mibix

If it was only a day, I would. I could be on narrow canals for months. Don't fancy trusting it all on some gaffer!

Cheers for all the tips guys. So many different approaches! The holes won't be under the waterline when stationary. But the wake from cruising submerses them. Some more ballast on the bow might help a bit too. We will want to put them back on when we're back on a broad canal/river. No idea how long we'll be on the Oxford canal, but we're thinking of heading north anyway so they might be off a long time. I've no real access to the rear of the holes, as they are deep in the hull, under the diesel tank and storage floors. I don't really want to put screws back in as It might make the holes bigger and cause a problem when re-fitting, and gaffer is not really suitable as it's going to be underwater for the few days going up the Thames. @Phil, will the putty in my OP do the job? I don't really have access to internet delivery at the moment. Just need something I can buy off the shelf in Reading. EDIT: I've just found some Milliput at HobbyCraft in Reading. Is this stuff better than the Plumbers stuff in my OP?.. http://www.hobbycraft.co.uk/milliput-standard-yellow-grey-two-part-epoxy-putty/569176-1000

We want to go up the Oxford canal from Reading in our little GRP cruiser. Only problem is we're a bit too wide. The corner fenders take us up to 7'4", and max size is 7". Without the corner fenders we are 7' exactly, so it's going to be a squeeze anyway... If we take the corner fenders off there may be holes straight through the hull where they were drilled in and we want to fill them in, as they go slightly underwater when moving, and going up locks... I've been told that epoxy putty is the best thing for the job. Will the plumber's putty be the stuff? This stuff...? http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Painting%20&%20Decorating/Fillers%20&%20Putty/Plumbers%20Epoxy%20Aqua%20Repair/d150/sd3169/p59360 Also, anyone know if this stuff is any good? http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Adhesives+Sealants/General+Sealants/Polyurethane+PU40+Sealant+300ml+White/d180/sd2350/p67949 it's Polyurethane based. Cheers

Hi. It's a raw water cooled Yanmar YSE12. Glad to know it's safe to go! :0 Cheers

Hello! I've ordered one of the clamp on ammeter/multimeters, but won't get it until next week when I go see my folks. I rang up the Diesel Engine place near Morrisons in Reading, and they said they'd check the alternator for a fiver. I took it there and they said it's all fine. I've replaced the 2 spade connections with a proper lug connection and nice thick cable (the spades were actually corroded/dirty). I removed a load of the cables, gave the terminals and connections a clean, and made sure everything was tight. I've re-installed it, and it seems much better... The dash gauge shows a bigger increase in extra voltage when charging than before (don't have my ammeter yet for proper tests), and I stuck the inverter on with some appliances, and didn't see a major drop in voltage. The alternator is getting hot (I presume that's because it's actually kicking out some major power nows). I've just charged 30 mins, and will let it cool, and do the same again after a walk to Morrisons. I'm going to go though the whole electrical system, and tidy it all up and label everything at some point soon. Everything's a mess - Just a messy loom of wires (especially behind the instrument panel). At least then I know what's what, and can check bad earths and shorts. And install a proper fuse box. And busbars instead of the mess that's there. A whole overhaul is probably needed! Is the alternator supposed to get hot? Is it because it's now supplying all it can to charge the batteries? I let it cool down, and it's not getting hot without being on (was worried it was pulling in power from the battery). We plan to go for a full days cruise tomorrow. Will the alternator be OK being hot for so long? Cheers

Excellent, Thank you. So the cooker's got to go to pass? The cylinder and regulator are under cover, so protected from the weather. There is no entrance to the interior as it's fitted to the transom indent.

I have 2 old BSS tests... the 2006 exam says no gas, and the 2010 says gas with cooker, so it's been installed after 2000. Surely it should have failed the 2006 test then? Also the 2006 exam shows no boiler, but we have one. That does have flame failure however.

The boat safety is due soon, so we want to get it as much up to scratch as we can before we get someone out for it. I've tried looking though the specs for the BSS, but can't find the rules for what I'm after. I know the rules for gas on a boat changed recently, so I just wanted to double check a couple of things... We have a Flavel Vanessa cooker on board. Someone told us this won't pass the BSS as the hobs and grill don't have flame failure (the oven part does). Is this true? The gas bottle is also attached over the outdrive hole via a hook and ratchet strap (it's a GRP cruiser rear) so the bottle is actually over the water in case of bottle failure. It's inside the boat above the outdrive leg hole, so it's technically inside, but over the water. I also heard the new regs say that the bottle has to be in a proper storage locker. Will I have to have a locker made up instead of it 'dangling' per se. Is there anything else I should be aware of before booking the BSS? Cheers

Thanks everybody for your help. Thanks for a detailed explanation. I'll get on it ASAP. The original belt was a thicker 'teeth' type, and that bust due to the lack of engine mounts putting mega strain on the belt. We bought a new one, but that was a frail, thin one. The new belt we got was from Aldermaston Marina. We got the original sized belt, but solid instead of teethed at their recommendation. The new belt sits in the pulley snugly. I'll have a look at the wiring.The relay is rated at 100A. I was looking at this ammeter.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CLIP-ON-TEST-METER-AMMETER-AMP-GAUGE-75-0-75-CURRENT-INDUCTION-INDICATOR-DURITE-/251563333315?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_BoatEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item3a9257d6c3 It turns out that my multimeter is knackered and not a flat battery so these you've suggested look perfect - hit 2 birds with one stone! Thanks for explaining it all. It makes more sense than ever. You're a better teacher than you think! Thanks to everyone for your help. I'm going to ask the local post office tomorrow if I can get the ammeter/multimeter posted there so I can get it in the next couple of days instead of waiting a couple of weeks 'till I go to my parents. Thanks again for all your help. I'll go though all the steps you have said, and report back with the outcome (good or bad!)

Coo Cheers guys. I'm going to order a clamp-on ammeter now (off the internet, unless you know a shop that will sell them), but won't get it for a couple of weeks (going to my parents in a couple of weeks and will order it to there). Should I order a -30:30 or -75:75? I presume the -75:75 as my alternator is a 70-amp one... Here's the manual for my alternator... http://www.prestolite.com/literature/alts/PP1184_Buyer_Guide_alt.pdf - it's the AS123 - connections shown on page 33. It's currently connected by the 2 ++ spade connecters, and not the B+ connector. I'll pop to the co-op and get a 9V battery for my multimeter today. I'll also see if I can find some lugs in my box of bits to connect the B+ instead of the spade connectors. By-'eck, do you mean that the alternator will always show a low voltage when charging flat batteries? Yes, the 13V reading is one of the panel ones, but it doesn't have green/red - it simply has a range. I did some measurements with my mulitimeter at the batteries, and saw a slowly rising voltage, even with the dodgy readings. Will do some proper readings after I've replaced the battery in the multimeter. PS. I just gave the batteries a shake, and the colour things have gone to the "Needs Charging" state. Also, the output of the alternator goes to the starter, then to the batteries. The earth goes from a mounting nut, to the starter, to the battery. Should I check the voltage at both the battery and the alternator? If I'm checking from the alternator, shall I check at the starter (it's only a few inches from the alternator) or from the spade terminals on the alternator? I presume it's safe to stick the multimeter probes on the connectors even though a fair few amps will (probably) be kicking out? Cheers

I'm not afraid to get stuck in and dirty. As I said I'm not that good with the engine/alternator side of things, but I am technically minded and willing to learn, diagnose and generally do as much as I can. If there's a systematic method I can go through to test the whole system, I'm all for it. I installed the domestic batteries and voltage sensing relay myself. The engineer who came to fix an engine problem had a quick look at all the connections, and commented that it was set up correctly, and I'd done a proper job with the connections, so I wouldn't say I'm afraid of it getting technical and doing it proper! Thanks for all your help and comments so far.

Thanks everybody. Here's a load more information, I hope it helps clear anything up...... I'm pretty competent with electronics and DC in general. I've made quite a few Arduino projects, and I'm handy with a soldering iron. Engines, battery charging and alternators are not my strong points however... I recently replaced the alternator belt as my old one was shot and snapped. I replaced it from a thin one with teeth, to a thicker solid one at the advice from an engineer who replaced the flexible coupling and engine mounts. I have tightened the belt as much as I can - it could be tightened a little bit more, but I can't get the alternator to budge any further (2 of us used thick mooring pins to lever it and there's about 15-20mm of give when you press the belt down. Unfortunately, the alternator is not mounted to the engine, it's mounted to the hull, as the engine bracket has snapped, so there is a little bit of movement when the engine is on. I disconnected 1 battery, so we were just using 2x110Ah batteries. Yesterday afternoon, the batteries were about 11v (my voltmeter gauge on the instrument panel is slightly out - my multimeter always showed about 0.3v higher than the gauge in the past). I left the engine running with high revs for a while - gauge showed 13v whilst charging. We turned off the engine, and went to the pub so that we didn't use any power, and let the float voltage balance out. When we got back, the gauge was now showing 12v - it's charged a bit, and held it. We didn't use any power before bed. This morning the gauge still showed around 12V. So the battery still seems to have held its charge. My multimeter needs a new 9V battery, which I don't have - when turned on it shows a default reading somewhere between -0.1 and -0.4V. I don't have a new battery so can't do accurate readings until I get one. I turned on the engine this morning, and the charge voltage was still 13V. I tightened the alternator as best I could again before starting the engine. So yesterday, batteries were 11V, charge voltage was 13V, today batteries are 12V and charge voltage is still 13V. I have some thick battery cable, but no lugs. I will get some lugs, and see if the B+ if giving out a different voltage than the spade connections. I will also get a new battery for my multimeter, and do some accurate readings. My batteries have a little traffic light system on them - a little indicator that changes colour. Green = Good condition, White = Needs Charging, Black = Bloxed battery. All batteries are green. I could do with replacing a lot of the cabling as the loom is very messy, and god knows where some of the wires are going. I hope this clears up anything.

Thanks for the advice everyone In a few days, we're tanking it from Theale up to Oxford, so we'll see if the alternator can charge the batteries enough. We do run the engine for a couple of hours a day, and have done a bit of cruising the past few days, and the voltage when the engine is on jumps from 11/11.5 to 13 volts but I have no idea what amps the alternator is kicking out. It never seems to get any higher than 13 volts, and after we've done our evening on the laptops etc, they're down to 11V ish again.. When my clip-on ammeter arrives I'll have a good look at what the alternator is kicking out, and see if I can see if any stray current sucking from the battery when it shouldn't. The batteries were new this time last year, we ran them down to about 11 volts, then had nothing but trouble with various things, and they didn't get used for about 8 months. They've never been fully charged since. I hope they aren't knackered! Will update after the trip to Oxford, and probably go for a genny & charger when payday arrives at the end of the month!

Excellent. Thanks by'eck, you're a font of knowledge! With that charger, it says it can charge 2 independently. Do I charge up the batteries separately or do the whole bank as 1? If I do it as a bank, will there be a problem if I choose to do them separately (to test them individually to see if they're knackered)? It won't kick out too much power and blow a single battery? Also, if I use a genny to power it, what KW would I need? Does it matter if it's a low output genny? Will it simply just charge slower? I'm in Theale, and the Reading marina has an option to moor for a day or 2 with a hook-up. I've been looking at getting a generator anyway as I have some big jobs to do soon and need more power than my inverter can give out.. Or borrow one from a couple of people I know up Newbury way. Cheers

Hello, I need to fully charge my domestic batteries. They've been quite low for a while now, and I need to give them a full charge to get them up to scratch. Just a few questions if I may... 1) Do marinas / halfords / anywhere else do a battery charge service? I don't have a battery charger or generator, and am a CCer so no shore line. 2) If no to #1, what size (power output) battery charger would I need to get? Would I need fast charge, or trickle? I have 3 x 110ah batteries. 3) I have sealed lead acid batteries (Numax XV31MF - I think). I thought these don't need water adding, but I've heard other advice elsewhere. Do I need to top them up? Thanks in advance, mibix