There, you have just got a boat. A nice new hobby
for the weekend and it is time to stock it out. It
is time to get all that equipment and gear that you
have read about in all the magazines and that you
have dreamt about for so long. Time to fill that boat
up with all the latest goodies and set sail into the
unknown. Sail out and over the horizon, ready for
all that may be placed in your way!
The engine has always been my greatest problem and
I have this constant nightmare of breaking down whilst
away from shore. The last thing that I want to do
is to call for help and admit to everybody that I
was not ready. Spanners, screwdrivers, engine tool
kit and a few essential spares are of course a necessity
but the Chain Block and the torque wrench, the hydraulic
spanner and the ten-pound hammer? I am not so sure
that I will ever really need them at sea.
What are you going to do with them? Lift the engine
off the block and do a complete strip down whilst
bobbing on the water? Let us look into this before
we dive in and fill the boat up full to the brim with
unessential items. Before we fill up the cabin drawers
with tools of all shapes and sizes and electrical
equipment that would stretch your power supply to
its limits. It must be remembered that if the problem
is a serious one then nine times out of ten you will
not have the correct spare part anyway! So what do
you really need before you make a storeroom out of
every available space onboard?
Tools are essential and maybe the saving grace to
any that lose their power at sea. Tools are required
to unblock a fuel filter or cure a leaking pipe, but
you are not going to be doing a complete overhaul
so leave the 18” monkey wrench behind along
with the engine lifting frame and the welding machine.
Leave them safely at home in the garage and set sail
with the minimum of required tools for essential repairs.
Have in your boat enough tools to do the job and leave
plenty of space for all the food and goodies that
will make the trip into what you dreamt it would be
like. Don’t turn your boat into a nightmare
with unnecessary tools falling out of cupboards and
leaving oily stains everywhere, just have what you
need and set sail happily. Don’t have your friends
and guests complaining of stubbed toes and bruises
on the head as they work there way through the cupboards
whilst searching for some food to eat!
The crucial point to remember about engine maintenance
and repair is that it should all have been done before
you left port. The engine and auxiliary equipment
should be in a good condition and able to do the job
it is meant to do before you take the last rope off
the jetty. So any repairs and work should have been
carried out before you even thought of stocking up
for the trip. When you set sail you should have underneath
you a boat ready and prepared for all occasions, one
that you can trust in to do the job that it is required
to do.
In many situations the amount of equipment that you
carry does depend on the skills that you yourself
possess. First of all, if you are not very good at
engine overhauls then it is pointless to have the
larger pieces of equipment anyway. If you are good
at doing engine overhauls and have knowledge about
what you are doing then you should not have set sail
with a faulty engine in the first place. It is possible
that you breakdown through no fault of your own but
it is far better to have a good communication system
to call for help and swallow your pride than to try
and fix the engine yourself.
Essential items therefore consist of a set of spanners,
a couple of hammers, a set of screwdrivers, and an
adjustable wrench. One monkey wrench of a small size,
filter removal strap for the Fuel filters and LO filters,
hand crank handle if the engine is small, a spare
set of batteries, some spare Lubricating Oil and some
odds and ends of screws and nuts and bolts. Along
with these items should be the engines tool kit, essential
spares for the engine including a couple of injectors,
fuel filter and LO filter inserts and anything else
that the manufacturer recommends for that engine.
Leave behind the Chain Block, the large Monkey Wrench
and the Hydraulic Spanners. Leave behind the spare
heads and the spare crankshaft and all the spares
that require the use of a chain block. Make sure before
you leave that the engine is in top working condition
and that you can trust in its ability to take you
where you want to go without breaking down on the
way. And finally make sure that your communication
system is suitable and in a good working condition,
so that if a problem does arise help is not far away.
There is no pride to think of when you breakdown.
Safety is of a higher priority.
About The Author
Ieuan Dolby, from Scotland is an Engineering Officer
in the Merchant Navy. He has been travelling the world
for 15yrs on an endless tour of cultural diversification.
Currently based in Singapore he writes various articles
for magazines and newspapers and is working on a marine
glossary.
ieuandolby@lycos.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/
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