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...
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...
by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership
Boat interiors on the whole are pretty resilient but over time bulkheads, doors, the cabin sole and surfaces become scuffed, stained and suffer general wear and tear due to the marine environment. In an ideal world, the best location to undertake such a project is...
by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership
There are correct types of hose for marine plumbing, sewerage, exhaust, cooling and gas and all hoses should be checked regularly for wear and deterioration. Hose clips should also be checked for corrosion. Nowhere is this more important than with the gas system, so...
by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership
There are a number of different types of marine toilet, or heads. They fall into one of three categories – manual, electric and vacuum, the most common being the manual, hand pumped type. These have double acting piston-pumps which both discharge the waste and flush...