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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...

Boat engine cooling systems

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Some boat engine breakdowns are unavoidable but those caused by lack of maintenance or regular checks can be avoided. Failure to maintain an engine’s cooling system is a well known example of this, so it is well worth spending time checking over the cooling...

Marine diesel exhaust checks

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

Most marine exhausts are water cooled, with water from the engine’s raw water cooling system used to cool the exhaust gas. The water and exhaust gas mix together in the injection bend, where it turns into steam before cooling and condensing back into water which...

Marine engine oil system maintenance

by Simon Jollands | Boat Maintenance, Preparation, Yacht ownership

The regular maintenance of a marine diesel is key to preventing engine failure at sea. This means doing regular checks of the fuel, cooling, electrical and oil systems. The oil system needs daily checks of the engine oil level and additional checks for oil leaks. It...