Learning curve, saving money, finding I can fix stuff.

[SoulFireMage]

I'm from a totally non engineer background-just computers, yet the past few weeks I'm finding this weird knack of fixing stuff that I expected to call experts out on. It's great, as I know I've saved myself up to £80 per hour a few times over now and I know more about the boat than perhaps previous owners *might* have /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif.

Bilge pumps got fixed though my and my partners determination one way and another (nonexistant fuses did exist!!). The autopilot was a casualty only of the same thing-no fuses. No-one knew about the fuse box behind all the trip switches!!

I then went onboard another boat who's Eberspacher needed wiring up. I don't know anything about circuit diagrams and wiring however, ten minutes blankly gazing at all them lines and it snapped into place nicely. 6 wires onto 7 possible spaces on a rotary switch. Got it right first time-so dead chuffed with myself here-as were the owners LOL as several others had been fuse popping on this problem.

Followed by this evenings conquering of the mystery starting and stopping of the generater. Learned what a governer is, and how to adjust it's sensitivity and revs. Took some time-a real engineer would have it done in 2 mins but I was chuffed to have it worked out and running smoothly in a couple of hours really.

So really at the end of all this fixing , I've got a much clearer idea of how all sorts of things go together and how to go about attempting to fix them. Just felt like posting as I'm still happy about saving my engineer friend several hours of his time (freely offered!) with some wits of my own.

So for us now, it's not wait for an engineer and pay ££££'s for their help as a first choice-it's a total last resort where all our own wits have run out. The only thing I couldn't do myself was the freezer-we had to have a whole new one fitted-all the compressor gubbins was to be replumbed. Still, can't win them all.

Btw, anyone know how to smooth out flickering lights when on genny power? Got the genny running to spec I think and other stuff runs fine.

 

[Sixpence]

Nice one , just goes to prove that when you need to find a solution , a bit of trial and error works wonders , years in the electrical trade have proved to me that you never actually stop learning . Keep doing it yourself and you'll save megasquids

 

[William_H]

Well done. I always believed it was impractical (no matter how rich you are) to try to run a boat on a turnkey basis. ie have proffessioinals do all the work. This goes particularly for electrics. So for me the DIY is part of sailing.
This forum is an excellent source of ideas for solutions to problems. However you need to understand the limitations of language.... Unfortuantely it seems that more and more a term or word can mean various things and change over time. So it is better to use lots of words to describe what you mean.........Which brings me to "genny" power. My guess is that you are talking about a240Volt AC power source with a small engine. Flickering then could mean slow or fast fluctuations in brightness.
The generator probably has a voltage regulator in it which senses when the voltage becomes too high as in no load and reduces the field current in the generator (alternator) to reduce voltage. In the same way as the voltage falls because the load is increased the regulator senses the volt drop and increases the field current (and magnetic field) to increase voltage the final effect being reasonably steady voltage (and light brightness). This regulation can have a time delay or in some cases which use a mechanical contact type regulator the regulation is by a variable ratio on off action rather than progressive electronic variation of field current.

So I don't have an answer but the problem may indicate a fault in the regulator or it may bhe an inherent shortcoming of the gen design.

Another possibility is if you have any light from mains powered flourescent lights getting into your boat where there are flourescent lights driven by your genny. The difference in frequency and phase can cause a beating effect as the lights reinforces or cancel one another.

If of course your "genny" is an engine driven 12 volt generator (alternaor) then it again may be a regulator problem but this is less likely as the battery tends to smooth out variations in voltage.

So ask the question again with more detail.... or keep fiddling..olewill

 

[pcatterall]

Another benefit is that when that expensive engineer is not to hand you have more knowledge (specific to your boat and about fixing things in general) and will probably have aquired the required tools.
All in favour...good stuff!!

 

[snowleopard]

I've been doing that all my life through meanness / lack of funds. I usually end up taking far too much to bits first time round but as long as I remember what I did for next time it gets easier.

I always buy a Haynes manual for each car. It may seem a weakness but at least it's useful to know for example that there is no way to get the gearbox out without removing the engine rather than trying for hours to find a way of working out how to do it.

There are a few jobs that are best not tackled as you end up with a pile of springs and little bits you can never get back together!

A couple of my former triumphs include a sticking speedo on my father-in-law's car. He was quoted £400 in todays's money for a new unit - I took it apart, tightened a couple of screws and hey presto! Last year the self-propel mechanism on my lawn mower died. The local repair shop quoted half the cost of a new one saying it was rusted up - I replaced two plastic springs, cost £3.50, and it's running fine.

 

[SoulFireMage]

It's nice to get one up on some shop or specialist who's tried to quote you a small mortgage for what you believe shouldn't be that expensive .

We also ended up replaced all 4 210a batteries on her-bloody heavy things those are. There's a bunch of little jobs that we've worked out in the end. Though there's a sender in the fuel tank gone we think but you cannot take the inspection hatch off because there's too many things in the way. Well they're in the way until I work out how to dismantle it all safely that is.

 

[Lakesailor]

I used to think I was handy. I am in fact and have rebuilt numerous cars and tuned cars etc. But meeting the steamboat brigade has shown me how little I know. I showed them the miniscule needle valve I had to replace in my outboard's carb and they squinted at it and said "Oh, I'd have spun that up in my small lathe and taken those grooves off the flanks."
So I could have saved a further £28 there then.

Except I haven't got a small lathe.

 

[penfold]

It also has a hardened steel tip which would be a pain to replicate. I have got a lathe, and I'd rather spend a fiver on a new needle valve than spend 1-2 hours turning up a part that will wear out quickly. The exception to this is when I need the part yesterday, and the swindlery is closed/parts on order/out of stock/on slow boat from Japan. But yes, lathes are fun and useful, and beards are not compulsory to use them.

cheers,
David

 

[shamrock]

Fixing stuff like this is a great feeling that almost balances out the depression felt from busting other stuff in a similar manner.

As a teenager, I spent 6 weeks of one summer break cruising around the Irish Sea, Scilly Isles etc without ever buying food or beer because I fixed the 'broken' satnav (cleaned and remade aerial joint) and the 'faulty' close-hauled wind display (took apart, dried in sun, remade with gasket properly seated) and a few other jobs. The owner had been going to send all these things back to the suppliers or get an 'engineer' to fix them so reckoned I'd saved him a fortune. And I guess I had.

One of the best things my parents ever taught me was that if you're willing to try, you can probably do it. And if you can't, you've still learnt something.

The pile of half fixed things in my workshop is testimony to my continued learning.

 

[Lakesailor]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd rather spend a fiver on a new needle valve

[/ QUOTE ] If you've got any more at that price I'll have them /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Mine was £28

 

[David_Jersey]

I feel inadequate. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Last weekend my sole "accomplishment" was creating a stock cube container from a small Nescafé jar. By washing the label off.

I also unpacked the 1/4 berth. Identified a lot of things (eventually) and then put most of them back. Some of the things I took home I now realise I should have left onboard. That's next weekend sorted then /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Oh, and <u>planning</u> a Dinghy "restoration" /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif which I am confident will not go well. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

But I DID enjoy myself immensely "Fiddling around" (am I allowed to say that nowadays??!) and ended the weekend with a feeling of accomplishment. I don't care if I am deluding myself, for me my stress levels have drop 1 million percent as soon as I get onboard "Planet Boat" /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[SoulFireMage]

Things like lathes come with the power of networking with people I guess. One of my friends has a reasonable sized lathe and a contact I used to have in Leamington has a lathe long enough to need to go in sections if you moved it by lorry.

I would like to spend some time on evening classes in various things like mechanics, electrics and engineering stuff-just got to sort it out for the winter months really.