Hello Amelians- Would love to get advice, so please indulge me. Situation: I'm in Martinique, three weeks from heading to Bonaire for hurricane season.........then Aruba, Columbia, Panama, and through the canal......i.e. about to head away from the island chain and abundant technical support.

Through owning L'ORIENT (SM2K #422) for 8 years (and being cheap), I've become fairly technically competent with the boat and haven't paid for a technician in years.........and owe a lot to the posts I've read here for that. While not every repair has been smooth I've found the answer is always in this site. In maintaining the boat, I try to balance opposing cliches......."don't fix it if it isn't broken"........and "you can't be afraid of your boat".

So, the other day I decide to test the engine and attempt to get the revs up while motoring...........can't get above 1900 RPM. No big deal........it must be a dirty prop, like always..........so I dive on the prop and find some peach fuzz and a few smalll barnacles but not enough (in my estimation) to cause the loss of revs (this has happened to me before quite often when I lived at Miami Beach Marina for 2 years).

So after cleaning the prop I test the boat again and am able to achieve 2800 RPMs without vibration or problem (a bit of additional exhaust smell maybe but I think that was wind direction). This still leaves me uncomfortable since I feel like there should have been more fouling on the prop.

I have in my spares 4 new fuel injectors, guides, fuel line, etc........everything I need to change the injectors; however this is a project I've never done before. I'm normally decisive in this situation but don't really have a direction figured out yet. So, what now ?

1) do nothing......engine has only 2600 hours and things seem OK now. Also, it might not even be the injectors !!!

2) pay a guy to change the injectors and test the engine (hate this option)

3) change the injectors myself (my uncle, the former chief mechanic for a major US city thinks I'm a wimp to even consider paying someone else.........says he could do this in an hour while drinking 3 Buds).

My hesistancy to reflexively go to the "do nothing" option is that if the problem re-emerges in someplace less saturated with potential help I will wish I had dealt with it now.

Thoughts ?

On 26 Apr 2018, at 17:13, Ian & Judy ianjudyjenkins@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

Hi All,

I thought this subject had been reviewed so many times that there was nothing else to know. However.....

Last year our 78hp Volvo was partially rebuilt by the Volvo agent in Hyeres. Not a happy experience, but we did end up with an engine performing as it should. With a clean bottom and prop  the rev counter went up to 2800 with a top speed in calm water of about 8.4k, much the same as when the boat was launched 18 years ago. We are pretty rigorous about opening the throttle to max every 12 hours or so.

We put about 290 hours on the engine and then left the boat ashore till this month. I changed the oil and fuel filters. We have twin Racors before fuel reaches the engine.

Having launched, with a spotless bottom and Autoprop, we  motored for about 12 hours at no more than 1900 revs.

Performance was perfect- up to 7.1k at 1800.    I then opened the throttle but with the lever full ahead the revs would not exceed 2100.  At 2000 revs we do 7.3k and at 2100 7.7k, what I would expect. But nothing above 2100.

More than that, on four occasions when I have tried full throttle the revs have fallen back  suddenly to about 1500, on one occasion stopping the engine.

I should mention that the refit included a new turbo , injectors and exhaust elbow and the fuel pump was sent off to Bosch who confirmed that it was fine

Diving on the prop shows that it is still spotless.

My thoughts are that there must be a fuel shortage when I open the throttle; that there is sufficient flow up to 2100  for the engine to perform correctly but above that there is fuel starvation.  I have changed both the engine and the Racor filters again, in case some fuel bug had grown over the winter and blocked them. The ones I took off were spotless and the fuel they contained was also spotless.

Anyone got any thoughts ?

Ian and Judy, Pen Azen, SM 302, Korfos, Greece

My thoug

On 26 Apr 2018, at 14:56, thomas.kleman <no_reply@...> wrote:

Hello Amelians- Would love to get advice, so please indulge me. Situation: I'm in Martinique, three weeks from heading to Bonaire for hurricane season.........then Aruba, Columbia, Panama, and through the canal......i.e. about to head away from the island chain and abundant technical support.

Through owning L'ORIENT (SM2K #422) for 8 years (and being cheap), I've become fairly technically competent with the boat and haven't paid for a technician in years.........and owe a lot to the posts I've read here for that. While not every repair has been smooth I've found the answer is always in this site. In maintaining the boat, I try to balance opposing cliches......."don't fix it if it isn't broken"........and "you can't be afraid of your boat".

So, the other day I decide to test the engine and attempt to get the revs up while motoring...........can't get above 1900 RPM. No big deal........it must be a dirty prop, like always..........so I dive on the prop and find some peach fuzz and a few smalll barnacles but not enough (in my estimation) to cause the loss of revs (this has happened to me before quite often when I lived at Miami Beach Marina for 2 years).

So after cleaning the prop I test the boat again and am able to achieve 2800 RPMs without vibration or problem (a bit of additional exhaust smell maybe but I think that was wind direction). This still leaves me uncomfortable since I feel like there should have been more fouling on the prop.

I have in my spares 4 new fuel injectors, guides, fuel line, etc........everything I need to change the injectors; however this is a project I've never done before. I'm normally decisive in this situation but don't really have a direction figured out yet. So, what now ?

1) do nothing......engine has only 2600 hours and t hings seem OK now. Also, it might not even be the injectors !!!

2) pay a guy to change the injectors and test the engine (hate this option)

3) change the injectors myself (my uncle, the former chief mechanic for a major US city thinks I'm a wimp to even consider paying someone else.........says he could do this in an hour while drinking 3 Buds).

My hesistancy to reflexively go to the "do nothing" option is that if the problem re-emerges in someplace less saturated with potential help I will wish I had dealt with it now.

Thoughts ?

On Apr 26, 2018, at 2:33 AM, James Alton lokiyawl2@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

Ryan,

   Well I have used mineral spirits/paint thinner (for oil based paints,  not urethanes)  on Acrylics for 40 years on countless boats without any obvious negative effects but that is the only testing that I have done.  I always tape to keep the worst of the caulking off.  Scrap the bulk of the material off with something soft like the soft plastic spreaders used for applying bondo and then finish cleaning with rags and the paint thinner.  Also, if you only clean up a small area at a time, your caulking will be easier to remove.  Once you disturb the bead and spread it out thin, it cures much more quickly.

   Bill R. is definitely right that if you use a lower strength silicone that the future removal will be much easier.  My reasons for using the 3145 is because the caulking can last the life of the new plexiglass without leakage and I would rather fight with the removal aspect at the end than to deal with leaks and having to redo the caulking.  There seems to always be a piper to pay!  (grin)  The 3145 btw  is also non corrosive so the stainless screws fair a bit better than if you use the more common silicones with the acetic acid in them.  I think that there are other non corrosive silicones with a lower strength than the 3145 out there but don’t know of any that are clear or white off hand.  Perhaps others can help. 

Best of luck with your project.

James

SV Sueño

Maramu #220 

  

On Apr 25, 2018, at 6:07 PM, Bill Rouse brouse@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

Silicone RTV. If you get any squeezed out when screwing down, cut it with a razor and peel it off. Let the screws do the securing and the RTV, the sealing. The next owner will be thankful.

Best,

CW Bill Rouse
Admiral, Texas Navy
Commander Emeritus
Amel School www.amelschool.com
720 Winnie St
Galveston Island, TX 77550
+1(832) 380-4970

On Wed, Apr 25, 2018, 19:47 Ryan Meador ryan.d.meador@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

Pat and Ian, that might be a workable idea, but it would be a lot of work.  Getting the masking tape right to paint the edges (to cover the sealant) was a huge job, and this would be the same again.

James, both of your ideas seem like much less work.  I had not considered using longer screws.  That still leaves the problem of getting the butyl tape into position, and it's very frustrating to cut... so I think perhaps I'll go the silicone route.  I also was not aware silicone could be easily wiped off acrylic.  I thought I would have to use a solvent (like acetone) which would attack it.  I'm surprised mineral spirits is safe; I usually consider that harsher than acetone.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a silicone?

Thanks,

Ryan

SM 233 Iteration

Boston, MA, USA

On Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 1:06 PM, James Alton lokiyawl2@... [amelyachtowners] <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

Ryan,

   If you want to use the butyl tape, just get some longer screws, pins or even some drill bits that fit the holes in your window panels.  Next locate a few corner holes in your frame.  Insert two long screws pins or whatever you are using into the matching holes in your new plexiglass and hold the new panel an inch or two above your window frame.  You can now work the long screws or pins into the holes you exposed in the frame and at that point lower the plexiglass into perfect position on the first try.  From that point just install several of your permanent screws and remove the temporary long locating screws or pins.  If you still have concerns, do a dry run without the butyl.  You will need some extra hands.  And no worries cleaning most silicones off of acrylic.  You can pretty much remove it with a clean rag.  Mineral spirits or paint thinner is safe for the acrylic if needed.  Don't use anything harsh like acetone.  I will let someone else recommend the sealant.  I will be using the Dow Corning 3145 Gray on mine.  

Best,

James

SV Sueno

Maramu #220

On Apr 25, 2018 11:08 AM, "Ryan Meador ryan.d.meador@... [amelyachtowners]" <amelyachtowners@...> wrote:

 

Hi all,

I'm replacing my dodger windows. I've had the acrylic fabricated, I've painted the edges, I've filled and drilled the screw holes.... The only thing I'm missing is the sealant.

I had intended to use butyl tape, but the stuff I got is way too stickly to work with. It's almost impossible to cut, and even if I got it in place, I'd be unable to fine tune the window position before screwing.

I think the original sealant was a type of silicone. Does anyone know what it was and how it was applied? I'm scared it will squish out onto the window and I won't be able to get it off the acrylic.

Thanks,

Ryan

SM 233 Iteration

Boston, MA, USA