Princess 42 and magic!

[Chiara’s slave]

Seems much more likely to me that the owner started up, went to the marina loos, got distracted and went to a long breakfast/lunch/supper as the French love to do, forgetting the engine was running. Our esteemed member here isn’t responsible for what the marina staff do, though it seems hasty and ill thought out to me. That’s an easy viewpoint to have when you’re not the one on the dockside making the decision.

 

[ari]

I don’t understand the animosity being shown to me by people! My call was correct as it turned out and explained previously.

Not animosity, confusion.

We've had an apparently self starting boat, an owner who could be dead from the fumes despite no one being aboard, engine bores that glaze within hours, seacocks that don't exist that are fortunately on, and marina operators that instead of phoning the owner (who was clearly nearby) and asking him to attend his boat, or simply pulling the easily found engine fuel shut off valves, take a hacksaw to the fuel lines!

It's quite the tale!

 

[Beneteau381]

What’s puzzling is why marina didnt call the owner but maybe they did but a self starting engine caused by water ingress in a what I guess is a uk built boat where rain happens seems unlikely surely or is this a common princess fault widely known to princess owners?

Can you read and understand English? The boat is an open cockpit boat that has the cockpit protected by canvas zipped covers. The covers are shagged, uv damaged zips allowed the biblical type storm that passed through albufeira the other night to rip them off. The engine control panel was exposed to rain that you rarely see in the uk. The boat was unattended, the engine started of its own accord. It had been running according to witnesses for about 4 hours. I have said all this already!
After checking, my concern was that the owner could have been aboard unconcious or worse. I called the marina office and they sent their marineros to find out what was going on. At that point they found that there was no one on board, that the engines weren’t switched on, no keys etc. It was now their call on what to do.
They acted, their call!
The owner arrived at the point they got the engine stopped,he didn’t have a clue what was going on. They had called him. He hadn’t started the engine. It had started itself. The conclusion was that the storm had ripped off the canvas cockpit cover, that water had entered the start switch and it had started the engine.
Now the various know it alls on here have had a lot to say, hindsight and knowledge of those particular boats and everything is easy and so the tooth sucking know it all knuckleheads give me a hard time and give the marineros a hard time.
So what would they have done?
Let it run till the tank was empty? Go aboard with no authority and “do something” or do what I did, realise something was wrong, call the marina and let them deal with it?
Snarky, tooth sucking throw away comments don’t help.
I was expecting a reasoned debate on what had happened but all I get is this! Imoutahea

PS this is w the type of rain we have had over the last few days which probably caused the self start

 

[jfm]

I feel for you B381 - some rather disappointing replies on here to your quite straightforward couple of opening posts

 

[stelican]

Whats a p donk?

It's next to the S Donk.
But the experts will confirm

 

[ashtead]

If I was the owner of a Princess I would be very concerned if a bit of water be it rain or sea could cause self starting of a diesel -I’m not doubting your veracity just that the design permits such a scenario. I guess it’s lucky he hadn’t left it in gear .

 

[Seastoke]

He wasn’t worried about some one dying, it is as he said his wife was moaning . He says he speaks French , why did he not ask the guy if he started it.

 

[Beneteau381]

He wasn’t worried about some one dying, it is as he said his wife was moaning . He says he speaks French , why did he not ask the guy if he started it.

Sigh!

 

[PaulRainbow]

He wasn’t worried about some one dying, it is as he said his wife was moaning . He says he speaks French , why did he not ask the guy if he started it.

Seems like you're just being obnoxious for the sake of it.

 

[Seastoke]

I am sorry Paul but , he stated 1.5 hrs running then he is banging on hull , he says people could be dead , then quotes Genny and eber, but it was the engine was running , he says the engine could catch fire , it was on legs . He said it was a P42 which peeps know the ignition is inside the saloon. He states he pulled back the covers to see if anyone was on board, well if there was the covers would be back , you can’t fit them when on board. Had he explained it better all would have been better. I would apologise but his name calling is something I would not do.

 

[ari]

If I was the owner of a Princess I would be very concerned if a bit of water be it rain or sea could cause self starting of a diesel -I’m not doubting your veracity just that the design permits such a scenario. I guess it’s lucky he hadn’t left it in gear .

The ignition etc is all Volvo Penta parts, nothing to do with Princess except for fitting them to its boats. They are fitted at the helm just like all other boats of the size and type so can't really blame the positioning either.

 

[Beneteau381]

I am sorry Paul but , he stated 1.5 hrs running then he is banging on hull , he says people could be dead , then quotes Genny and eber, but it was the engine was running , he says the engine could catch fire , it was on legs . He said it was a P42 which peeps know the ignition is inside the saloon. He states he pulled back the covers to see if anyone was on board, well if there was the covers would be back , you can’t fit them when on board. Had he explained it better all would have been better. I would apologise but his name calling is something I would not do.

Oh dear me.

 

[DougH]

I am sorry Paul but , he stated 1.5 hrs running then he is banging on hull , he says people could be dead , then quotes Genny and eber, but it was the engine was running , he says the engine could catch fire , it was on legs . He said it was a P42 which peeps know the ignition is inside the saloon. He states he pulled back the covers to see if anyone was on board, well if there was the covers would be back , you can’t fit them when on board. Had he explained it better all would have been better. I would apologise but his name calling is something I would not do.

Seastoke you are digging an ever deeper hole for yourself, time to let go before you become a Ploncher.

 

[Seastoke]

Seastoke you are digging an ever deeper hole for yourself, time to let go before you become a Ploncher.

Thanks Doug I will, anyway my knuckles are hurting.

 

[Beneteau381]

Seastoke you are digging an ever deeper hole for yourself, time to let go before you become a Ploncher.

Just an update, the owner started investigating, yesterday. The marinero explained further that he actually undid the injector pipe nuts to stop it. He told me he cut the fuel pipe. I think his translation was a bit literal. His English is not too good.
The owner took out the vp switch, it was full of water. Confirmation of what happened. The switch when turned now sends a signal to the starter, the solenoid can be heard clicking, but nothing happens. The starter has black patches on it. I suspect it was running for a while whilst the engine was running. I suspect it is burned out and suspect damage to the ring gear and starter pinion?

 

[Farmer Piles]

Re loosening the injector fuel lines: my first thought when I started reading the thread was to loosen the fuel filter and let air into the lines. Similar line of thought.