How often do you do your daily checks?

Hypocacculus said:
Assuming a boat engine is going to be as reliable as a modern car seems... optimistic.
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But I have two of them and only one in the car and for the last 12 years and over 1000 hours they have been at least as reliable as my cars.

My engines are well maintained and serviced when they should be, why should I expect them to have used water or used/spilt oil? And if they did for some reason, boats are fitted with enough alarms to raise the dead.

Now if my boat wasn't well looked after I may check more regularly :)
 
General check of the engine bay before i go out. This includes check of the bilge for content that shouldn't be there. If it hasn't leaked out then less concerned.

I do regularly check the gauges underway, and on a trip over 2 hours or offshore will check inside the engine bay more frequently, say once per hour once away from land.

Specific levels get checked once per month, e.g. with fuel polishing, or other maintenance tasks. Not sure anyone with a Turbo 36 will realistically remove the furniture to take up the engine covers every day, and this is the only way to check the water levels.
 
Always check raw water strainers prior to a trip, clear Perspex covers make it a 5 sec job. Oil and water levels checked, and keep engine bay clean so any leaks are spotted easily. When engines first fired up, always have quick check in engine bay, and usually every hour or so when under way. Rear hatch on Sedan makes engine bay checks easy, just a shame same cant be said for access to front of engines.
 
Visual check of the engine bay before leaving, periodically under way when at sea and always when we are back alongside. Check the raw water filter every now and then and check the oil/coolant/belt tension at the same time. We have 'tell tales' for the raw water and always make sure they are flowing as they should after starting the engines. Thorough check of everything prior to a period of sea cruising (we are moored on the river).

Would never criticise anyone for doing everything every day but not convinced it is absolutely necessary....but it is better to do it a lot more often than your car :)
 
sharpness said:
Always check raw water strainers prior to a trip, clear Perspex covers make it a 5 sec job. Oil and water levels checked, and keep engine bay clean so any leaks are spotted easily. When engines first fired up, always have quick check in engine bay, and usually every hour or so when under way. Rear hatch on Sedan makes engine bay checks easy, just a shame same cant be said for access to front of engines.
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Weed in the Solent, is a major problem, so agree with doing this as essential!
 
ricky_s said:
Now I know the obvious answer is do them daily but do you actually check everything in the engine compartment on every trip out?

To get into the engine compartment in my boat is a real pain!
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Hi, this sounds like a 'Powerskipper' question.

But a good one none the less. I think they're called 'daily' checks because they should be all the items that could change during the course of a single trip out. So for example, the fluid in a battery is unlikely to change since starting the engine 2 hours ago.

Belts, oil and water leaks can happen without warning and could be disastrous, so they obviously need to be checked more often. A planned trip across the channel would also mean more careful checking of a few more items too.

For me, daily checks are daily on a new to me boat and they become less frequent as I feel more comfortable with the results found over time.

RR
 
Fluids checked before each trip out, except if we're only going to be out for half hour or so and not pushing the revs much (for example to go and get fuel). Visual checks en route were normally only done on longer trips and if SWMBO was happy to take the helm. Did have a nasty on a 2 hour trip earlier this season. Temp gauges at the helm didn't indicate anything amiss but after mooring up I discovered to my horror the port engine had blown the seals on the raw water pump and it had been p*ssing water everywhere. Suffice to say if the automatic bilge pumps hadn't been working it could have been a different matter. Checking the auto bilge pumps in the engine room is also now part of the pre-trip to-do list.
 
Always check oil and belt when turning on water seacock, and that water's actually coming out of the exhaust before leaving moorings. Check bilges before leaving or soon after. It's not a car - there's no layby to pull in to if anything does go wrong, so its my responsibility to be as safe as possible at all times.
 
I have an uneasy relationship with our raw water strainer having got through two alternators, so tend to check it only occasionally and with total concentration - a tiny bit of crustacean shell can prevent the filter seating properly which prevents the lid sealing, but not so you'd notice until engine start. Just for laughs the alternator on the KAD32 is right underneath the strainer, right in the dribble zone:-(

Also it was a bit disturbing at first to find there's no raw-water shut-off with an outdrive. Still, I'm sure those rubber gaiters are fine...
 
For me its about the length and type of trip. I'll certainly check all the fluids and belts at the start of every holiday we spend on the boat but during that period, I won't bother checking again if we're just pottering to local anchorages although I do lift the hatch regularly just to check there's nothing too catastrophic happening down there. However, if during our holiday, we undertake a trip that will take us more than a couple of miles offshore or a longer trip at planing speed, I will make a point of checking everything again
 
Not done mine all year...mind you the boat is on the hard awaiting a buyer.

When in commission I've always been pretty vigorous about checking fluids, belts, strainers before setting off cause I have never much fancied trying to do any remedial work underway or worse.
 
DavidJ said:
I'm really impressed by the diligence of forum members, makes me feel like a right scank.
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LOL, definitely +1.
Not sure I would love boating as much as I do, if I should bother doing anything on a daily basis! :D
 
LOL, 'course I meant anything related to boat paraphernalia.
I can live with other daily stuff, not just what you have in mind. Eating, drinking and sleeping spring to mind.
In the good old days, I would have possibly added something else, but must admit that's not a daily activity anymore... :o

PS: on a more serios note, and back on topic, I very much agree with your point that it's all about the length and type of trip.
 
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wongaero said:
I have an uneasy relationship with our raw water strainer having got through two alternators, so tend to check it only occasionally and with total concentration - a tiny bit of crustacean shell can prevent the filter seating properly which prevents the lid sealing, but not so you'd notice until engine start. Just for laughs the alternator on the KAD32 is right underneath the strainer, right in the dribble zone:-(

Also it was a bit disturbing at first to find there's no raw-water shut-off with an outdrive. Still, I'm sure those rubber gaiters are fine...
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I had a similar problem many years ago where the raw water cover looked closed but leaked salt water down the front of the engine. So now when I remove the cover I always run the engine to make sure it is not leaking afterwards and touch the raw water impeller cover is cold, if hot I know water is not circulating. Also I put some Vaseline on the raw water cover seal, it seems to help. Someone on mentioned having clear covers, are they any good i.e. just as strong as the originals and where do you get them.
 
MapisM said:
In the good old days, I would have possibly added something else, but must admit that's not a daily activity anymore... :o
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There's medication for that these days as well
 
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