MartinW

My two domestic batteries are 185 amp/hours each so I wonder what size of onboard charger would be best for battery life. I am expecting to find one that has the recommmended desulphating charging mode to try and keep the old cells going as long as possible. I started the motor to try and put some charge back in but as soon as I revved it up there was a new sound like a dry bearing so I stopped. The drive belts are both very worn and came loose after tensioning so I have ordered them up (and a spare set - it's the Boy Scout in me) Once they are installed I shall track down the bearing noise to an alternator or the water-pump. Meanwhile the Mikuni diesel pipe was fixed and it tried really hard to start but there is no fan noise so I have been recommended to have it sent off for a full check-over. In the course of my investigations I found a leaking elbow on one of the the Hep20 'circs' so have called it a day and gone in search of parts.

Great advice as always. Thank you. The Snap-on battery testers are usually automotive. I think I have a better grasp after reading the battery primer topic. If I had stopped there it would have been fine but I fell soft and read the replies......... too much snow today to think about going to the boat. I'll try and get there tomorrow. Thanks again. Martin.

Ok, thanks. Every day is most definitely a school day....

Will do. Please bear in mind that after a brain injury I have no short-term memory for numbers or names or faces but so far as I know, at the start of play today they measured 11.8 volts. The tester showed that they held up under load which is why I said 'fine' The engine ran for about an hour (The alternator was outputting 14 plus volts) and they were up to 12.4 after only 5 minutes or so. I can't get back tomorrow but may do on Wednesday. I have no actual shorepower but do have a suitcase generator. I have a battery charger with 2 and 4 amp settings and so could set that up on the gennie, would that help? I'll put a cold towel over my head and read the battery charging primer again. Thanks.

I'll have to get back in there after the snow has gone to see if I can read anything off the batteries. Looks like one of the labels is under the clamp strap which is how I missed it.

Thank you Tracey, presumably the smallest Amp would be the gentlest/best for long-term battery-life?

Hello all and thank you again. Zoe at Pennine Boats in Skipton kindly arranged for Jonathan to call in on his way past today instead of tomorrow, as snow is forecast. His Snap-On multi-tester was much better than mine, it even had a magnetic base! Jonathan did a load test and diagnosed that the batteries were low, but fine, and that the lack of charging was down to the cut-off switch being duff. Evidently they are very susceptible to damp, rust and a consequent lack of connectivity. One new switch later and the engine is charging nicely on both alternators (The loose blue wire being just as some suggested, a surplus thing) The 240 volt 'garage' trips needed a little cleaning of contacts and proper installation of the cover and that side of the boat worked under shoreline and also, once the batteries had charged up enough to get the inverter cracking, did the 12volt. I was feeling very happy until we tried the Mikuni heater which made some of the right noises but then manifested a big diesel leak which turned out to be a broken, previously soldered, rigid feed pipe, Jonathan had to leave and find some suitable 'flexi' hose to make up a more resilient connection so fingers crossed that works in the next couple of days. On the subject of battery charging, Jonathan's parting suggestion was that I look at installing a battery charger that would gently feed the batteries when on shore power so the engine didn't need to be run. He did not have time to suggest a particular brand or type and at the risk of making a nuisance of myself I wondered if that sounds like a good idea and bearing in mind that I intend to add solar panels at a later date, what would be the best solution to suit that particular scenario? The picture is of my battery bank and looking at the size of those traction batteries I'm very glad that they are ok.

Thank you Tony and others, I guess that since the red cut-offs were both still 'on' that the leisure batteries may well be flattened and ruined. Nothing tripped on the 240v circuit, I just expected everything to work as the mains switch was set to that rather than 'inverter. The inverter is a pro-power Q 1800w. I shall carry-on my investigations to try and rule some things out/make remote diagnosis possible. Thanks again for your time.

es, I appreciate that you need more detail and will wait for the electrician but thanks for reading the post.

My boat was built around 2007. It has been sitting around without much use for the last ten years before I recently bought it. It has a shoreline galvanic transformer, Sterling 1800w sine-wave inverter with remote switch, Mikuni MX40 heater and two alternators on the Vetus M4.15/Technodrive TMC60 powerplant. There is a switchover control from shore to off to inverter and a 240v triple trip panel. From my searches on the forum I realise that some of those items may already be red-flags but please forgive my foolishness in not knowing that sooner. I selected 'shorepower' on the switch, plugged in my suitcase generator to the shoreline socket and flipped the 240 trips. The generator sensed load and speeded up but nothing on the boat worked, whatever the position of the individual 12v master switches. The boat 'ignition' key was not turned as I felt that it wouldn't logically need to be left outside in such a vulnerable position. Both red key masters (presumably one for each battery/bank) were 'on'. Deciding that discretion were the better part of foolish valour I switched everything off and started to check over the engine (which I knew was last started in December). Belts tightened and levels done I was delighted when it fired straight up and settled to a good, steady, smooth idle. There was a constant beeping but no lights showing on the 'dash' and a good 14v showing. Then I noticed the blue wire floating free from the larger alternator. Bugger! I realise that I should really wait until the boatyard electrician can find a spot for me but I should like very much to have a clue where to look first. I cannot see a connector that the blue wire has escaped-from and know that not all installations use all the alternator wires but.... As an aside, why is everything in the engine bay so hard to even see, let alone work-on, I feel that it could be mirror-lined to advantage and that even tough vertically challenged myself, Hobbits would make superior boat-techs.

Brilliant. Thanks Tony

That's a good idea because every time I open this hatch it starts to rain. I understand it's called a Schaffenaker Hatch

I think that ventilation grilles top and bottom in the cupboards/wardrobes will help. I have also considered covering the hatches in the floors with some kind of perforated mesh. Ultimately, I suppose, the solution is, as Tony suggests, a dedicated whole-boat active ventilation system with heat-recovery but that would require a level of scientific skill (and possibly small-scale hardware) in an area that I don't possess. I bet there is such in the mega-yacht market but I'm not really there, just yet!

Thank you both. I guess ventilation is the key, then. I agree that the bilge has probably been wet or at least damp for a while at some point as it is very rusty (Though surveyed with lots of thickness remaining) There was some vague talk of a leaking hatch having been 'sorted' so that might be where the water was originally from) The carpet idea was from something I read about not having smooth surfaces for the water to condense-on. It is really useful to have real knowledge as opposed to speculation - thanks

As I dig further into my 2007-built boat and 'Miss Marple' its history - I threw away 23 bin-bags today - food out of date in 2009 etc etc I am coming across several interesting areas including a couple of roughly jigsawed-out holes in the floor inside cupboards at the rear of the boat to give access to the ballast/bilge (My guess is for inspection/drainage as I also found a couple of home-made 12v sump-pumps). This explains why those cupboards have a lovely layer of white mould inside. I aim to fill these holes but wondered if a layer of carpet tile on top would help prevent the cold striking up into the air above and mouldying it up again? Similarly, directly above this area the rear hatch is completely uninsulated and constantly covered in condensation. I wondered about removing and inverting it and making some formwork inside so I can 'cast' spray foam without affecting the operation. Much of the condensation/mould is a result of the almost complete lack of use the boat has seen but I'd also like to do whatever I can to prevent it in future. What should I do? PS, there were a couple of sets of very well-insulated 'overalls' which might be a fishing thing but would be ideal for winter-cruising. U nfortunately I am not a size M...

all good clean fun, thanks! I have my brush and rods ready to sweep the chimney as my first job so I can recommission the Squirrel. I may well take the chimney off in the summer as it needs painting (as does virtually every other inch of the boat, but I knew that) so that'd be a good time to jet-wash my flue, matron.

Good idea, Thanks, I'll bring 'em back to Cleck and have a crack at that.

Having finally got the keys to my boat I am noticing more and more things to add to my list. Both front and rear rope fenders are about as green as Popeye's diet. Could I please have any suggestion for the best cleaning technique and materials? My first thought was diluted bleach and a scrubbing brush but fear that I might end up with a rotting, frizzy mess (and a T-shirt that looks like a tie-dyed Dalmation .

At the risk of being Captain Obvious, I presume that you are applying some special tank-paint after the rust-treatment? I guess that which ever product that is will dictate what to use underneath it. The video I've seen showed a bitumenous coating bit I am sure that there are others as tanks are often lined and painted in industry. (not to mention classic motorcycles, but not usually for drinking water!)

Remember that most of the boats you see will be a steel shell which has similar issues to a shipping container when you are looking to live in it. I reckon that a good yard could actually build something from scratch which looked like a NB but was actually more practical to fit out as habitable office space. think of it as a metal house extension, like the hospitality units used on building sites as they have solar and drains and so-on. It does sound like a very fun-filled project, it certainly got me thinking.

I agree you should keep your thumb out of the way. A break in that area used to be known as 'Chauffeurs thumb'

Yesterday I was foolishly put in charge of an incinerator bin, effectively a perforated dustbin with a stubby chimney on top. It was very cold (My van said -3 when I started it) and still in the small garden area where I was working. There were some lovely effects from the smoke going up about a foot and then spectacularly cascading back to earth, filling the 'sink bowl' created by the hedge-borders. I was reminded of those old 'mushroom' fountains in the middle of sewage-works. Some great advice in this thread for future amelioration but I reckon that most of what you are experiencing is a non-typical winter inversion made worse by the compromised nature of the flue in a boat. My home stove has a double-skinned chimney up above the first floor roof line and the smoke still behaves the same on cold, still days.