Not Impressed so far

[kev4short]

Having moved onto a live aboard a few months back, I had problems with my heating, its Morso Squrrell with back boiler feeding four rads.It was great tostart with but then just didnt seem to get to any near like the temperature that I was originally getting. I had a "specialist Boat heating engineer" out but still no good and all he said was they dont get that hot as my rads were only luke warm and even the pipes from back of fire were not that warm. He charged me and left but I was no better off really. It turned out to be the chimney needed a clean and the top of the back boiler needed cleaning off. I have done this now and hey presto its all back as it should be. Surely these things should have been some of the first things to check ?

I also has an electrician come and test the boat as wanted to make sure everything is working ok, I could not be there at the time but he said all was well, yet my inverter keeps making a loud beep when switched on ! so this is not working properly either ! I am a little peeved that these people are so quick to take your money for half a job.Does everyone think you are loaded just because you own a boat ? I am sure there are some good trades out there but the guys I have used so far leave a little to the imagination !

[Naughty Cal]

Inverters tend to beep when they are overloaded so there may well not be a problem with your electrics. You could just be asking too much of your inverter.

[MoominPapa]

I think this is my cue to pop up and say:

 

"Living on a boat isn't like living in a house. You're your own electricity supplier, sewage undertaker, water supplier, and gas supplier. Oh, and provider of propulsion systems too. The systems in a boat are a lot less standard and a lot more complicated than the systems in a house, or even a car. There are far fewer people who you can pay money to to fix them, and those people are a whole lot less regulated and interchangeable than people working on houses (or cars).

 

Therefore, living on a boat without being at least reasonably handy at electricity, plumbing, mechanics and general DIY is a quick way to unhappiness and penury. We see it over and over again here. People arrive with naive technical questions who indicate they have had very little exposure to these things in the past, which is fine. One of two things happen, either they continue with the misapprehension that all you need to do is find "good people" and pay them money, or they start learning, fast. The former normally don't last: the latter do."

 

Just my 2d-worth. It sounds like the OP is in the "learning fast" category.

 

MP.

[oarfish]

Had similar problems last year when someone connected our adverc / charger incorrectly boiling batteries and popping circuits at high revs. Was an expensive screw up.

[RLWP]

Hi Kev,

 

welcome to the forum

 

Your profile says Warwickshire, whereabouts are you moored? It sounds like you need to find someone local, experienced and friendly to come and help you

 

Richard

[Chris Pink]

I think this is my cue to pop up and say:

 

"Living on a boat isn't like living in a house. You're your own electricity supplier, sewage undertaker, water supplier, and gas supplier. Oh, and provider of propulsion systems too. The systems in a boat are a lot less standard and a lot more complicated than the systems in a house, or even a car. There are far fewer people who you can pay money to to fix them, and those people are a whole lot less regulated and interchangeable than people working on houses (or cars).

 

Therefore, living on a boat without being at least reasonably handy at electricity, plumbing, mechanics and general DIY is a quick way to unhappiness and penury. We see it over and over again here. People arrive with naive technical questions who indicate they have had very little exposure to these things in the past, which is fine. One of two things happen, either they continue with the misapprehension that all you need to do is find "good people" and pay them money, or they start learning, fast. The former normally don't last: the latter do."

 

Just my 2d-worth. It sounds like the OP is in the "learning fast" category.

 

MP.

 

I nearly said that but would have probably sounded more acerbic.

 

Well said.

 

Cleaning the chimney isn't a difficult thing to work out - most problem solving starts with the question "what has changed?"

[Boat&Bikes]

I cant remember it being any easier to find decent workmen for house repairs.As for boats i just make sure i get people that come recommended by people i trust.Its worked so far.....

 

Ian.

[Naughty Cal]

I think after four and a half years we pretty much understand our boats very basic set up. We don't pay for hired help very often. It just takes some time to figure your boat out.

[nicknorman]

As has been said, unfortunately the best (or only) way is to "do it yourself" unless you are able to get hold of one of those few people out there who actually know what they are doing and have an interest in helping you rather than lightening your wallet! When we got our new boat a couple of years ago, there was a minor niggle with the engine. A Beta engineer came out (actually a contractor) because the engine was under warranty. He tinkered, didn't fix the problem, and left. The boat conked out a couple of miles later and I had to fix the original problem, and the new problem he had created, myself. Never again will I let some alleged "engineer" loose on my boat!

 

Fortunately this forum is a mine of useful information on technical subjects, and the participants are keen to help you. Just try to post questions with sufficient information to enable a diagnosis. Posting "my engine doesn't work" for example, would not be likely to elicit a helpful response!

 

Your process has started, you have learnt not only that the chimney need cleaning out probably more than a domestic one, but also that its quite easy, if a little dirty, to do! Progress!

Edited February 1, 2013 by nicknorman

[cheshire~rose]

A lot of it will simply be the learning curve of getting to know your boat and getting to understand living aboard.

 

Your boat may have things that are not working to their optimum. If it was bought second hand then things deterioate - slowly, the previous owner may not have noticed, or noticed and could not be bothered/could not afford to put them right. They are teething problems.

 

You will learn there are many little things you can do regularly to ensure some things stay working to their optimum for as long as possible and there are other things where your lifestyle adapts to take account of things that are perhaps not quite what you might hope for in an ideal world.

 

You have come through an especially damp and cold period. Spring is in the air, come back in September and tell us how much more impressed you are then.

[Guest]

I think after four and a half years we pretty much understand our boats very basic set up. We don't pay for hired help very often. It just takes some time to figure your boat out.

Yes, the more jobs you tackle on the boat, the more you "get to know it." That was my experience with our first NB anyway, which we bought secondhand.

[matty40s]

I attended a boat yesterday as they had problems with their shower pump which wasn't working and has resulted in the posh wood floor lifting an over inch in the bedroom.

The fitout was supposedly by a reputedly good fitter, however, the installation was totally inadequate. Auto bilge pump fitted in a tray with inadequate (and unprotected from water)wiring, fixed plumbing with push fittings glued together and the shelf flooring above was glued down along with the screws heads holding it being worn away.

In stead of a simple job, I was there all day, replaced the plumbing, proper golper pump with a switch, wiring and made it all accesible.

As for the floor......I am doing an insurance report.

 

 

There are good and bad operators everywhere, in all walks of life, not just on boats. Talk to other boaters, ask questions on here, you will either be able to do it yourself, or find someone who can help resolve the issue.

 

edited to add, the reputedly good fitter has had a few mentions on here recently!!

Edited February 1, 2013 by matty40s

[Trix]

I bought my boat in a marina and had to sit there for a few weeks and all was well , the minute i left onto the canal things started to go wrong, whilst sat at the many stoppages along the way i have learnt a great deal about the boat and how it works in the last two months . This forum has been a big help as well . Once you sort out the niggles it is fantastic but I know how you, feel hanging my head down the engine bay to discover the broken fan belt in the dark with flat batteries is not much fun as was the heating packing up . My heating was caused by a build up of rust at the pump that circulated it which in turn caused an air lock i got there in the end and all is now well , but i rarely use it as the fire keeps us very warm indeed and is cheaper than the gas.

 

buy a couple of basic books on marine engines and electrics to help you.

[luctor et emergo]

Hi Kev,

 

welcome to the forum

 

Your profile says Warwickshire, whereabouts are you moored? It sounds like you need to find someone local, experienced and friendly to come and help you

 

Richard

 

Did you have somebody in mind?

[Mac of Cygnet]

I think after four and a half years we pretty much understand our boats very basic set up. We don't pay for hired help very often. It just takes some time to figure your boat out.

 

It certainly does. Cygnet is just a little boat, but I'm still actually finding things I didn't even know existed (perhaps I'm just a slow learner!)

[sociable_hermit]

Cleaning the chimney isn't a difficult thing to work out - most problem solving starts with the question "what has changed?"

 

Hopefully it wasn't the headache, drowsiness and tingling lips that gave it away

[Naughty Cal]

It certainly does. Cygnet is just a little boat, but I'm still actually finding things I didn't even know existed (perhaps I'm just a slow learner!)

 

NC is only 25 ft but even at that length there are many systems to get to grips with. She was only 5 years old when we bought her but even at that young age there were plenty of little jobs to keep us occupied. At going on for 10 years old now we have tinkered with pretty much everything onboard!

 

The more you get to know your boat and the more you are willing to do yourself then the more money you save but also you will gain more confidence in your boat and your own skills to fix things as and when they occur.

 

We have found that the trick is to fix things as and when they break. That way you don't end up dismayed at the long list of things to do and end up doing nothing.

[Pennine]

What would 'old hands' recommend as a basic kit of spare parts to have stashed ready for the inevitable component failure. Items like fan belts, are obvious, but what else, for that 'Oh b*ll*cks' moment?

[Naughty Cal]

A kit of electrical connectors, wire snippers, electrical tape, etc.

 

A kit of plumbing bits, hose clips, impellers, etc.

 

Engine spares, spare belts, spare oil, spare fuel filters, coolant etc.

 

And then random bits like spare bulbs and a spare bottle opener!

[nb Innisfree]

I designed and fitted out every inch of our 60' nb from a bare shell, a long steep learning curve which resulted in me knowing every nook and cranny. But even then after several years I sometimes forget what I did in places and occasionally, faced with say an electrical problem, I look at a mass of wiring as if someone else did it and have to sit and rethink all the details until it becomes familiar again, like an old long lost friend.

 

I designed a system of valves to divert between one water tank and another which also doubles as a ballast tank, but after teaching my missus all it's intricacies it's always her that operates them resulting in her having to remind me how it all works!

[Leonie]

What would 'old hands' recommend as a basic kit of spare parts to have stashed ready for the inevitable component failure. Items like fan belts, are obvious, but what else, for that 'Oh b*ll*cks' moment?

 

It doesn't matter what 'old hands' recommend because each time something goes wrong on the boat (and it will, oh it will), it will be something you couldn't have considered in a million years, would never have known about had it not gone wrong and will struggle to find a way to solve it that doesn't hurt your wallet and stretch your DIY skills at the same time.

 

Having moved onto a live aboard a few months back, I had problems with my heating, its Morso Squrrell with back boiler feeding four rads.It was great tostart with but then just didnt seem to get to any near like the temperature that I was originally getting. I had a "specialist Boat heating engineer" out but still no good and all he said was they dont get that hot as my rads were only luke warm and even the pipes from back of fire were not that warm. He charged me and left but I was no better off really. It turned out to be the chimney needed a clean and the top of the back boiler needed cleaning off. I have done this now and hey presto its all back as it should be. Surely these things should have been some of the first things to check ?

I also has an electrician come and test the boat as wanted to make sure everything is working ok, I could not be there at the time but he said all was well, yet my inverter keeps making a loud beep when switched on ! so this is not working properly either ! I am a little peeved that these people are so quick to take your money for half a job.Does everyone think you are loaded just because you own a boat ? I am sure there are some good trades out there but the guys I have used so far leave a little to the imagination !

 

To be fair to the workmen described here the 'heating specialist' probably assumed that basic tasks like flue cleaning etc had been seen to before a specialist was called at great expense.

 

The electrician was probably correct in assessing everything as working okay. Why on earth you would have someone come and do that while you weren't present, I'll never understand. He probably had no idea you would run the inverter while the batteries weren't charged fully enough to cope with whatever you were using them for.

 

Unfortunately a lot of boat work is guess work so if you don't have at least a vauge understanding of what could be wrong before caling a work person then you can expect to pay a premium while they faff around and try to diagnose the problem before they can attempt to fix it. I have learned this the hard way.

Edited February 1, 2013 by Leonie

[Naughty Cal]

Not all jobs on boats have to be expensive.

 

Our main bilge float switch packed up oddly at the same time the warning buzzer for the same broke. Result we didn't know it was broken and when we got a leak from the shower managed to get the cabin wet.

 

Total cost for the repair £10 for a new float switch, £2.50 for a new buzzer, nothing to unblock the shower sump filter and some elbow grease to clean the carpets.

 

Had we hired someone to do this lot it would have cost a small fortune. In the end it cost us £12.50 and a few hours work.

 

Engine servicing is another good way to save. For our particular engine we can get the genuine service bits for £150 and it takes about 3 hours to do the work. When we paid for a full service when we first bought the boat it cost us £450 and half of the stuff was not done. Same goes for the sterndrive servicing. We more than half the cost by doing it ourselves.

[Keeping Up]

As well as fanbelt, general tools, wire, and a voltmeter, the two big items that I keep spares of are a water puimp and an alternator.

[Chalky]

 

The systems in a boat are a lot less standard and a lot more complicated than the systems in a house, or even a car.

 

 

More complex than a house, significantly simpler than a car. (25 years automotive electronics and systems design). I've never come across a standard boat electrical system. We spend years working on vehicle designs to iron out as many issues as we can. Each boat is effectively a 1 off prototype. If each one had as much development work put into them as the average vehicle manufacturer spends on a family car design each one would cost millions.

 

The bleep is either an overload warning caused by the inverter temporarily having to source loads of current to start something, or a low battery alarm caused by the inverter having to temporarily draw loads of current from the battery to pre-charge the DC link capacitors (unlike automotive drive inverters they're not soft start). Don't panic, the one on my boat sometimes does the same.

 

What would 'old hands' recommend as a basic kit of spare parts to have stashed ready for the inevitable component failure. Items like fan belts, are obvious, but what else, for that 'Oh b*ll*cks' moment?

 

Complete set of spanners, screwdrivers and allan keys that fit every nut, bolt, and screw on the boat. Spare nuts & bolts. Spare wire, Bulbs, fuses, jubilee clips, spare off cut of hose (left over from fitout), some spare Hep2O fittings (left over from fitout), Jump leads (domestic to starter). Actually - thinking about this I really must get round to cleaning the junk out of the cupboard!

[Nine of Hearts]

I think we should pin this thread, especially Moomin and Mr Pink's remarks, so that next time someone asks one of theose technical (usually electrical) questions and gets a response along the lines of, "the fact that you're asking is ringing alarm bells with me, get a professional in", we can point said responder in this direction.

 

Hi Kev,

 

welcome to the forum

 

Your profile says Warwickshire, whereabouts are you moored? It sounds like you need to find someone local, experienced and friendly to come and help you

 

Richard

 

Now where in the dear Lord's name in Warwickshire would he find someone like that?