MBY muscles in on PBO: "What now skipper?" (a bit ranty)

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MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

Problem outline, link from the mby
homepage:

http://www.mby.com/auto/newsdesk/20060509152555mbynews.html


Question 1- twin engine boat ...so alarm on WHICH engine eh?

Then it says that you check the engines. Fair enough. "Water appears to be flowing from both exhausts at the same rate " Eh? So I'm now running the engines again, it seems? So...

Question 2 :- whilst i'm noticing now that water is nicely coming through on both sides - is that alarm still going or not? I mean, i'd have shut down the hot engine wouldn't I? Yes. I wouldn't be merrily running it with engine temp alarm shrieking thinking hm yes it all seem fine. I'd be having a think with one engine off. Actually with both off and anchor down if shallow enough...

But anyway my answers are

EITHER
I would run on the OK engine alone into nearest anchorage for the nice lunch if weather seems settled. I could get back home later on one engine at a push but let hot engine cool down over lunch and it might be fine. I would probably ease up on the Rosé over lunch. A bit.

OR

I would immediately diagnose/strip the faulty engine/wiring, rebuilding the whole thing within about 10 minutes! Hurrah! After all, I am clearly utterly fantastic boaty engineer having conclusively found that "there's nothing blocking the raw water intakes" (it says) and "the props are clear" (it says) and "the raw water strainers are clear"- all solid results which i somehow established in about the time it says to say the words!

OR

I would ignore the alarm and continue, knowing that yet again i was merely caught up in another MBY purely-theoretical non-problem that wasn't actually happening but had been dreamed up again by someone who'd hardly been on a big boat, ever, as illustrated by the lack of precision regarding high-temp alarm/alarms info, the utterly implausible "instantly known facts" of clear props/raw water/filters, and the implied notion that people with monsterish flybridge boats would freak out at the idea of a £2grand bill.

I particularly enjoyed the quaint sailing-dingy-ish intro reference to "having spent a couple of weeks taking day cruises around the local Harbour"! Erm yeah, right!
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

Calm down dear.....its only a magazine article /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

All you neeed to do is swap over the temerature sensors and see if the alarm then goes off on the other engine. If it does we know its a faulty sensor so disconnect it and carry on drinking the rose(with a funny little line over the last e)
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

First thing I would do is look at the temp gauge to see what it said. If off the scale, normally there's steam and smoke and a smell like the worst breakfast ever, so shut that one down and head for the nearest safe haven, whether ahead or behind.

If temp indication was okay, I would be tempted to let it idle for a minute or two to see what happened while opening the hatch and spitting on a few bits to see if anything really had got hot. And then, errm, not sure, toss a coin to decide what to do next.

dv.
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

You've overlooked the obvious though really, IMHO. Turn up the stereo until you can't hear the alarm and blast on.
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

It is quite easy really ... turn off one engine and see if the alarm stops ... if it doesn't, then it is the other one ...
Give Seastart bods (who you had already subscribed to) a call and tell them you'll meet them at said anchorage ...
Run on the good engine to the anchorage
Drop hook
Have a cold one (Beer, Wine, G&T, Coke - whatever!)

Welcome the Seastart rib alongside.
Offer him a drink.
Relax whilst he diagnoses and fixes the problem (it was the water filter afterall .. you just didn't see the block)
Offer him another drink and have a quick chat.
Wave goodbye as he wizzes off to another poor s*d without means of propulsion
Have a long lunch, relax, swim etc etc
Potter back to the marina intime for a beautiful Sunset ....

Where's the fuss?
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

perfect answer - bottle of Rose on the way................

bottle of wine to TCM too - if it's the engine not the sensor then continue on one in as described.

ah the joys of summer boating.............. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

was a little surprised no one's called in a pan pan or a mayday though...
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

A mayday is for when you've run out of rosé, right?

Rick
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

OooooH! This happend to me tuther month. Engine got hot. Screech, screech. Bu*ger all wrong. Screech again. Cant find fault. Get mechanic. Not hot, no screech. It mended it's self.. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
 
Hm, nah - temperature sensors not the best first option imho

The main purpose of the day is of course Lunch. It's a day out. So nobody cares much where they end up, really, the nearest anchorage will do fine. Get a powerboat up on the plane and (try this) turn to guests after about five minutes and say "had enough?" and often they say yep. Nobody says "oh no, i just love this blamming along and wish it would continue for three more hours! " Well, not the sort who helped "load up with wine" for lunch anyway.

So I most certainly would NOT have already mucked about for the half an hour or more it might have taken to check props, filters, water intakes and all that malarky if at all poss- everyone will get very bored or ill or think boating (or this boat) is a pile of pooh.

I'd have found a quick anchorage as early option for continued happy day for all, rather than a crap boring day for everyone else whilst dullard skipper goes all toolboxy. We aren't on passage with dodgy weather coming or the like.

Also, swapping the flippin temp sensors at this stage also assumes coolish engines to work on, and they won't be - it'll be hot in there. AND - we're still in a lurchy sea with all the other tosspots in half-busted boats going past at 25-35 knots so loads of wash too, increasing the chances of both temp sensors ending up in the bottom of now-watery bilges (since the filters have been checked, see).

So again, best get out the way and in flatter anchorage soonest, instead of extended boatfixing.

Also of course, going to the anchorage soonest makes nice diversion if the water is too cold for swim, plus added advantage of doing some heroic boatfixing whilst being served aforementioned Rosé (alt key and 130) as lunch is being prepared.

Summary: Anchorage first priority, lunch+swim second, bogging about with engine third. All boatfixing much safer in anchorage, except for dire sinking-type emergency or if miles offshore. Note the skipper is in charge of everyone having a happy day too - the aim isn't to end up with boat all fixed and lovely as priority above all else.

imho
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

Perhaps I'm being pickie, but the picture seems to suggest the boat has twin petrols with outdrives, so not easy to see water coming out of the exhaust and no seacocks etc... a very confused skipper no doubt, he's set off in the wrong boat /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: Ah yes, but...

...you are presupposing that others have the same highly-developed sense of Lunch. Sadly this is not often the case; most skippers are still stuck in Toolbox mode and think others similarly-minded.

Think there should be new RCD category for skippers, rating them as Category L (lunch) 200 yards offshore, Cateory R (rosé) 1 mile offshore, Category S (sandwich) five miles offshore, and Category T (toolbox) stay onshore.
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

Err - ummm....is the offending block hot?? Hm? Does it smell hot? When you put your ickle handy on it does it burn?

No? - heat sensor FUBAH'd then!
Yes (ouch that things feckin' 'ot) check cooling water side and circ pump.

Oh booger this for a lark. Lets limp back on the one engine, call the engineer and crack open the beers. Boating's meant to be fun innit?
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

Yes indeed - and well spotted V8's and transom shields. Perhaps the skipper deliberately triggered the o/heat alarm to give him the opportunity to a) abandon the trip altogether coz he can't afford the fuel and doesn't want to look like a nerk in front of the people he is trying to impress or b) he wants to continue his trip on just the one engine coz he can't afford the fuel...blah, blah, blah.

Either way, it points to a poorly paid IPC reporter who also is a skin-flint /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: MBY muscles in on PBO: \"What now skipper?\" (a bit ranty)

It's lunchtime tho innit? So let's stay out here till after lunch and then go back, hm? Pointless calling them at lunchtime anyway especially in the med. Also your round in the pub since the engineer is going to cost £2grand. Or maybe not.
 
LunchMaster

masaccio and I have a bit of form regarding Lunch. He came on our boat for a few days, we all trundled off somewhere in boat, lunch was served, and we scoffed the lot. Same the next day, and the day after that too, each time with increasing quantities of Lunch. I seem to recall having lunch for about 4 hours on day four, missing berthing spaces and getting into bad weather, at least in part due extended Lunch. Since then, we've learned our lesson: Lunch needs to start no later than 12:30, and it's advisable to book berths ahead and confirm them *before* dessert.
 
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