The joys of delivery!

[Solitaire]

A nice little trip we thought. Would we please deliver a boat from the Solent to Holland - yup no problem. With passage plan in hand and route plotted we left Port Solent on a large Flybridge heading for Ramsgate, overnight and refuel before heading over to Holland on Friday morning.

OK, so there was a bit of Easterly resulting in wind over tide on the way east, but nothing either the boat or crew could not handle. Off Dungeness so far so good, but notice that revs are dropping on the starboard engine so we (Powerskipper and I) watch and continue, now we see fog ahead and the sea state is moving to the upper end of moderate and there is a feeling of looking out the window of a washing machine. But engine revs or port are now also dropping and the starboard engine won't rev to more than 1,400. Here we go - fuel filter problems! So rather than carry on to Ramsgate we opt to go into Dover.

A quick call to the broker, Ancaster in Port Solent reveals that the boat has been put on SeaStart cover that morning as part of the sales deal that Ancaster offer customers. Now, working as I do for SeaStart, I do all their VHF courses, a phone call results in Jonathan working his butt off until 22.00 getting hold of an engineer as their local guy in Dover had recently gone into liquidation.

The up shot is that on Friday morning Darren from Coastal Rides arrives down to "get a better" look at things.

We, well Powerskipper actually, she likes getting her hands all diesely,and could fit into the space slightly easier than I, takes the primary filters out after having drained some fuel out of the filters.

Here are some pictures!:

The drain plug test!

The filters!

Darren, our frindly engieer gets his head in there and says - ah, you got a bit of the old diesel bug! I have to say a mild understatement as the following pictures reveal;

Now I've heard about the dreaded lurgy, but have been fortunate enough not (until now) to have experienced it in my own boats. The stuff looks like seaweed and no way was this going to get filtered out.

So we spent most of Friday morning trying to get extra filters and waiting for the filter housings to be cleaned, We could only get another pair so we took the boat out and shook her around a bit to see what happened. Got her back and looked again. Revs were still down but not as bad, so we decided to try and make it across - but viz was down to 1 or 2 cables in the TSS. Hmm, radar was also playing up and we still had 165 miles to go. We thought OK it would be dark but that's not an issue so off we headed. two miles out, the revs dropped and that was that - turn round and go back. Rental car back to Hamble last night and boat is still in Dover! It is most likely that the tanks will have to be cleaned out and the lines cleared. So for all those that think driving boats for a living is easy - well you work it out! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

There was no way of knowing this was going to happen - but Geraint at Ancaster, Jonathan at SeaStart and Darren and Paul at Coastal Rides were all great.

Just goes to show though what can happen when you leave a boat unused for a time and when the bug strikes - it strikes! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[powerskipper]

you missed out some bits.

1. was the mental agoney I went though for days before this trip. It preyed on my mind, what was I going to do, how could I do it , would I be able to do it .




Put all that I needed into 1 bag I say again 1 bag and a back pack, as we were flying back!!!!!!

But I did it, It was a big bag. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

note to self; need to include either more loo roll or kitchen roll next time. OH and more bin bags.



She was a lovely boat too inside, everything you would need to be very comfortably on a trip.

and good engine access. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

The photos do not do Justis to how bad the filters were after 7 hours being bounced around in wind over tide, with some mountains climbed near the end before we turned back to Dover,
Dover control were every good about us popping in and out of the harbor the next day to see if we could get her well enough to do the rest of the trip.

and you missed the bit were I was down the engine bay draining filters again to see if it was just a bit clogged on that final run out a few miles off shore. Sadly it needs more than that now to keep her running. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif


A smelly learning trip, nearly all the clothes I had with me are diesel smelling /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[oceanfroggie]

What an interesting post.

 

[andy59]

Re: you missed out some bits.

So basically you need to use the boat as much as possible to use up the old deisel . /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Thats a good enough excuse for me to tell SHMBO , i'm of down to the boat now . /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[powerskipper]

Re: you missed out some bits.

I think that it is a remembering lesson in some ways, diesel bug was on everyones mind a few years back but its not so common now, but we have to be aware that its still there and something to check for on a regular interval as boats get older.

 

[andy59]

Re: you missed out some bits.

Yacht haven lads recomend fuel set , Is this the favorite or does it depend on what you are trying to do , ie prevent or cure ?

 

[powerskipper]

Re: you missed out some bits.

I can't tell you that, as I am not up on the info sorry, many on here use different ones, hope they will tell you how they got on with it. [ I know its a can of worms, or er bugs] /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bilgediver]

Re: you missed out some bits.

something to check for on a regular interval as boats get older.
*************************************************
Julie I can assure you that the wee beasties are not agist in any way. They can hit a brand new boat at full force if the owner is imprudent enough to bunker with some elcheepo diesel from oil drums stored in the rain with leaky caps or even from a fuel barge where quality control isn't top of the list whereas an old boat which only takes fuel from a well maintained location can avoid it forever.

Unfortunately in our quest to satisfy the whims of many knee jerk experts we now have boats being built where the fuel MUST exit from the top of the tank using a pick up tube. This means that many new boats are delivered with a free built in bug incubator giving perfect living conditions in each fuel tank.

This is because it costs to much to fit water drains to drain out what lies below the pickup tube which will soon be mostly moisture from condensation. In older boats where the pickup was from the bottom of the tank most of this moisture found its way to the engine in small enough doses not to be noticed or was easily drained out.

These bugs live in the interface between the oil and water. Remove the water and there is no interface!!!!!! Fit a drain as low as possible. You may have to heel the boat for best effect.

If you suspect bugs then don t persist with the same treatment week in and week out...change treatments from time to time.

Many boaters fit polishing equipment to their boats where they recirculate fuel through filters and this certainly helps find the wee beasties pretty quickly and reduce their numbers especially when the weather is shaking them more than it is stirring them.

 

[powerskipper]

Re: you missed out some bits.

Thanks for that, very informative. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[hlb]

Ah, the fuel bug. I've been known to change a few filters in a F6. Not fun with a red hot engine up yer arse and one screeming it's head off, with werring prop shaft, just by
your leg.

Soltron always mended it for me.

 

[Blackfeather]

I've always followed the rule of filling both tanks to the brim every time I leave the boat for more than a couple of days and I haven't had a problem, maybe I have just been lucky.

Well i've always followed that rule until last week when one of the fillers wouldn't open because it had seized. No doubt you metallurgists will put me right but a mate said that if you have aluminium against aluminium eventually the will fuse. So why the bleedin hell do they make fillers of aluminium with aluminium caps??

 

[AndieMac]

Solitaire...... Rule number 1, only deliver a boat on your terms, and leave the owner/crew who has to be home yesterday.....on shore!

 

[Solitaire]

Re: you missed out some bits.

[ QUOTE ]
Yacht haven lads recomend fuel set , Is this the favorite or does it depend on what you are trying to do , ie prevent or cure ?

[/ QUOTE ]

I would have used Soltron, as HLB has mentioned. The trouble in this instance is it would not have worked in time. Plus the fact that there was none to be found, I would have put a good dose in the tanks before we left here if I could have got some. Frankly though it will need more that a double dose. Although I suspect that having left the boat much of the crap will have settled to the bottom now, but it may need the fuel lines blowing through to clear them.

As to keeping the tanks full as mentioned on here, the tanks were kept topped up but the boat had been on hard standing for some time and had only been used on the sea trial prior to this trip. Condensation still gets in and the rather lumpy seas on the day stirred everything up nicely.

 

[oldgit]

Any idea how long the boat had been standing idle ?

 

[Solitaire]

[ QUOTE ]
Solitaire...... Rule number 1, only deliver a boat on your terms, and leave the owner/crew who has to be home yesterday.....on shore!

[/ QUOTE ]

We do! And did! Taking owners on delivery trip is (can be) a nightmare! Most have no idea whats going on and think it's a jolly - when the going gets tough, not only do you have to consider the prevailing conditions you also have neurotic owners who maybe at best go out in F3/4 and when they hear the boat slam go into "worry overload". Been there got that T- shirt thanks. Very often small jobs can be sorted on route, but taking everything into consideration with poor viz etc, this was not going to make the full journey in one hit.

Can you imagine the [--word removed--] that would have come down on my head if we had attempted to cross in very bad viz, knowing the boat had a fuel problem and we had had engines go down in the TSS in one of the congested shipping lanes in the world and had to call for assistance? I have a feeling the authorities might look at my tickets and say something! Not too mention the safety of my own life and crew.Oh, and having been advised by Dover Port Control when we just went out to sea trial the boat that there was very poor visibility even outside the harbour.

At one time there was an announcement from Dover CG that there was a vessel "constrained by draft" in the TSS with a 17.5 meter draft that was shifting at 14 knots. Now a vessel that size ain't going to stop in time to avoid a twat in a 47 foot motor cruiser who attempted to cross the TSS knowing there is a potential problem.

As to time constraints, there were none as such only that we needed to be back by at least Tuesday. We were being paid by the day plus expenses, but being a weekend and no engineers working it was more economic to get back, have the problem sorted then start again.

 

[Solitaire]

[ QUOTE ]
Any idea how long the boat had been standing idle ?

[/ QUOTE ]

At least a year, but we were told the boat had had a full survey, and engine checks, but of course you can't look at the bottom of the tanks.And was assured that the tanks had always been kept topped up.

I have delivered boats that have been standing for two years with no problem.As has been said earlier, it's not just old boats that can suffer from the problem. In real terms it's like anything else, boats should be used, not left to languish with little or no attention. Some of the boats I have had to move around are in such bad shape that you wonder why people have such an expensive piece of equipment and just abuse them.

This certainly was not the case with the previous owner of this boat, as he was actually upset when the boat was sold and even had the broker take photographs of the boat leaving on Thursday. It's just one of those things that comes to light when a boat is really used rather that just used for a weekend away. Lets face it, we had run the boat for 7 hours non stop before the problem presented itself. It may well have been that the boat in short trips in calm seas running for say 2 hours would never have seen the problem materialise as the gunge has time to settle between trips and as the feeder pipe does not go right to the bottom of the tank it would not have pulled the gunge through. The bug would still have been alive and kicking but would have been living in the depths.

 

[David of Essex]

Thanks for the post, a real reminder as to the potential risks that can ac cure. Is there a simple test that can be done when draining fuel from the primary filter to see if the bug is in the fuel?.

Thanks
David

 

[Solitaire]

[ QUOTE ]
Is there a simple test that can be done when draining fuel from the primary filter to see if the bug is in the fuel?.



[/ QUOTE ]

David, there should be a drain tap at the bottom of your primary filter/s - drain some fuel out into a cup and have a look, you will also see if there is water in the fuel.

I have been looking for a company to clean the fuel in the boat we left in Dover. I found this company - Diesel cleaning . It also gives a good take on what causes the problem.

 

[David of Essex]

Solitaire thanks for the reply and the useful information will use.
David

 

[hlb]

Not all filters have drain taps, but best to find the ones that have. I find a wine glass is best. The diesel should look cristal clear. If it's cloudy at all. Look further.

I've found you can get the bug, as what you do. You never know where you caught it from, or whether it was self inflicted.