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Engine failure at sea – keeping the boat safe

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

If the engine stops when you are underway, or your have to shut it down when a warning buzzer sounds, you also need to make sure the boat remains safe. This is no problem if you’re in open water with no dangers nearby, at least for the short term. However, this is not...

Engine failure at sea – common causes and how to avoid them

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Providing they are regularly serviced and maintained, modern marine diesel engines tend to be very reliable. However, they are by no means infallible and a large percentage of lifeboat rescues are to leisure vessels with engine failure. Fortunately, a handful of...

Dripless shaft seals

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

As their name implies, dripless shaft seals are designed to completely stop water from entering a boat’s hull via the stern tube. There are two main types of dripless seals known as face seals and lip seals which many boat manufacturers now fit to production...

Stern gear maintenance

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

The term “stern gear” encompasses propellers, propeller shafts, shaft couplings, rudder tubes, rudder assemblies, propeller shaft brackets, propeller shaft seals, stern tube assemblies, bearings and more. The stern gear of a boat needs to be checked...

Marine engine electrical system

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Boat owners who grew up sailing boats without engines often treat the idea of boat engine maintenance with a fair amount of trepidation, whether inboard or outboard varieties. This trepidation has a tendency to go up a notch when the subject of maintaining an...