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The first weekend


rbateman

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I am totally new to boating.

 

I bought a widebeam a few weeks ago and a friend and I came up to Mirfield in Yorkshire this weekend to pick it up after having it re-blacked. I had hope to stay on it for a few days before getting it craned out and transported down to London. It now seems unlikely that that's going to happen anytime soon.

Firstly, the water pipes had burst in 11 places due to freezing (the shipyard not having drained the boat). With a friend, and numerous trips to B&Q, we managed to fix this up to the point where, as best as I can tell, there's no leakages anywhere.

 

The engine (a BMC 1500) worked fine when we turned it on for the first time, though there was no actual starter battery - just 3 batteries serving for

 

Interesting engine/boat size combination, be careful if going on any rivers. (widebeam/BMC1.5)

 

May have been mentioned elsewhere in post,apologies if it has.

 

L

Edited by LEO
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Really couldn't have done any of this without all your help. I owe each and every one of you a pint.

 

Great forum eh? We/They may get lots of flack for being harsh/rude/inhumane at times, but it's always heartening to see how they flood in to help a new boater.

 

:)

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From what I can tell it's a car-battery charger. Will have to look into getting a 3 stage.

Yep, have a relatively good idea of how the alternator works. The engine doesn't want to seem to catch, though, but it turns over fine. I'm going to have to ask for some help with that from the marina owner I think.

 

Just a thought....

 

Many boats have an engine "pull to stop" handle somewhere on the control panel. It isn't unknown for people to stop the engine and leave the thing pulled out, which means you can't start it again. It'll turn over but not catch. Worth checking.

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Just a thought....

 

Many boats have an engine "pull to stop" handle somewhere on the control panel. It isn't unknown for people to stop the engine and leave the thing pulled out, which means you can't start it again. It'll turn over but not catch. Worth checking.

 

Yeah, I've checked - I do have one and it seems to be down, so it should be working.

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On the subject of a water tank. Is there an inspection cover bolted on the top. Probably on the front deck. lift it and pump the tank dry if it is rusty use a potable water tank paint. Then replace the bolts with stainless steel. If you are living aboard then you will use enough water to keep it clean. I used to find an auto electric company who supply plant and HGV batteries and buy the biggest 12v battery I could fit into my bank. I saw some good looking tractor batteries at the local farmers supply. They should be good for about 4 years.

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Nobody else pick up what Leo posted?A 1500 BMC in a widebeam,hopefully not too wide or too big if your using a river,a bit small even for braking.

 

I had been mixed up - it's a BMC 2.5. The good news is that I got it working in the end with a little help. It required a little priming and the diesel was a little low, but after all that it wasn't starting mostly just due to my inexperience. Tomorrow will be the first outing - moving it to where I can get it transported. Wish me luck!

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I had been mixed up - it's a BMC 2.5. The good news is that I got it working in the end with a little help. It required a little priming and the diesel was a little low, but after all that it wasn't starting mostly just due to my inexperience. Tomorrow will be the first outing - moving it to where I can get it transported. Wish me luck!

Make sure everything inside the boat is really secured, pack everything away as if you were moving house. If it can fall it will fall. Draws will fly out onto the floor if not removed or secured and don't rely on a bit of gaffer tape.

Edit

That's for the lift out and lorry move, not the trip down the cut.

Edited by ditchcrawler
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Make sure everything inside the boat is really secured, pack everything away as if you were moving house. If it can fall it will fall. Draws will fly out onto the floor if not removed or secured and don't rely on a bit of gaffer tape.

Edit

That's for the lift out and lorry move, not the trip down the cut.

 

I'm glad you clarified that! Was beginning to think every time I moved to the next spot I'd have to pack for a house move!

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Sorry you had a bit of a bad start but it was nice to read that it's all getting sorted.

 

All I can add is that you are in the right place to get all your answers. The folk on this forum are absolutely brilliant, I have learned so much from everyone here and nothing is too much trouble.

 

Good luck and happy boating!

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Just for the avoidance of doubt....

 

It would be wise to check the levels of the cells in your battery bank. DO NOT do this while they are on charge or under any load. Isolate them first, and if they have been on charge then give them a while to settle down. I normally allow at least 10 minutes, others may think differently.

 

Ideally they should be topped up with deionised water, almost to the top (leave maybe 1/4" gap).

 

What sort of charger are you using? Car battery chargers are notoriously poor at coping with boat leisure batteries - not sure if that applies here, but mentioning it just in case.

 

P.S. Enjoy the scotch - I normally find it helps. A must-have for any boat toolkit or first aid kit tongue.gif

I agree about topping up but 1/4" from the cell tops is way too high. It leaves littke space for expansion due to temperature increase and gassing. A better way would be to cover the plates by 1/4 - 1/2" depending on the disrance between the top of the plates/separators and the cell top.

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