Not my part of ship but......

[Topcat47]

Chatting to a mate with Shetland(?) Sheltie today, he was concerned that the electrical lifting mechanism for the outboard had no manual back-up and that his electric bilge pump had knackered his battery. I've had a browse on the mobo site and it doesn't seem to be the sort of thing discussed there.

Firstly can it be possible that the raise/tilt system would have no manual backup. The prospect of being stuck offshore and unable to get back in the event of an electrical failure to the power tilt mechanism doesn't do a lot for your confidence. Alternatively, if you were trolling for fish, why would you raise the outboard anyway? I"m a bit at a loss here.

We also had a longish chat about fitting a solar panel to keep the battery (which will be new next season) charged. The more I think about this the less keen I am on the efficacy of the proposed solution. Over winter, when there is a distinct preponderance of rain over sun, would a sturdy boat cover not be preferable?

As an unabashed raggie, I've no problem airing my ignorance here.

 

[Pleiades]

A small and very cheap solar panel hooked up to the battery will more than adequately keep it charged up and run a little pump. No need for a regulator. The cheap ones are not weather proof but you can easily make a frame with some clear plastic and silicone sealant to keep it waterproof. It should even work fine inside the cabin depending on what light it can receive there. A charged battery is worth more than a boat cover methinks.
Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5

 

[rbmatthews]

You don't say what engine he has, but most bigger engines with PTT will have a manual release valve that you undo which allows the engine to be tilted manually, if you can lift it. The problem is that the valve may not be all that accessible from within the boat, and you might have to undo it from outside somehow - i.e. from another boat. You have to make sure this valve is done up again before using the PTT.

However, I am a bit puzzled how one would get oneself into that situation in the first place. If the battery was knackered, you wouldn't be able to start the engine anyway, so you would be unlikely to be at sea. If you had somehow got it started with another battery, but had left that one behind for some reason, the engine should have charged it enough to operate the PTT at least, unless it was completely knackered, and you shouldn't put to sea knowing that anyway. And if the battery was good, but just happened to be flat due to excessive use of the bilge pump, you would probably have more pressing problems to worry about than getting the engine up (i.e. bailing).

Best thing is to keep the battery charged up with a mains charger if possible, or a solar panel as suggested. And take a spare battery and jump leads, or use the house battery.

Another Robin (it is Xmas, after all! ).

 

[Topcat47]

I'm not sure how effective this would be over winter on a boat that is 70% cockpit. We've had over 20" of rain over Xmas and new year. that means his pump has has to deal with around thirty cu ft of water, possibly more, over that time. We've not had a lot of sunshine to recharge the battery. That said, it's a solution I have used on Snark and it keep the batteries topped up during the better weather. Not that the electric bilge pump has a lot to do as I have a self draining cockpit, as long as I keep the drains clear. The Sheltie does not have this, of course, and anything that comes on bird has to be pumped out.

 

[Topcat47]

You don't say what engine he has, but most bigger engines with PTT will have a manual release valve that you undo which allows the engine to be tilted manually, if you can lift it. The problem is that the valve may not be all that accessible from within the boat, and you might have to undo it from outside somehow - i.e. from another boat. You have to make sure this valve is done up again before using the PTT.

However, I am a bit puzzled how one would get oneself into that situation in the first place. If the battery was knackered, you wouldn't be able to start the engine anyway, so you would be unlikely to be at sea. If you had somehow got it started with another battery, but had left that one behind for some reason, the engine should have charged it enough to operate the PTT at least, unless it was completely knackered, and you shouldn't put to sea knowing that anyway. And if the battery was good, but just happened to be flat due to excessive use of the bilge pump, you would probably have more pressing problems to worry about than getting the engine up (i.e. bailing).

Best thing is to keep the battery charged up with a mains charger if possible, or a solar panel as suggested. And take a spare battery and jump leads, or use the house battery.

Another Robin (it is Xmas, after all! ).

Me too, except that the recent bad weather has done for both the pump and the old battery. It wasn't a full analysis of the problem. I suspect he'd gone down to the boat and been unable to shift the engine 'cos the battery had dies. I'm not even sure the system is hydraulic, the way he was talking, I thought it was driven by an electric motor via a cable system. It did rather set me wondering, that's all.

Of course electrickery is frisky stuff and I've been out on my boat with a load of volts, only to have some bit of metal string encased in plastic stop doing it's job. My engine is an auxiliary and I've had a solenoid die on me mid-passage which made getting into port with a foul tide and the wind in the "wong" direction almost impossible.

BTW the engine is a Yamaha 55 twin. I don't know who is responsible for the power tilt.

 

[rbmatthews]

I'm not sure how effective this would be over winter on a boat that is 70% cockpit. We've had over 20" of rain over Xmas and new year. that means his pump has has to deal with around thirty cu ft of water, possibly more, over that time. We've not had a lot of sunshine to recharge the battery. That said, it's a solution I have used on Snark and it keep the batteries topped up during the better weather. Not that the electric bilge pump has a lot to do as I have a self draining cockpit, as long as I keep the drains clear. The Sheltie does not have this, of course, and anything that comes on bird has to be pumped out.

There are two issues here - how to get the engine up or down without a battery while at sea, and how to stop the bilge pump from flattening the battery while the boat is unattended. It seems that the latter is the major concern of your friend?

Why not try and keep the water out in the first place? Shelties should have a cockpit cover - if not, you can either buy these from Shetland Boats (more expensive option), or get someone to make one up. That should keep most of the water out, the bilge pump is then just in case any leaks in somewhere. The solar panel would then make sure the battery is topped up in between times.

R.

 

[William_H]

A few months back our Club RIB with 70hp Yamaha had an electrical fault. The isolator switch went open. Now the engine was tilted up which meant the back locker could not be opened. This contains the battery and switch. We had to dismantle the hinges on the back locker to get the lid off to connect a jump battery and eventually bypass the on off switch then we could tilt the motor down. I don't know if this has a bypass valve for the elctric hydraulic tilt. I should find a manual and check. oleewill

 

[C08]

My main engine which is a Tohatsu has a screw that releases the hydraulics driven by motor, to release the leg and enable it to be manually lifted/dropped. However this is only accessed from out of the boat and then only by dinghy in calm weather-it would be a nightmare to have to do this at sea. Best to keep up the batteries.

 

[gordmac]

Some of these outboards have an emergency pull start, if the engine was up maybe the idea was to lower it and start it manually to charge the battery?