Water mixed whith gear oil,

Refueler

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My Perkins with PRM box - the gearbox heat exchanger tubes failed and I had that. I kept filling the box each time I needed engine and carried on - completed cruise .....
10 days later at home ... removed HE - gave it to a mate who rebuilt it. Meanwhile I sucked out all the 'yoghurt' I could from box ....

HE was returned - fitted and box filled with lightest oil I could find ... ran engine in gear to flush round .... stopped and sucked out all oil ... refilled with cheapest 5-40 I could find ... ran it all again ... sucked it all out ... then refilled with good 5-40 ...
That was in 2011. Its now 2024 and that box and HE are still performing beautifully.
 

Simon helene

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Thanks , sound like the same problem I got , I can probably get a similar one from nearby boat scrap yard , so by changing this HE might do? Very good tips .
 

Refueler

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I know that what I did is not what is recc'd .... but it worked. I've spoken to mechanics and engineers and all have basically said I did ok ..

Lets put it this way ... 13yrs later and still fine.
 

Jim@sea

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Always check the dipstick on a boat you are thinking of buying.
I went to buy a boat and when I checked the dipstick there was water mixed with the oil.
This boat had a badly designed cockpit and water would get into the bilges.
The owner had an automatic bilge pump fitted and had a battery charger connected to the marina pontoon socket to keep the battery charged to make sure the bilge pump worked.
Unfortunately another boat owner pulled the plug to use the socket and when he pushed the plug back in, the electrics tripped in the boat.
So with the bilge pump not working water rose in the bilge to the point where the water was higher than the hole for the dipstick and thats how the sump got filled with water.
And a local marina was supposed to be checking the boat every week.
 

Refueler

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Always check the dipstick on a boat you are thinking of buying.
I went to buy a boat and when I checked the dipstick there was water mixed with the oil.
This boat had a badly designed cockpit and water would get into the bilges.
The owner had an automatic bilge pump fitted and had a battery charger connected to the marina pontoon socket to keep the battery charged to make sure the bilge pump worked.
Unfortunately another boat owner pulled the plug to use the socket and when he pushed the plug back in, the electrics tripped in the boat.
So with the bilge pump not working water rose in the bilge to the point where the water was higher than the hole for the dipstick and thats how the sump got filled with water.
And a local marina was supposed to be checking the boat every week.

mmmmm therein lies a problem ... as any Marina that agrees to 'mind' a boat then can have 'responsibility' case against them in event of damages.

This was similar to my boat filling with rainwater ....

I was away and as usual telephoned yard to ask for boat to be launched ready for my return to UK. I got to UK - next day or so went to yard ... guy came out and told me something was wrong with the boat as it was very heavy on lift .. was sitting low in water and when guys moved on her to remove slings - she was wallowing ...
She had substantial volume of water in.
I asked why they didn't check before launch - or pump it out ...
Answer was - Liability.

It may sound unfair ... but in all honesty - I can see their point. You may not agree .. but where would you draw the line for them and your responsibility of care ?


Badly designed cockpit ?? Near all older builds - especially in the under 30ft sizes .. quite a number of cockpit's were not self draining .. and often ended up water filling bilges ... My Alacrity 19 and then Snapdragon 23 were of that ... even my SR25 with self-draining cockpit - because of leaves and other crap while ashore - the drains blocked and she filled with water via the bilge under the cockpit sole. Its not Yards job to clear the drains etc. That's my job.
 

Simon helene

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My , cockpit is also Not self draining, I have a copy of colin archer gaff riig wooden boat , but the engine is quite high in the bilge so never get any problem whith rising water, is a ford 2715 3 120 hp so really strong one. Regards from norway
 
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