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The things I've learnt...


lucyblucky

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Good evening all,

 

We bought a trad stern 1991 Heritage Boat Builders NB with a Beta 1205 in July. We have had 2 boats before, a 1960's wooden top cruiser with a Lister and then a 26' Springer with a Honda outboard, but I was a child back then and so working out this boat has been left to me. (Well it was my idea). So I have been saturating my mind with all things narrowboat. Boat this, boat that, everyone's sick of it. But I have loved every minute. And wow - the things I've learnt...the mind is literally boggling with engines, pumps, greasing, painting, winterizing (fingers crossed!), but not batteries...crikey. That's advanced stuff. :wacko: CWDF has been a truly invaluable source of information so thanks to all so far.

 

I have a question about bilges.

 

If you are looking at the engine bay the engine sits inside a steel triangle area. But on either side of the triangle, between the steel triangle shape and the hull sides, there is the same mucky canal water. We hoovered it out in the summer but it's come back. These areas are seperate from main engine triangle area so a dripping stern gland wouldn't make sense. They are also seperate from underneath the rest of the boat. This area is under the stairs inside so can't see how it would be rainwater. I cannot work out how this water gets there.

 

Any ideas? Please don't say hole in side of boat! :rolleyes:

 

Thanks very much,

Lucy.

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Hi Lucy. If you check I think you'll find that the bilge under the engine doesn't go back as far as the stern gland, so the water is indeed from the canal. A dripping stern glad sounds very possible

 

Do you have a bilge pump in this part of the bilge?

 

Richard

Edited by RLWP
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Good evening all,

 

We bought a trad stern 1991 Heritage Boat Builders NB with a Beta 1205 in July. We have had 2 boats before, a 1960's wooden top cruiser with a Lister and then a 26' Springer with a Honda outboard, but I was a child back then and so working out this boat has been left to me. (Well it was my idea). So I have been saturating my mind with all things narrowboat. Boat this, boat that, everyone's sick of it. But I have loved every minute. And wow - the things I've learnt...the mind is literally boggling with engines, pumps, greasing, painting, winterizing (fingers crossed!), but not batteries...crikey. That's advanced stuff. :wacko: CWDF has been a truly invaluable source of information so thanks to all so far.

 

I have a question about bilges.

 

If you are looking at the engine bay the engine sits inside a steel triangle area. But on either side of the triangle, between the steel triangle shape and the hull sides, there is the same mucky canal water. We hoovered it out in the summer but it's come back. These areas are seperate from main engine triangle area so a dripping stern gland wouldn't make sense. They are also seperate from underneath the rest of the boat. This area is under the stairs inside so can't see how it would be rainwater. I cannot work out how this water gets there.

 

Any ideas? Please don't say hole in side of boat! :rolleyes:

 

Thanks very much,

Lucy.

 

Rain.

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There should be a brass turnscrew (like a threaded tap)somewhere in there.Tighten this,(it pushes grease into the stern gland packing.Remove the water from the bilges and keep an eye on things.If tightening the turnscrew dosen't solve this,possibley you may need the stern gland repacking.Regardes Richie

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There should be a brass turnscrew (like a threaded tap)somewhere in there.Tighten this,(it pushes grease into the stern gland packing.Remove the water from the bilges and keep an eye on things.If tightening the turnscrew dosen't solve this,possibley you may need the stern gland repacking.Regardes Richie

 

 

???

 

Sterntube greaser?

 

Richard

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Is it a cruiser-stern ?

 

You are pretty lucky if you have a cruiser stern that doesn't let rain water into the bilge.

Had two cruiser stern NB's and the only cure has been a 'pram-hood'.

Drops in 5 minutes for cruising, back up in 5 minutes for an extra "room" for wet clothes etc in a evening.

 

AND keeps the rain out of the bilge :

 

DSCF0002-3.jpg

 

Edit : Just noticed OP has a Trad so comments on a cruiser stern probably not relevant !!!

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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Rain.

 

Exactly so.

 

Mine is a cruiser stern, so probably gets more of it than yours. As I understand it, the area under the engine is "fenced

 

off" so that any oil leaks/drips are not pumped into the canal by the bilge pump.

 

But due to rain from the deck area above, its often got as much depth of water in it as the rest of the bilge.

 

In fact I have just had a tonneau cover fitted to reduce this problem.

 

Brian

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Thanks for your suggestions so far.

 

It's a trad stern so the removable stairs to access the engine bay area are inside. Boat very rain-proof from above.

 

I'm good at remembering to turn the greaser! Could be the packing, but still a mystery as to how water gets into what seems to be totally seperate areas of the bilge (sides of the triangle).

 

I'll take a photo on next visit.

 

Thanks all,

Lucy.

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Thanks for your suggestions so far.

 

It's a trad stern so the removable stairs to access the engine bay area are inside. Boat very rain-proof from above.

 

I'm good at remembering to turn the greaser! Could be the packing, but still a mystery as to how water gets into what seems to be totally seperate areas of the bilge (sides of the triangle).

 

I'll take a photo on next visit.

 

Thanks all,

Lucy.

This could also be condensation or a loose stern-tube bearing where it screws into the outer steel collar bush and water leaking past the thread and into the boat.I had to fix a boat with this problem during the summer.If you have a dripping stern gland study it carefully and determine whether the waters dripping from the place it should be or coming in from somewhere behind it.Or of course if you've been using the boat make sure that the weed box lid is secure and sealed properly as this is a very popular location for mysterious amounts of water to get in.

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My engine bay, trad stern, engine under helmsmans position, also gets damp. Not Fstern gland, although as well as turning the greaser until stiff, check it does not just need adjustjng. But condensation does seem ti fill our rear bilge, and rain.

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Hi Lucy. If you check I think you'll find that the bilge under the engine doesn't go back as far as the stern gland, so the water is indeed from the canal. A dripping stern glad sounds very possible

 

Do you have a bilge pump in this part of the bilge?

 

Richard

 

Lets hope it is... And not the engine bilge

:@

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Thanks for your suggestions so far.

 

It's a trad stern so the removable stairs to access the engine bay area are inside. Boat very rain-proof from above.

 

I'm good at remembering to turn the greaser! Could be the packing, but still a mystery as to how water gets into what seems to be totally seperate areas of the bilge (sides of the triangle).

 

I'll take a photo on next visit.

 

Thanks all,

Lucy.

 

They're possibly not totally separate, even a very narrow gap would let water through from the stern portion. Mine does this, even though they look watertight.

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Check there's no pipes that drain into the bilges there. For example, engine cooling system header overflow, or heating system header overflow. It could just be you've been a little too keen topping something up.

 

Mine is a trad boat and the only thing that puts water in the bilge in the winter is overheating the stove and back boiler, whereupon the excess in the header tank (due to expansion) ends up in the engine bay bilges thanks to the little overflow pipe fitted for that very purpose.

 

Another possibility is a leaky calorifier. However if that were the issue you'd hear your water pump running every so often repressurizing the system.

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Is it ok if I add what baffles me to this post?

That's not my question :)

My question is, I keep hearing about things that need greasing but can't seem to find anything in my engine bay (cruiser stern). Is it possibe that this thing called a stern gland might be a sealed unit on a newer boat or is that unlikely?

Edited by Escape
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Is it possibe that this thing called a stern gland might be a sealed unit on a newer boat

 

Well, it's possible, but....

 

or is that unlikely?

 

Very.

 

 

 

 

A plastic tube should be growing out of one side of your stern tube. It should lead to a container (usually brass and cylindrical) which has a tap on top (or on the bottom, some are mounted upside down). Turn the tap clockwise: if it moves freely, keep turning it until it moves more stiffly. If the head of the tap is hard up against the top (or bottom) of the container/cylinder, you will need to put more grease into the cylinder. There are various ways of doing this: all the ways which I have discovered over the last 15 years are messy and entail greasing yourself as well as the container.

 

EDIT: type "stern tube greaser" into your searchygoogle and you'll find a picture of one to help you identify it.

Edited by Athy
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Is it ok if I add what baffles me to this post?

That's not my question :)

My question is, I keep hearing about things that need greasing but can't seem to find anything in my engine bay (cruiser stern). Is it possibe that this thing called a stern gland might be a sealed unit on a newer boat or is that unlikely?

 

Used to have a 'Millenium' 1999 manufactured NB and it didnt have any form of greaser - must have been some form of sealed / no-maintenance system but never caused a problem and never leaked.

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Is it ok if I add what baffles me to this post?

That's not my question :)

My question is, I keep hearing about things that need greasing but can't seem to find anything in my engine bay (cruiser stern). Is it possibe that this thing called a stern gland might be a sealed unit on a newer boat or is that unlikely?

 

Yes it can. If the inboard end of the stern tube has a rubber boot on it, then it's probably the greaseless type. Some of these are supposed to be given a tiny amount of special lubricant now & then, best to find out precisely what you have & establish what's needed

 

Tim

Edited by Timleech
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This is all sound advice, but I just thought I'd add something.

 

If it's just a little bit of water in there whenever you check, it won't be a serious problem.

 

Water coming into a boat from the canal when the hull is actually damaged squirts in, it's never just a drip. Or perhaps it is just rain.

 

Either way, don't panic!

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Apologies if this has been mentioned already as I've not read all of the replies but if you have a traditional style stern, do you have an access hatch to your weedhatch on the deck? Could this possibly be letting water in if it's not sealed correctly as the hatch lid is usually countersunk. Just a thought?

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Check there's no pipes that drain into the bilges there. For example, engine cooling system header overflow, or heating system header overflow. It could just be you've been a little too keen topping something up.

 

Mine is a trad boat and the only thing that puts water in the bilge in the winter is overheating the stove and back boiler, whereupon the excess in the header tank (due to expansion) ends up in the engine bay bilges thanks to the little overflow pipe fitted for that very purpose.

 

Another possibility is a leaky calorifier. However if that were the issue you'd hear your water pump running every so often repressurizing the system.

Just to be clear, it might not be an actual damaged calorifier, (aka "hot water tank"), that leaks. They have a pressure relief valve ("PRV") too, and these can weep. If you are lucky they are designed to put any leaked water overboard, but some do discharge into various bits of bilge.

 

Also if this is the part of the shell where the skin tank is (the part that the cooling hoses from the engine connect to), then leakage where the hoses join the skin tank is not that uncommon. If you find yourself having to top up the engines closed circuit for cooling water, that could just be where it is ending up....

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Hi Liam,

 

Yes we do have an access hatch on the deck. But the water collecting in the "sides of the triangle" (sorry!) are much further in, quite far away from the weed hatch, the base of the triangle sides being up against where the back bedroom begins. If water was coming through the deck hatch or out of a badly sealed weed hatch I would expect other areas en route to also be wet, such as the engine itself, exhaust lagging or top of skin tank. All are dry.

 

But I will certainly check this out and post a photo for clarity as I appreciate my triangle descriptions may be testing your patience !!!

 

:wacko:

 

Just to be clear, it might not be an actual damaged calorifier, (aka "hot water tank"), that leaks. They have a pressure relief valve ("PRV") too, and these can weep. If you are lucky they are designed to put any leaked water overboard, but some do discharge into various bits of bilge.

 

Also if this is the part of the shell where the skin tank is (the part that the cooling hoses from the engine connect to), then leakage where the hoses join the skin tank is not that uncommon. If you find yourself having to top up the engines closed circuit for cooling water, that could just be where it is ending up....

 

Thanks Alan, great advice, the skin tank hose bit is making sense to me...roll on the weekend so I can have a look.

 

PS. we dont have a calorifier.

Edited by lucyblucky
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