Who has the worst engine access on tgri boat?

[PabloPicasso]

A boat designer has to consider many things. But low onbthe list is ergonomic access to essential service items.

On my new to me boat the seacock is just reachable at full stretch with my arm squeezing past some plastic covers and leaning on potetially hot engine parts. I wouldn't want to rwach it in an emergency with a hit engine.

My CAV filter (a terrible item to change even when access is good) is buried behind the engine low down away from all the access panels. What was the designer thinking?

I need spindly long arms with an extra elbow, and tiny strong hands with a couole of excetionally long fingers and thumbs to het to these things

I intend to move the filter to an easily accessed area, and fit an extension handle. To thw seacock

Do share your horror stories and how you might address the issues.

 

[michael_w]

What you need is a finger that can morph between a 13mm socket and a screwdriver of your choice. Torx, slotted, pozidirive, robertson (lucky Canadians). Oh, its got a torch and you can see down it too. An extra wrist between your elbow and hand is useful too.

 

[KevinV]

Boats are all too often designed for people with the dexterity and ability to work blind of a gynaecologist and the long arms and strength of an orangutan - I count myself lucky.

 

[[70521]]

I love my VP2002. Everything that needs serviced is on the front of the engine, well apart from the gearbox oil dipstick.

The best engine access I've seen is a Boreal 47 where you removed a big box and the engine sat proud with 360° access.

 

[Snowgoose-1]

I had a boat one time with terrible engine access. Particularly the gland greaser.
I solved the problem by fitting a very large access hatch in the cockpit floor.

In fairness, the boat was probably fitted with a Stuart Turner or suchlike originally and a modern diesel was shoehorned in.

 

[Bouba]

Boats are the reason we should repeal the child labour laws

 

[Tranona]

A boat designer has to consider many things. But low onbthe list is ergonomic access to essential service items.

On my new to me boat the seacock is just reachable at full stretch with my arm squeezing past some plastic covers and leaning on potetially hot engine parts. I wouldn't want to rwach it in an emergency with a hit engine.

My CAV filter (a terrible item to change even when access is good) is buried behind the engine low down away from all the access panels. What was the designer thinking?

I need spindly long arms with an extra elbow, and tiny strong hands with a couole of excetionally long fingers and thumbs to het to these things

I intend to move the filter to an easily accessed area, and fit an extension handle. To thw seacock

Do share your horror stories and how you might address the issues.

That is what happens if you choose a narrow gutted boat and still want lots of accommodation. Insufficient space to fit an engine and have access. Choose a more modern wider, flatter hull shape and most of the problems go away.

 

[PabloPicasso]

That is what happens if you choose a narrow gutted boat and still want lots of accommodation. Insufficient space to fit an engine and have access. Choose a more modern wider, flatter hull shape and most of the problems go away.

Thing is, there is space in front of the engine to mount a fuel filter. Which exactly what I intend to do (& put the CAV filter assembly in the bin).

Why didn't the builder do that, or any of the previous owners for that matter?

 

[Tranona]

Thing is, there is space in front of the engine to mount a fuel filter. Which exactly what I intend to do (& put the CAV filter assembly in the bin).

Why didn't the builder do that, or any of the previous owners for that matter?

Perhaps because they learned to live with it. It was the same on my boat built in 1979 until I changed it when fitting a new engine.

We can always find things that could have been done differently/better.

 

[Stemar]

I love my VP2002. Everything that needs serviced is on the front of the engine, well apart from the gearbox oil dipstick.

My Betas are the same, but the front is hidden under battery boxes, and are almost touching the bulkhead. Yes, there were access holes cut in the bulkeads so you could get to the raw water pumps, but they were designed for the previous Renault engines. I don't know how the previous owner services the pumps, but the holes are now significantly larger. Oh, and the hulls are around 80cm wide.

 

[Refueler]

I can mirror same with todays cars ...

Tried changing the headlight bulb on a volvo XC70 ? You need baby sized hands ... the bulbs can actually go in 180 deg wrong - failing annual test .. you end up with scraped knuckles and any observers thinking you are a bad mouth'd - bad tempered old git !!

My boat - SR25 .... when we cam to swap out the engine ... the builder had used Oak bearers with long bolts inserted from UNDERNEATH ... then nuts on top of mounts. Most likely had installe4d engine before lowering surrounding GRP in place.
Engine being large in the cramped space - meant that bolts had to be cut through the mounts to get engine out - not possible to lift engine clear of bolts ... bolts only had a few mm under them - so not possible to withdraw into bilge.
First job - get rid of the Oak bearers .. replaced with iron L beams with studding and nuts BOTH ends.

 

[colind3782]

My boat, a Furia 332, was originally fitted with a 27HP 3 cylinder Sole engine which, I imagine, would have been fine for access. Some previous owner decided that "bigger is better" and fitted a 31HP 4 cylinder Sole Mini 34 which takes up the whole engine bay and makes maintenance life very difficult indeed!

 

[Blueboatman]

In some ways the old so called ‘auxiliary’engines fitted to wooden sailing boats before the days of self draining sealed cockpits were pretty good.
You lift out the cockpit floor and there was the ( usually tiny) petrol engine sitting all alone.

Would I go back to that? No

 

[DanTribe]

I have to get into a cockpit locker to adjust stern gland and check gearbox oil. This was not a problem years ago but the locker is getting smaller and more difficult to get out of every year.
It's a conspiracy!

 

[Blueboatman]

I have to get into a cockpit locker to adjust stern gland and check gearbox oil. This was not a problem years ago but the locker is getting smaller and more difficult to get out of every year.
It's a conspiracy!

I think it’s all the stuff I put in cockpit lockers !

 

[capnsensible]

It's a good job that yachts are so simple compared to many things that float and fly....

 

[Snowgoose-1]

I have to get into a cockpit locker to adjust stern gland and check gearbox oil. This was not a problem years ago but the locker is getting smaller and more difficult to get out of every year.
It's a conspiracy!

I think you will also find that most yachts are haunted by deceased former owners.

I'm sure I have heard footdragging on deck at night. They move stuff about in lockers, tie knots in the middle of halyards and warps, distribute tools like pliers and screwdrivers on deck to trip over. If you have really sworn at your boat, you are also likely to find things like an anchor chain round the keel . Be nice to your boat.