The joy of boat ownership means different things to different people. For some, engine room maintenance is a long way down the list of reasons why they love owning a boat. Of course there are always extreme cases, like the eccentric English solo sailor I met many years ago at Middle Percy Island. He had such a dislike of his engine he had decided to remove it from his 45 foot yacht. It certainly didn’t slow him down as he was on his 3rd circumnavigation – with no engine! On the other hand, you have people like my father for example, who will happily spend as much time in the engine room tinkering and polishing as he does on deck. So much so, that it became the in-house joke that if you couldn’t find him, someone would call out – ‘try the engine room’!
Regardless of whether you enjoy working in the engine room or not, it is the life blood of a boat and maintaining it accordingly is very important.
At the risk of stating the obvious for many of our experienced skippers, and many who are far more mechanically qualified than me, the following is written more as a basic check list to maintaining your engine and engine room, between scheduled services.
Routine engine check list
- Check water and oil before every trip. This is probably the most basic of tasks but I am often amazed at how many skippers will not bother to do this every time. If you have twin engines it is not uncommon for one to use more oil or water than the other as they age. You’ll start to get a feel for usage and what is normal and should you notice a change then you know you might have an issue that requires further investigation.
- Check belt tension and look for signs of black powder that might indicate belt wear. I recall having to replace a broken alternator belt in a hot and rolling engine room well offshore once and can assure you it was a most unpleasant task. Far better to replace suspect belts in your berth.
- Look for signs of oil or water leaks, and routinely check water pumps and sea strainers are clean and working efficiently. If you notice crystallised salt near a water pump, this usually indicates a leaking seal and needs to be addressed before rust sets in or worst, the pump fails. Some motors are notorious for pump seals going and particularly in twin engine arrangements you’ll find the pump on one motor almost impossible to see or reach. This is where being a nimble contortionist and not suffering from claustrophobia will help! It really does pay to work your way to the far side of both motors to check on them properly. By the way, I find a good headlamp invaluable when working around engines.
- Routinely check fuel filters, and clean and replace as required. If you let your fuel run too low, a rolling boat will stir up old sludge and particles from the bottom of the fuel tank, which may end up through the filters. Clean fuel is a priority and should be taken seriously. If you feel you could have a dirty fuel tank then there is a business that specialises in cleaning out your tank.
- Always let the motors run for a while before pushing off. It’s good to warm them up but also to do another visual check looking for anything out of the ordinary such as smoke or haze or anything that smells or sounds wrong, like belts wearing or electrical wiring burning.
- Check the bilge and routinely check the bilge pumps and float switches are all fine and working properly. Check your earth wires are still ok and haven’t corroded loose, and use a good anticorrosion spray regularly.
- Don’t forget to regularly check your steering gear also. Simple things like a loose nut unwinding can cause a loss of steering, as I experienced one rough night off Smokey Cape– that wasn’t fun, but we solved the problem and continued on our merry way.
The engine room should be kept clean and tidy. If not just for personal pride and making it more user friendly, think about the benefits at resale time! Most of my clients’ boats get one or two engine room details every year, but we’ll often give the bilges a clean as required. We take photos and report anything out of the ordinary that might require further attention from a qualified mechanic. Sure, it’s a tough and unpleasant job for most of us but it is a necessary job!
The following guide to cleaning your engine room is an indication only and you should always check with your dedicated mechanic if you are unsure of what to do.
Cleaning the engine room
- We usually start by cleaning the bilge. If it is very oily and dirty you are best to tackle this on the hardstand so you can flush the bilge and capture the discharge for safe disposal. At all times we should be mindful not to pump contaminates into the harbour or bay. However if the oil isn’t too bad you can soak it up from the bilge water surface using absorbent pads available from chandeliers. Then we use an environmentally safe biodegradable detergent and scrub the bilge clean to remove the unsightly sludge marks that build up. I find the Wet Vac ideal for removing the remaining soapy water. This way nothing gets into the harbour.
- If you are very careful you can use a hose to rinse areas that you have degreased but we will avoid this unless absolutely necessary. Only use a gentle flow as there are so many areas sensitive to water such as the electronics. If you do use a hose, a good tip is to start the engines and let the warmth dry them off. It is a tedious job, but using a rag with turps or a degreaser is a better option for wiping around all the nooks and crannies. Pay particular attention when climbing around the engine not to lean on hose fittings and injector lines etc as you may damage them.
- When the engines and surrounds are clean, go around with an anticorrosion spray. Areas like engine mounts, around salt water pumps, hose clamps, brass fittings and anything that is vulnerable should get a liberal spraying and wipe up the excess.
- Areas that have rust developing can be cleaned up and repainted also. It’s simply a matter of cleaning all the grease off, scraping and sanding off loose paint back to bare metal, use a rust converter then prime as required and paint. It makes a huge difference to appearance and will prolong the metals life.
You’ll be surprised what a difference a clean engine room makes, especially at resale time! You certainly don’t need to be a mechanic to clean and maintain them, but as mentioned earlier, if you have any doubts then check with a professional.
