Recomend a Diesel Course

S

st599

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 Jan 2006
Messages
8,189
Visit site
Hi,

There's a large group at our sailing club interested in doing a course on Diesel Engines.

Can anyone recommend anyone who can come into a club and do such a course?
 
Firstly could I say that these comments are absolutely no criticism of either Tony Bookes or the RYA diesel engine course and I applaud you for wanting to do the course.

I'm sure Tony Brookes is a top man and runs the course well. I have also done the course (not with Tony Brookes) and my main criticism was that the course was too general. However, I don't see how it could be otherwise. So after the course I was happy that I understood the basics of diesel engines but not how this related to my own engine.

What I did after the course was to have an hour or so with a diesel mechanic who went through with me how do do all the things on my engine, in my boat. That was the best thing I could have done. I am now regularly doing basic servicing, bleeding after filter changes etc etc. I could not have done this after just doing the course.
 
davewarburton said:
Firstly could I say that these comments are absolutely no criticism of either Tony Bookes or the RYA diesel engine course and I applaud you for wanting to do the course.

I'm sure Tony Brookes is a top man and runs the course well. I have also done the course (not with Tony Brookes) and my main criticism was that the course was too general. However, I don't see how it could be otherwise. So after the course I was happy that I understood the basics of diesel engines but not how this related to my own engine.

What I did after the course was to have an hour or so with a diesel mechanic who went through with me how do do all the things on my engine, in my boat. That was the best thing I could have done. I am now regularly doing basic servicing, bleeding after filter changes etc etc. I could not have done this after just doing the course.
Click to expand...

Absolutely, it's a starting point. But without some basic knowledge it isn't really possible to follow a good mechanic, also a waste of his time if he has to explain every basic detail as he goes. The ideal is a helpful engineer who explains as he goes, that way you get efficiency plus the ability to effect emergency/running repairs. Confidence builds and you know when you're out of your depth
 
davewarburton said:
Firstly could I say that these comments are absolutely no criticism of either Tony Bookes or the RYA diesel engine course and I applaud you for wanting to do the course.

I'm sure Tony Brookes is a top man and runs the course well. I have also done the course (not with Tony Brookes) and my main criticism was that the course was too general. However, I don't see how it could be otherwise. So after the course I was happy that I understood the basics of diesel engines but not how this related to my own engine.

What I did after the course was to have an hour or so with a diesel mechanic who went through with me how do do all the things on my engine, in my boat. That was the best thing I could have done. I am now regularly doing basic servicing, bleeding after filter changes etc etc. I could not have done this after just doing the course.
Click to expand...

Tony Brookes does not run the RYA course. He does his own, more in depth, diesel engine course. I have done both and TB's course is excellent.
 
I was one of the first to qualify as an instructor on the RYA diesel engine course and found that coming from a practical side rather than teaching side very eye opening . The candidates were split between those who were trainers wanting to expand their options and engineers considering training. As I recall there were several people who sat down with the syllabus and managed to study it but with little or no mechanical background but were able to satisfy the instructors that they could teach the course! There were also some instructors who were both able teach the course and had excellent real world experience. We also had engineers who knew their subject but struggled to pass on their knowledge in a classroom environment.
Having achieved the certificate I never used it as such but spent many hours on the phone and in person advising on the subject.
The problem as I see it that you can teach some subjects in a generic fashion but with diesel engines the model that you learn on determines your thoughts on the whole subject and you end up with someone who has nurtured a seagull outboard pontificating on all outboards etc!
The RYA course gives a basic background which is a start but that is all.
 
I did the Diesel engine Course at my Club soon after acquiring my first boat with an inboard engine. I found that the combination of demonstration and the supporting material from the Rya was quite enough to set me up to service my own engine and to recognise when a mechanic would be more useful.

The instructor was Colin Ryan, 07912 980478 or colin-ryan@bluangel.freeserve.co.uk

He certainly was good at his job.
 
st599 said:
Hi,

There's a large group at our sailing club interested in doing a course on Diesel Engines.
Click to expand...

A diesel engine course must be an ideal subject for an internet web site. YouTube must already have videos of engines being stripped down.

If not then it could be a good income generator from advertising for a retired diesel mechanic.
 
The RYA diesel course run at my club back in 1984 was a one day course and with three separate engines, all Volvos; we bled fuel and changed items such as fuel filters, water separator removal and replacement, impellors and removed injectors, tensioned drive belts. How to do an oil change was also shown but not actually done.
I still have the 'book' of theory questions and answers, and a diesel handbook that was recommended.
The course was run by the instructor and an assistant so the class could be split 2-3 people to an engine for the practical part.

ianat182
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top