappy on the R Seine (ugh!) We developed a system of using the dinghy foot pump inflator to blow out the weeds which at some stages had to be done every 30 mins or so!
 
When we did the Midi we had a 1/2 inch inlet with an attached basket-type strainer. This blocked countless times. Despite cleaning out the basket every night it still filled up with weed during the day, especially if we grounded and needed to rev to get off, stirring up dead leaves on the bottom. One of the most useful tools on the boat was a length of 1/16 inch brazing rod that I used to clear the inlet. Sometimes blowing the dinghy pump down the hose attachment to the engine was effective.

Since then I have replaced the skin fitting for a 3/4 inch and fitted a Vetus strainer in the engine compartment. I hope this would be an improvement, so far untested. I would definitely not have a perforated plate-type coarse strainer on the outside of the skin fitting as this could not be cleaned.

We also had problems of the water pump not priming after these events, probably due to wear of the front plate of the pump. Ensure that your doesn't have the slightest wear and it should be OK.
 
Re: Clogging up . . .

When installing new engin I fitted 2 intake on opposite sides of the boat, not primarily aimed at weed more for plastic bags etc. Idea is that if something covers one intake not only do you sill get water through the other one but the pump does not try to create a vacum clamping the item to the intake so stuff is more likely to wash past. For the cost involved with the boat out might be worth thinking about. Also means that if one blocks I can still use the seawater presure hose fed from the other one to clear it.
 
Re: Clogging up . . .

But you can be lucky. I have spent May to October going down 1998 and March to July going West last year and never had a problem. Maybe my time will come.

Both boats have Volvo saildrives with Strippers and heat exchangers.

You will find grass cutting leaving huge piles of offcuts floating but you can go round them. Have a great time.
 
You've got to watch for industrial strength polythene wrapping around the prop. I had to go over the side twice and cut it off. The local fire brigade will come and cut it off free, if you want to wait. They also get a typhoid injection after they leave the sewer ( sorry canal)The first time this happened to us was on the approaches to a bridge followed by a turning circle for commercials. We carried a divers pony bottle and associated kit to allow for access under the boat.
remember the 5 P's preperation prevents piss poor perfromance. (sometimes)
 
Judging by many of the replies I guess we must have been lucky the year before last. We spent five and half months ambling down to Avignon and back (different route each way above Chalon-s-S) and had no problems whatsoever.

True, we washed the removable Vetus(?) filter out every morning, but did nothing else. I confess being surprised at not having a problem when we approached Lyons from downstream though. We suspect they were 'flushing' the lock system as huge tree trunks, loads of leaves, plastic bags and other rubbish covered the entire river surface - and the current was flowing at a fraction under SIX knots!

We were VERY relieved to get into the ecluse which the eclusier very kindly held open for us while we struggled into it's 'lee'!!

Apart from the Vetus, we only have one of those grill type hull fittings.
 
Not weed, but plastic

Ah polythene - now you're talking!
We never had a problem inland but got one of those woven polypropylene sacks wrapped round the prop off Castellon, in a bit of a blow, when the engine was helping greatly.
These things always catch one off guard somehow.
Inland, early on, we got caught out with a blocked inlet on the lower reaches of the Seine. Suddenly the ruddy alarm goes off, you have to turn off smartish and then you're without propulsion and steering, drifting. We managed to get to a rusty peniche moored nearby, grabbed on and then sorted the problem out. That's when we started to implement our rigorous 'clean and blow through' policy but blockages did still happen from time to time.
 
Re: Not weed, but plastic

I would be interested in any experiences with saildrives in the canals. As the water intakes are in the leg they are not accessible for cleaning in the same way.

Fitting a rope cutter (Stripper) gives you a fighting chance with the woven plastic sacks!
 
Wow, loads of replies! I'm downloading them whilst I have internet access so I can read them properly later. Thanks everyone.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Deffo on the strainer.

Would also make sure you have a spare impellor or 2 - just in case.

[/ QUOTE ]

Quite right, DON'T forget spare impellers. The time before last, on our way back from the Med., we had an impeller shed a couple of blades just before St. Mammes. We nipped int oothe British run hire boat centre there but they had none. Luckily I was able to make up a usable one from a couple of old ones that lasted us until we got to Honfleur where they had a replacement.

Lord knows where you'd get one going the other way.

The 'down and up' trip the year before last saw us with six spares (I easily become neurotic about this sort of thing!) so naturally we never had any problem at all!! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Lord knows where you'd get one going the other way.

[/ QUOTE ] Yes, travelling inland it's a good idea to stock up on anything important as and when the opportunity arises. Water, fuel, gas, provisions, there aren't that many opportunities (within easy reach), so seize them - and always carry some spare engine stuff like impellers.
 
Hi Grehan,

We had actually bought half a dozen spare inpellers for the trip when we had the problem which we'd got from Bukh Diesel prior to leaving.

Imagine our delight therefore when I opened my small engine spares box and got a new impeller out - only to discover that ALL six were for the smaller diameter pump shaft version of my pump!!

Ok, ok, I know I should've checked before shoving off, but I didn't even know at that time there WERE two different shaft sizes! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Ah Grasshopper, you have discovered one of the realities of life, the universe and everything. Rejoice! /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Luvverly!!! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
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