Is This Necesary/Needed?

[Robin]

Nice family in Trader 41+2 parked right behind us in Lymington on pontoon, their stern facing our cockpit. Asked us if we minded their generator running as SWMBO was watching Wimbledon, OK said we, we hadn't even noticed, no noise and no fumes as wind is from us to them. What nice people we thought.

Next morning when they leave however, the wind has shifted and increased and is now from them to us. Both engines are started and run for 30 minutes at idle whilst lines are removed and readied and skipper has a chat to another neghbour. We receive the combined output of 2 very smokey very smelly exhausts straight into our cockpit (we were sitting there) and straight into our cabin, our cockpit is just 6 feet from these exhausts.

Result? We de-camp to end of pontoon to seek some half way breathable air and said Trader has no assistance with departure from us, unlike when they arrived when we took their lines unasked and helped them in.

We never start our engine until ready to depart, is it necessary to do warm up big Mobo engines like this or would not the gentle run down Lymington River have achieved this?

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[hlb]

Well I can remember the time some pillock untied me before I'd started the engines. So hurriedly started them downstairs, then ran upstairs and set off. Only to find that the engines had stopped and had to run back downstairs to restart them. Then up again. Does this answer your question?? Dont need half hour though.

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[tcm]

No. it's certainly not necessary, and obviously not conducive to friendly relations. It can glaze the bores if they often run engines with no load.

BUT...you are in a specially-designed area for large diesel-powered vessels. So, saying that running diesels in the harbour is unacceptable would be a bit OTT. But it remains not very friendly. Generally, a result of people not thinking.

The way to stop people running their diesels a lot is to nip over and say, look, terrible sorry, but my wife/kiddie has asthma! So cd you possibly turnem off or move out? I know i am being a bit forward in asking you but it really would help...

Then they don't mind, and much better than explaining that he is a thoughtless tosspot with no idea of engineering cos he is wasting fuel and also glazing the bores. The asthma trick also works to stop neighbouring garden fires at home.


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[Guest]

Quite. Needs enough time to make sure that all the gauges are in the green and that you can engage forward and reverse gears. And finally, that you have a plan to get out and everyone who needs to be is ready with lines.

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[nicho]

The warming up of diesels seems a bit of a grey area - am I not right in thinking most mainstream engine manufacturers recommend warming them up at idle speed?? I never liked to do that myself, for TCM's reasons (bore glazing etc), as well as for thought for my neighbours. Few boats are run flat out from a cold start, with marina and harbour speed limits, and most will be warmed up by the time limits are behind them.

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[jfm]

Quite unnecessary, as others have said above. Of course the engines need to be warmed up beofre being thrashed, but the run down the Lymington river would have done that better than idling in the berth. I was at Lymington till last year. Normal routine was to get ready to go, down to the last one or two lines, then start engines. Engines would idle for about 20 seconds max, before going into gear and pulling out of the berth.

There's no good engineering reason in this situation why the engines need any idling time in neutral - they can be put into gear immediately after they have been started, still at idle rpm of course.

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[Robin]

What is a specially designed area for large diesel powered vessels? Is that like an SSI?

Actually SWMBO does have asthma. The guy was considerate enough to ask about running the generator the evening before but apparently thought the engines were different, I didn't trust myself to ask him to desist politely..

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[milltech]

I owned a Spearfish and a Nelson 40 both with turbo Sabres and both smoked so horrendously until put under load that they were a total embarrassment. I always left as soon as they were rumbling.

<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[h4nym]

I concur with tcm here - they are probably oblivious to what they'd done - would have helped both u and their future neighbours if you'd told them as u were getting ready to decamp - did u try or was it just not feasible?

H

<hr width=100% size=1>Whaddya mean flog the boat and build the extension? Flog the house and our Targa would be a 52!

 

[Robin]

That's what we do too, albeit with a single puny 44hp. I just thought there might be some reason why big ones were different, turbos or something.

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[Robin]

By the time we realised my cool was vanishing, so did the usual Brit thing and voted with our feet down the pontoon!

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[tcm]

well, a marina is designed specifically to contain a whole load of big boats innit. And they have diesels, almost all of them.

Perhaps send wife over to askim to stop. Not easy tho, i must say.

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[Robin]

Wasn't in the Marina, this was a short visitors pontoon between 2 piles, not connected to shore. In the marina we could have escaped a bit farther away.

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[Col]

Did the Skipper & wife have fingerless sailing gloves on to handle lines?
If so, I came across the on the town quay at Poole a season or so ago.......Did the same then.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/colspics> Cols Picture Album</A>

 

[Robin]

Could be, she had gloves on I think.

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