Chichester Yacht Club Magazine December 2019 | Page 14

This month we have included some technical and safety items sent in by members relating to the ‘Winter Refit’. It’s always good to seek professional advice when it comes to maintenance, although these tips will certainly help. If you have any comments or questions please send them to Robert King via [email protected] Our first tips are courtesy of Simon D’Arcy 1: Brim-full diesel tanks. If using Premier fuel at Chichester, don’t add anything - it’s pre-treated. Condensation forms in the gap above the fuel in the tank; no gap, so less risk of the dreaded bug. 2: Change antifreeze every second year in closed loop systems. Make sure the right type of antifreeze is used. 3: Leave immersion heater on, if you have one. It typically costs less than £2 a week, if the tank is well insulated, but keeps the engine bay condensation free - if that’s where the hot water tank is located - and also well above freezing. 3: The best time to service the engine is now. In case there are issues, you have the winter to fix them without risking precious sailing time next spring and summer. 4: Make a habit of running your engine every 14 days if your boat is in the water. Run it in both gears and 20% of full throttle and for long enough to get it fully hot, 10-15 minutes minimum. Doing so tests your shore lines too! 5: Run your diesel heating every two weeks for about 30 minutes. Helps dry out the cabin and also your bilges. 6: Plug in a 500watt greenhouse heater set to 3-5 degrees above freezing. Keeps the cabin aired and damp free. Cost of using over the winter, I’ve calculated, to be around £15 in a 36ft Hallberg-Rassy. 7: if carpeted, use a Vax or hire a steam cleaner to deep clean. Pick a dry day and air the boat really, really well. Same with upholstery. I take most of mine home and dry out fully in the airing cupboard. 8: Unpack life jackets and wash them. Every third year, I let mine off to check they WORK and stay inflated. £10 per life jacket to know they work is a small price to pay every three years! Engine Flushing by Robert King Some years ago I acquired a Sparkman and Stephens 34 which had a raw water-cooled Volvo engine. She had had only one previous owner, an engineer who every year flushed the engine through with cutting oil which the machinists in his factory used on the lathes etc. Needless to say this operation was carried out when the boat was ashore to prevent contaminating the harbour and a large receptacle was placed under the exhaust outlet and the oil collected was run through again. The engine was some 30 years old and when the head was removed the water channels were clean as a whistle; no salt deposit, no corrosion good as new. Most modern engines have a sealed system and the raw water cooling is via a heat exchanger. Before the boat is lifted I normally shut the seacocks ; remove the lid of the strainer and with the engine running on tick-over flush with fresh water via a hose pipe for approximately five minutes and then flush with a large watering can of diluted antifreeze. Seems to work OK for me! 14