MCA Approved Engine Course

[ssjpiv]

Just looking at a few options of expanding my knowledge a bit over the winter, just wondering as to whether anyone has done the MCA Approved Engine Course and how they rated it?

Also where and how much did it cost.

Thanks

 

[Bilgediver]

Just looking at a few options of expanding my knowledge a bit over the winter, just wondering as to whether anyone has done the MCA Approved Engine Course and how they rated it?

Also where and how much did it cost.

Thanks

Google is your friend!


http://www.hamble.co.uk/mca-stcw-courses/mca-approved-engine-course/

 

[rob2]

Crikey! A five day course on small diesels - you could rebuild one in that time. Strange that the ysllabus includes LPG installations, too. Still a bit OTT surely for many of us? Sounds like a very good price for such a long course and including lunches, but a long way from Lincolnshire.

If you have basic knowledge of car engines, I'd guess that the most useful stuff would be included in the RYA one-day course, which is more universally available. Probably not much cheaper than the MCA one, but you wouldn't have a week's hotel bill!

Rob.

 

[laika]

I did the 5 day MCA course 7 years ago at a unit on the Nuffield Industrial estate in Poole. It was booked through a sailing school and I can't be sure of the end provider company, but google maps shows a "marine skills centre" in the right location. Don't remember the cost (sorry)

The guy assigned to teach us was a recently retired mechanic. Lovely guy with absolutely no teaching skills (I think it was his first teaching assignment) and poor communications skills. He might have been a fine engineer, but the classroom parts consisted of him reading the course notes (badly) and being unable to answer any theoretical questions (e.g. how does Horsepower relate to brake horse power).

The practical parts were useful: You can't learn to set valve clearances from a book and there's no substitute for taking things apart to really get clear in your head how they work, and the workshop provided a couple of Perkins engines to take apart and reassemble.

I think we were just unlucky, but in any case, rather than expecting to be transformed into a marine diesel mechanic over night, I'd recommend reading a book first (e.g. Nigel Calder's diesel engine book) . This will give you a head start and allow you to focus on all the questions the book didn't answer or were unclear.

 

[neale]

Just looking at a few options of expanding my knowledge a bit over the winter, just wondering as to whether anyone has done the MCA Approved Engine Course and how they rated it?

Also where and how much did it cost.

Thanks

I have completed the course at the UKSA. Can't remember the cost but thought the course was really good. Got to strip a diesel engine down to its component parts and rebuild it, you don't do that on a 1 day RYA course

 

[nigelmercier]

I'd recommend reading a book first...

Thank you, I knew there was a book I had meant to buy. I had a look at the RYA Diesel Handbook, but it is way too simple.

The book you suggest from Nigel Calder Marine Diesel Engines: Be Your Own Diesel Mechanic - Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Repair looks perfect.

 

[PilotWolf]

Crikey! A five day course on small diesels - you could rebuild one in that time. Strange that the ysllabus includes LPG installations, too.

Rob.

We did strip down and rebuild an a siezed/sunken engine when I did mine!

It is aimed at entry level engineers and work boat level, includes refrigeration too now I believe. Maybe be a bit over the top for pleasure boaters but if you have the money and time then it may be worth it.

I did mine at Gravesend Sea School.

W.