Not used the motor much, this season

[neil_s]

For this year, I took a deep water swinging mooring in a less popular creek of Chichester harbour - discounted price! I found, due to the lack of customers, the conservancy have removed alternate moorings. There is thus, lots of space, so I have been departing and picking up under sail. This has lead to other efforts to navigate under sail whenever possible. You can judge the success of my mission by the fact that I have used the motor for less than five hours this year. I was having a look at the beast all cold in it's box to see if there were any jobs needed and noticed the oil is still clean and with no need of topping up. Given the price of lube oil and the pressure to conserve would it be OK to not change oil and filter, this Winter?

 

[Tranona]

You are doing your engine a power of no good treating it this way (although good for honing your sailing skills!). Seriously the reason for annual changes is because standing idle over the winter is not good if the oil is full of contanimants from a years use. So if it were mine I would leave it - I laid up a new engine with a few hours running for 9 years with no ill effects. Just new oil and filter before starting again.

 

[Never Grumble]

I'd have thought it would be sensible to change the oil, lets face it a trip to your local Euro car parts should see you get some for a relatively few £

 

[johnalison]

Through the lockdown years my engine got very little use and the oil remained clear. After discussion with my engineer we decided to leave it unchanged. Whether this mattered or not will be hard to discover.

When we had a swinging mooring I would often leave or tie up under sail. It is very satisfying, as well as helping to hone one’s skills. I have occasionally been forced to dock under sail, including a finger mooring in a gale, as well as rafting onto friends’ anchored boats (they are still friends). The one manoeuvre that almost defeated us was when we tried to transfer a teenage girl onto her parents’ boat while we were both under sail. We didn’t engage in any planning and it turned out to be harder than either of us expected. I suspect that in-flight refuelling would be a doddle in comparison.

 

[neil_s]

The motor, a Bukh DV20, will get a good flush through with fresh water, a new pencil anode, a clean-up and be wrapped up to keep condensation away. Perhaps I'll add a good hour's run, too.

 

[neil_s]

Through the lockdown years my engine got very little use and the oil remained clear. After discussion with my engineer we decided to leave it unchanged. Whether this mattered or not will be hard to discover.

When we had a swinging mooring I would often leave or tie up under sail. It is very satisfying, as well as helping to hone one’s skills. I have occasionally been forced to dock under sail, including a finger mooring in a gale, as well as rafting onto friends’ anchored boats (they are still friends). The one manoeuvre that almost defeated us was when we tried to transfer a teenage girl onto her parents’ boat while we were both under sail. We didn’t engage in any planning and it turned out to be harder than either of us expected. I suspect that in-flight refuelling would be a doddle in comparison.

Coming alongside is something I haven't tried yet - let alone coming alongside a moving boat - real pirate skills! I am getting a lot better at balancing tidal flow, lee way and wind shifts, though.

 

[Boater Sam]

For this year, I took a deep water swinging mooring in a less popular creek of Chichester harbour - discounted price! I found, due to the lack of customers, the conservancy have removed alternate moorings. There is thus, lots of space, so I have been departing and picking up under sail. This has lead to other efforts to navigate under sail whenever possible. You can judge the success of my mission by the fact that I have used the motor for less than five hours this year. I was having a look at the beast all cold in it's box to see if there were any jobs needed and noticed the oil is still clean and with no need of topping up. Given the price of lube oil and the pressure to conserve would it be OK to not change oil and filter, this Winter?

Save the oil, it will be fine. A lot of hogwash is talked about winter acid corrosion. I have been stripping and rebuilding engines most of my life and I have yet to see an engine with corrosion caused by the sump oil.

 

[Refueler]

Think about it .... cars change oil based on miles driven - not time.

"Under sail" ....... I was very glad that I had listened to old hands and learnt some skills under sail. When my engine seized at Folly Inn ... I had to depart the Folly pontoon from between rafted boats ... sail down the river ..... cross Solent and then sail into Chichester Hbr ... then negotiate the twisty channel to Hayling Yacht Co ...... Note that my pal Mike insisted on trying the HYCO bit and ran us aground ....
Aground and with prospect of a night out there ... I waved down another boat for Mike and the 'girls' to get ashore - to leave me out there. Once they were away - I set to with anchor and Genny .... Throw out - Haul in - Sheet genny - Throw out - Haul in - Sheet genny ... literally a 'genny over anchor sort of hand over hand' exercise. (I had decided to work alone as it was just easier to carry out without trying to explain .. and tide was falling).
Once I had got back into deeper water - it was a tricky sail due to wind direction getting past all the moorings ... and eventually once near HYCO pontoons - it was better to dinghy a line ashore and then heave her in ...

The part I was very proud of though - using genny and lines to get boat off Folly pontoon without touching any boat ahead or aft -= even though they were rafted 3 deep.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Well done, Refueller. The Folly is madness with marine traffic, and the tide is quite odd sometimes, it seems to start and stop unconnected to rise or fall.
our engine has relatively few hours too. More than 5, we are moored between 2 other wide beam multihulls, it’s a long ferry glide in and out. One advantage of outboards, I can take it home to service.

 

[vyv_cox]

Think about it .... cars change oil based on miles driven - not time.

Sorry, no longer true. Most modern cars have 'either or' clauses, mileage or time, on many items. Oil, brake fluid, timing belts etc.

Whether we take any notice is another matter. 5 years for a timing belt seems sensible as failure is catastrophic but oil in my low-mileage car is another matter. I reset the code and leave it in. As I would in the OP's case

 

[Refueler]

Sorry, no longer true. Most modern cars have 'either or' clauses, mileage or time, on many items. Oil, brake fluid, timing belts etc.

Whether we take any notice is another matter. 5 years for a timing belt seems sensible as failure is catastrophic but oil in my low-mileage car is another matter. I reset the code and leave it in. As I would in the OP's case

Fair enough .... never noticed change.

Cam belts though - having seen too many times short stroke engine damage from cam belt failures .... I would not tempt the gods running over time with any.