peter2407
Well-Known Member
Any suggestions on how I might get cooling water into the engine etc? This is a Yanmar 3GM30FW with an SD20 sail drive.
Running an engine when boat is out of the water
- Thread starter peter2407
- Start date
Poignard
Well-Known Member
I have a Plastimo water filter and I simply remove the top cap and let water from a hose run into it. I have the seacock open so any excess water runs down through it.
If I didn't have that arrangement I would disconnect the c/w inlet hose from the seacock and place the end in a bucket of water which I would keep topped up from a hose.
I wouldn't connect a hose directly to the c/w intake because of the risk of flooding the engine
If I didn't have that arrangement I would disconnect the c/w inlet hose from the seacock and place the end in a bucket of water which I would keep topped up from a hose.
I wouldn't connect a hose directly to the c/w intake because of the risk of flooding the engine
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prv
Well-Known Member
Either take the hose off the valve on the saildrive and put it into a large bucket, or disconnect it at the pump end and use a separate piece of hose. Depending how long you want to run it for (and the size of the bucket) you may need a running water hose to keep the bucket topped up.
If you do it regularly, you could modify the plumbing to make it easier. Our previous boat's intake seacock would have needed an elbow on the top, but instead I fitted a T-piece with the upward-facing arm blanked off. This gave a way of clearing a blocked seacock (unscrew the plug and poke a stick down) and also a way of running the engine ashore, by closing the seacock and screwing on a hose.
Pete
If you do it regularly, you could modify the plumbing to make it easier. Our previous boat's intake seacock would have needed an elbow on the top, but instead I fitted a T-piece with the upward-facing arm blanked off. This gave a way of clearing a blocked seacock (unscrew the plug and poke a stick down) and also a way of running the engine ashore, by closing the seacock and screwing on a hose.
Pete
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
For short term use, either to check the engine before launching or flushing through with fresh water at the end of the season I use Parsifal's No.1 method. Very easy with a Vetus filter above the seawater pump and a hose pipe with a pistol nozzle.
For longer term running I use his method No.2. I put the bucket in the cockpit, just leave the hose running to overflow out through the cockpit drains.
Some yards don't allow engine running ashore.
For longer term running I use his method No.2. I put the bucket in the cockpit, just leave the hose running to overflow out through the cockpit drains.
Some yards don't allow engine running ashore.
scottie
Well-Known Member
Put the bucket on the cabin sole !!
VicS
Well-Known Member
you then have to be more careful not to allow the bucket to overflow but even if you hide the bucket the exhaust plus sooty water splattering over the boat behind is a dead give away even if the engine is so quiet it cannot be heard
Birdseye
Well-Known Member
depends where it gets its coolijng water ie seacock or leg. If seacock the normal trick is to fit a piece of copper pipe with hose attached into the seacock from below. Hose runs to an outlet on a 5 bgallon drom. The drum is full or water and is slung underneath the exhaust. So the water circulates.
Something similar for the leg though you may well have to sling two 5 gal drums, one for the leg, one for the exhgaust with a pipe in between.
Sounds more difficult than it is. The alternative of having a running hose into the engine is dodgy.
prv
Well-Known Member
vyv_cox
Well-Known Member
Well I suppose that's an option if you are prepared to stand by it permanently to turn the hose off as the bucket becomes more full. Assuming that you are running the engine so that you can do something other than stand by a hose pipe I prefer the fully automatic method of putting the bucket in the cockpit.
ghostlymoron
Well-Known Member
"Just plopping the intake hose into a bucket sounds easier, though"
It depends how easy it is to get at the intake hose. In my case, very difficult.
It depends how easy it is to get at the intake hose. In my case, very difficult.
l'escargot
Well-Known Member
On a related matter, what is your boat and how is it supported? Bilge keels or fin in a cradle no particular problem but if a fin keel shored up on props and wedges, be conscious that props they have been known to vibrate out due to engine vibrations and affect the stability of the boat.
Beamishken
Well-Known Member
Some marinas don't allow running engines for this exact reason
depending on how long you want to run the engine for ie if it's just to run it for a minute or two or to fire up after service etc you can just take out the pump impeller & your ok for a few mins
I remove my impellers over winter anyway so there not squashed in one position
also saves having to re antifreeze after being run
prv
Well-Known Member
Indeed - although our boat vibrates more in a strong wind than it does with the engine running, and such wind continues for many hours with the boat unattended while the engine is a few minutes with people on hand to notice something starting to go wrong. So if this were genuinely a problem, the yard's props would be obviously unfit for a UK winter.
The engine itself should be ok, but I have heard of people melting plastic waterlocks and mufflers by doing that, and delaminating exhaust hoses (not always obvious at the time). So I wouldn't.
Pete
nimbusgb
Well-Known Member
I do it every spring before first launch.
I fitted an overly long pipe betwwen the stainer and the pump so now its easy to disconnect it and plop the end in a plastic dustbin full of water and with a hose in it. Even at idle my 4-108 can get ahead of the hose inflow if the yard pressure is not up to scratch.
I fitted an overly long pipe betwwen the stainer and the pump so now its easy to disconnect it and plop the end in a plastic dustbin full of water and with a hose in it. Even at idle my 4-108 can get ahead of the hose inflow if the yard pressure is not up to scratch.
Burnham Bob
Well-Known Member
i had a vetus filter on the old boat and just took the top off. to keep it topped up i had one of those spray attachments for the hose with trigger so i could start and stop the flow of water. mind you the boat was in the front garden so things were a lot easier. water just fell out of the exhaust onto the concrete below and ran off onto the grass.
peter2407
Well-Known Member
Its a fin keel. Having thought about the responses, and remembered that four years ago when at the bow when she was on the hard, that the bow prop fell and hit my brand new Audi on one of the curvy points, and cost a feckin fortune to fix, I think discretion is the better part of valour ..
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
On my previous boat I used to disconnect the fresh water tank outlet and connect it to the engine (1GM). It was also an easy way of draining the fresh water tank.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
I use a plastic tub & have a couple of buckets to top it up plus I run the shower hose into the tub to drain the fresh water ate the same time
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