When do you run your engine?

[Jennifer McM]

On 14/10/2018 at 17:59, Rumsky said:

Whenever I need to within the permitted times, generally in one go rather than splitting it throughout the day.

 

And so it never bothers me when other people chose to run theirs. There seems to be a lot of people lately with super sensitive hearing or a very low tolerance threshold.

Same with us. Maybe it's our boat, I don't know, but mooring near train tracks doesn't bother us either, though when we do we get a very good wifi signal. 

 

Honestly can't think of a time where another moored boat has annoyed us, it's each to their own. I'm not saying we've not been annoyed, it's just that I can't think of a time.

 

 

[Dr Bob]

58 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

Same with us. Maybe it's our boat, I don't know, but mooring near train tracks doesn't bother us either, though when we do we get a very good wifi signal. 

 

Honestly can't think of a time where another moored boat has annoyed us, it's each to their own. I'm not saying we've not been annoyed, it's just that I can't think of a time.

 

 

In the summer, we often spend an hour or so sitting in the cratch in the early evening 6-8pm ish taking in the tranquility of it all. It only happened once this year, but parked out in the middle of nowhere, a boat came in around 6.30ish and reversed to about 5ft from our bow and then left his noisey engine running for an hour. That annoyed me. In the winter, its no issue as the doors are shut.

[Jennifer McM]

1 hour ago, Dr Bob said:

In the summer, we often spend an hour or so sitting in the cratch in the early evening 6-8pm ish taking in the tranquility of it all. It only happened once this year, but parked out in the middle of nowhere, a boat came in around 6.30ish and reversed to about 5ft from our bow and then left his noisey engine running for an hour. That annoyed me. In the winter, its no issue as the doors are shut.

Yep, that would annoy me.  

[cereal tiller]

6 minutes ago, Jennifer McM said:

Yep, that would annoy me.  

We moored on the 24 Hour  EA site adjacent to Farnmoor reservoir and as they were empty parked up at one end so as to maximise space. a bit later a 45 foot Boat arrived and said how thoughtful it was for me to moor right at the end ,he then proceeded to moor Smack in the middle of the Gap!several other Boats arrived and could not Moor so I suggested the Bod moved up ,he said he had started Fishing and would rather remain where he was!... 

[colinwilks]

The boat opposite us at The Lime Kilns on the Ashby has just turned his engine off on the dot of 9.00pm. Either he has misinterpreted the "0800 to 2000" rule or he has missed the fact that the hour went back a week ago.

[Naughty Cal]

On 17/10/2018 at 12:49, Jennifer McM said:

Same with us. Maybe it's our boat, I don't know, but mooring near train tracks doesn't bother us either, though when we do we get a very good wifi signal. 

 

Honestly can't think of a time where another moored boat has annoyed us, it's each to their own. I'm not saying we've not been annoyed, it's just that I can't think of a time.

 

 

It annoyed us when the boat moored next to us at Grimsby started up his huge twin diesel engines with booming exhausts to "warm them up" 30 minutes before he was due to leave on the tide at 3.30am.

 

What annoyed us when more was 45 minutes later he decided he wasn't going anyway and then turned them off.

[yabasayo]

If there is an issue with engine noise when charging batteries, why not just invest in one of those whisper quiet Honda portable generators ?

[Alan de Enfield]

5 minutes ago, yabasayo said:

If there is an issue with engine noise when charging batteries, why not just invest in one of those whisper quiet Honda portable generators ?

Because then you have all of the safety & BSS issues of carrying / using / buying petrol.

[yabasayo]

No problem with a bit of common sense applied. A litre of petrol runs my generator for 4 hrs. Fuel carried in a one gallon steel jerry can gives almost 20 hrs charging. No more dangerous than having gas on board in my view.

[WotEver]

3 minutes ago, yabasayo said:

No more dangerous than having gas on board in my view.

Sadly it’s not your view that counts though. It’s the BSS’s. 

[system 4-50]

4 hours ago, yabasayo said:

If there is an issue with engine noise when charging batteries, why not just invest in one of those whisper quiet Honda portable generators ?

because the exhaust smells foul when they are running.

[MtB]

8 hours ago, yabasayo said:

No more dangerous than having gas on board in my view.

 

Which is of course very dangerous indeed, hence the considerable restrictions in the BSS on its storage and use in boats. This biggest chapter in the whole of the BSS iirc.  

Petrol generator misuse is one of the leading causes of deaths in inland boating.

[yabasayo]

16 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

because the exhaust smells foul when they are running.

Compared to running your main diesel - I doubt it. Anyway the (portable) generator can be positioned at the other end of the boat or onshore. But I agree they can be dangerous if misused.

As an aside, my most recent boat, a Swedish built offshore yacht, had a large extractor fan for the engine compartment which was automatically running when the engine was running. 

Edited November 4, 2018 by yabasayo

[blackrose]

There's a boat moored near me (in a marina with shore power), which has been running the engine all day and it's still going. Seems to do it every couple of days. I can only imagine it has no mains system & no charger otherwise I don't really understand why anyone would need to run the engine? I haven't been here long as it's just my winter mooring but the chances are that boat's been here for a while as it has one of the best and sought after end of pontoon hammerhead moorings. The engine isn't particularly noisy but I just can't understand why anyone would want to waste all that diesel and put all that unneccesary wear on their engine every day. On the other hand, if the boat has a mains system, perhaps the owner just doesn't understand that all he/she needs is a decent battery charger?

16 hours ago, system 4-50 said:

because the exhaust smells foul when they are running.

You think deisel exhaust smells better than petrol exhaust?

Edited November 4, 2018 by blackrose

[system 4-50]

21 minutes ago, yabasayo said:

Compared to running your main diesel - I doubt it. Anyway the (portable) generator can be positioned at the other end of the boat or onshore. But I agree they can be dangerous if misused.

Doubt away, but in a comparison of petrol exhaust (my Honda EU20i) and diesel exhaust (Beta 43) , the diesel is far preferable. 

Blackrose, do you think differently?

[mrsmelly]

20 hours ago, yabasayo said:

No problem with a bit of common sense applied. A litre of petrol runs my generator for 4 hrs. Fuel carried in a one gallon steel jerry can gives almost 20 hrs charging. No more dangerous than having gas on board in my view.

They sound bloody awful and are very far from " silent " especialy when some house dwelling type has his wife ( obviously ) running an iron or hairdryer from one when the poxy thing revs up and bloomin down!! Way worse than even some old knacker diesel.

[Arthur Marshall]

On 02/11/2018 at 21:12, colinwilks said:

The boat opposite us at The Lime Kilns on the Ashby has just turned his engine off on the dot of 9.00pm. Either he has misinterpreted the "0800 to 2000" rule or he has missed the fact that the hour went back a week ago.

I've noticed over the last couple of years that seems to be the general rule in the summer.  I think it's just plonkers stretching the rules as usual, expecting that no-one will challenge them, which in general no-one does.

 

[ditchcrawler]

22 hours ago, yabasayo said:

No problem with a bit of common sense applied. A litre of petrol runs my generator for 4 hrs. Fuel carried in a one gallon steel jerry can gives almost 20 hrs charging. No more dangerous than having gas on board in my view.

So where  do you keep your petrol and generator when not on the bank running?

[yabasayo]

Petrol in gas locker in one gallon airtight steel jerrycan. This is also fuel for the tender outboard as carried by most yachts.

Generator in a similar locker - its a small Honda suitcase type.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

4 minutes ago, yabasayo said:

Petrol in gas locker in one gallon airtight steel jerrycan. 

 

BSS Failure (if inspected by an examiner that follows the guidelines / rules)

 

eg :- Steel Jerry Can could 'bump' the gas cylinder and create a spark.

 

Cylinder lockers must not contain loose, sharp, or heavy items such as anchors
or mooring pins that could damage the cylinders or other LPG system
components.
Cylinder lockers must not contain any item that could ignite leaked LPG.

 

7 minutes ago, yabasayo said:

This is also fuel for the tender outboard as carried by most yachts.

Most yachts don't have to have a BSS.

[yabasayo]

11 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

BSS Failure (if inspected by an examiner that follows the guidelines / rules)

 

eg :- Steel Jerry Can could 'bump' the gas cylinder and create a spark. That's an imaginative step too far. It would have to be a very high speed bump. By your logic you would not be allowed two gas bottles.

 

Cylinder lockers must not contain loose, sharp, or heavy items such as anchors
or mooring pins that could damage the cylinders or other LPG system
components.
Cylinder lockers must not contain any item that could ignite leaked LPG.

 

Most yachts don't have to have a BSS. And most yachts don't go up in flames.

Petrol in gas locker in one gallon airtight steel jerrycan. This is also fuel for the tender outboard as carried by most yachts.

Generator in a similar locker - its a small Honda suitcase type.

 

[Alan de Enfield]

32 minutes ago, yabasayo said:

Petrol in gas locker in one gallon airtight steel jerrycan. This is also fuel for the tender outboard as carried by most yachts.

Generator in a similar locker - its a small Honda suitcase type.

 

Re your two gas bottles comment :

 

The gas bottle(s) must be secured so they cannot move.

If you had a 1 gallon PLASTIC container and it was strapped down it would be compliant, as it is, it is not compliant.

 

I think you are not understanding why you need a BSS.

You need a BSS because the law says so - not because it stops you dying.

 

No - most yachts don't go up in flames, but YOU NEED A BSS, a yacht doesn't. YOU MUST COMPLY with the BSS rules to get a licence. However ridiculous the rules are if you don't comply then you don't get your licence and you don't get to use your boat.

[Momac]

On 04/11/2018 at 19:16, yabasayo said:

Compared to running your main diesel - I doubt it. Anyway the (portable) generator can be positioned at the other end of the boat or onshore. But I agree they can be dangerous if misused.

Someone placed a generator well away from his own boat - but nearer my boat - the other week.  

I could smell the exhaust fumes but did not like to complain. He  switched the generator off at 8.30pm.

I  did not sleep well that night and the next morning felt terrible and was  sick after  sudden stomach pain.  Felt weak as a kitten. Took a couple of days to feel right.

Wife ate the same food but had not sat were I did . She had no problem.

I am convinced it was CO poisoning.

 

[ditchcrawler]

35 minutes ago, MartynG said:

Someone placed a generator well away from his own boat - but nearer my boat - the other week.  

I could smell the exhaust fumes but did not like to complain. He  switched the generator off at 8.30pm.

I  did not sleep well that night and the next morning felt terrible and was  sick after  sudden stomach pain.  Felt weak as a kitten. Took a couple of days to feel right.

Wife ate the same food but had not sat were I did . She had no problem.

I am convinced it was CO poisoning.

 

Have you got any CO detectors onboard and did they alarm at all ?

[TheBiscuits]

36 minutes ago, MartynG said:

Someone placed a generator well away from his own boat - but nearer my boat - the other week.  

I could smell the exhaust fumes but did not like to complain. He  switched the generator off at 8.30pm.

I  did not sleep well that night and the next morning felt terrible and was  sick after  sudden stomach pain.  Felt weak as a kitten. Took a couple of days to feel right.

Wife ate the same food but had not sat were I did . She had no problem.

I am convinced it was CO poisoning.

 

It was quite surprising to me how easy it is to "trip over" those so they "accidentally" fall in the canal, especially after 8 pm... 

 

FWIW you probably did have a touch of CO.  I find the stuff makes me more likely to "trip up" near them, obviously due to the weakness you mentioned.