Starting a small diesel, manually...just how hard can it be?

dancrane said:
Bit of a thread-drift, but does anybody here have anything to contribute, to banish my trepidation about the unknown? I'll only ever be able to afford an old yacht, most probably with an old diesel. Is their record pretty good compared to outboards (with which I'm more familiar) or are they like pre-1980s British cars...pray as you turn the key?
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Ask Dylan. :)
 
dancrane said:
I asked for encouragement, not tea-lights and sympathy. ;)
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The real answer is you just don't know. You may be lucky as Dylan seems to have been with the engine in his Centaur, or unlucky as he was with the slug. There will always be the risk that a repair/replacement bill of a diesel in a small old boat will be more than the boat is worth.
 
Indeed, that's a core-fear for me. But I suppose I can use the concern as justification only ever to consider boats which sail beautifully, so the auxiliary is strictly secondary.
 
Seajet said:
I get the idea you're thinking of stored kinetic energy, rather than a battery to start an engine; there have been so many ideas re starters, from ground auxillary battery units ( ' trolley acc' ) on RAF Spitfires to the incredibly noisy Houchin ground starter units for fast jets, to Auxiliary Power Units - A.P.U.'s - small turbines, to spool up main jet engines;
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Time to revive the cartridge start?
 
Dan,

as ever it depends on the size of boat you come across; to put it simply I'd say ' anything above 25', seriously consider an inboard ', preferably not saildrive like I tried due to various maintenance costs.

All inboards are expensive hassle and unless one has a young family and optimistic schedule I'd go so far as to say unseamanlike; how many people have thought ' I can ignore the forecast and my family crew to be back at the office on Monday ' ?!

By unseamanlike I mean you or I would probably rather potter back under sail after dropping the crew, as I have done.

Below 25' an outboard in a well is king, easily stowed for a flat hull & zero drag / flotsam inc lobster pot - prop trouble until one uses it.

Then seriously consider the outboard re it's age; if more than 10 years, it's either a bargaining point or a worry, probably both, but a 5hp Mariner 2-stroke with remote tank and charging coil is worth its weight in gold...

I think you show the brains and sailor sense to go for an Oliver Lee design, but you've hardly started with the Osprey, Proctor's finest...Always welcome for a spin on the A22 as you know.
 
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AngusMcDoon said:
It makes just about every ship in the world unseamanlike because they mostly have inboard diesels and optimistic schedules.
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Another example of irrelevant and disingenuous wording, how long is this intercepeting bolleaux style of argument and insult going to be tolerated, instead of trying to people asking genuine questions and give geuinely helpful tips from expeirience, which I thought was what these forums were designed for ?
 
AngusMcDoon said:
Nah, stick a JATO on then bang it into gear at 330 knots.
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JATO was laughed at as a silly idea by Test Pilots like John Farley, I was there when he said it was a rubbish idea due to the strong possibility of one JATO starting before the other leading to catastrophic asymmetric thrust.

The rescue effort by modified C-130's trying to rescue the Iranian hostages might agree.

Yet another example of talking out of your transom on subjects you don't know anythining about, Angus dear.

Any more being a nasty prat getting shot down for incorrect assertions & insults ? :rolleyes:

Edit;

if you want to carry on being a prat, PM me; the forums can do without your sort.
 
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Seajet said:
JATO was laughed at as a silly idea by Test Pilots like John Farley, I was there when he said it was a rubbish idea due to the strong possibility of one JATO starting before the other leading to catastrophic asymmetric thrust.
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Do you mean to say that my fully serious suggestion of sticking a JATO on the back of a yacht to start the diesel engine is a daft idea?

Bah!
 
AngusMcDoon said:
I think you need to re-assess you word order on that one so we can understand what you are trying to say.
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He missed out 1 word McPedant and II'm sure everyone reading the post understood what he meant !

As to OP I've an AC2w petter lister in my Macwester which I put in boat this autumn but have not wired up yet. It has 2 decrompression oilers into which you dribble a drop of oil then decompress, turn handle as fast as you can then release - on the 3rd spin it usually fires - if it doesn't I use a cook's blowtorch into the air intake and that normally does the job. I manage this by myself.
 
ripvan1 said:
I've an AC2w petter lister in my Macwester...It has 2 decompression oilers into which you dribble a drop of oil then decompress, turn handle as fast as you can then release - on the 3rd spin it usually fires - if it doesn't I use a cook's blowtorch into the air intake and that normally does the job.
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I love the low-tech approach!
 
dancrane said:
I love the low-tech approach!
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I think it's still less common that an inboard diesel can be hand-started from cold than cannot. The problems I have experienced are four-fold...

1) You need to put a lot of effort in, and many aren't strong enough, me included when I have tried
2) Access is often poor, so even if you are strong enough you can't get your body into a suitable position to use your strength
3) Flywheels are smaller than they used to be, so more strength needed
4) It's often not possible for 1 person to crank and operate a decompression lever
 
ripvan1 said:
He missed out 1 word McPedant and II'm sure everyone reading the post understood what he meant !

As to OP I've an AC2w petter lister in my Macwester which I put in boat this autumn but have not wired up yet. It has 2 decrompression oilers into which you dribble a drop of oil then decompress, turn handle as fast as you can then release - on the 3rd spin it usually fires - if it doesn't I use a cook's blowtorch into the air intake and that normally does the job. I manage this by myself.
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And good luck with the Petter :encouragement:
 
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