Catalina 34

General Activities => Main Message Board => Topic started by: waterdog on October 10, 2008, 11:19:48 AM

Title: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 10, 2008, 11:19:48 AM

OK.  The Mexico thing started out as a nice sabatical idea.  Now it is starting to look like our depression survival plan.   In any case, putting together a list of engine spares and supplies.   Looking for suggestions.  So far -

Fuel filters - bucket loads of primary and secondary
Belts
3/4" hose - a bunch
Water pump seal kit
Impellers - bunch
Pencil zincs - bushel
Oil filters
Set of injectors
Set of glow plugs
Fuel pump
Alternator

What else do I need?   Starter?  Exhaust elbow?
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Rick Johnson on October 10, 2008, 01:17:21 PM
Duct tape and Glenfiddich.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Braxton on October 10, 2008, 01:56:19 PM
Heat Exchanger Gasket?   
Thermostat?
Thermostat gasket?
Ignition Switch?
Head Gasket?
Oil Pump?
Oil Pressure Switch?

Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Ray & Sandy Erps on October 10, 2008, 03:21:05 PM
That's a good list.

Set of brushes for the starter
a starater solenoid, or at least the solenoid contact plate.
Shaft zincs
Water pump bearings
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Ron Hill on October 10, 2008, 06:32:45 PM
Steve : A complete raw water pump. That way if you run into pump problems put the new one on and you can rebuild the old one at your convince !!!!!
Head rebuild kits!! (unless your crew is agreeable to using the "Old Oak Bucket"!!
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 10, 2008, 06:55:03 PM
Quote from: Ron Hill on October 10, 2008, 06:32:45 PM
Steve : A complete raw water pump.  Head rebuild kits!!

Stu told me just to get the seals because nothing else goes...  Should I not trust Stu?  Better question:  How long does it take to replace the seals assuming that is the failure mode?.   Is a lot quicker to just replace the pump?   I'll assume I am dismasted 5 miles off a lee shore nursing my overheated engine to keep me off while the wind is blowing 30...

I've always vowed that I'll just keep buy cheap Jabsco heads for a $100 a pop before I ever rebuild another head.   But somewhere up the Sea of Cortez, that may not be a convenient option and I'm only a day and half away from mutiny if I present the bucket, so I have the head rebuild kit on another list already.   I think it is ranked just above a spare bit of rigging terminated on one end with a Norseman fitting for the other...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 10, 2008, 07:02:45 PM
Quote from: Ron Hill on October 10, 2008, 06:32:45 PM
Steve : A complete raw water pump.  Head rebuild kits!!

Now that you mention it Ron, I think we are probably asking for more service out of our head in one year than we have out of our heads in the last 15 years together so, that should be 2 rebuild kits...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 10, 2008, 07:23:12 PM
Quote from: Rick Johnson on October 10, 2008, 01:17:21 PM
Duct tape and Glenfiddich.

Glenfiddich?  This is the depression survival plan.   i think we're talking Potters...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: karista on October 11, 2008, 07:06:38 AM
Complete raw water pump (shaft wears and is no longer easily found-seal kit will not help)
Complete engine freshwater recirculation pump. (Can not be rebuild w/o shop presses and tools)
All navigational light bulbs
Precut engine hoses (all required sizes)
Collection of various sizes of PVC/Nylon hose fittings, and SST clamps
Head rebuild kit
Collection of various sizes of electrical wires and terminal kit
Epoxy kit
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Mike and Joanne Stimmler on October 11, 2008, 02:41:09 PM
WD40 always goes along with duct tape!!
Also cable ties and bailing wire
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Ron Hill on October 12, 2008, 02:15:39 PM
Steve : Mike tweeked my brain with WD40 so I'd recommend a can of "Turner cleaner" from Radio Shake (helps all electrical contacts).
You didn't mention extra fuel & oil filters.  BTW, if the filters aren't wrapped in a sealed pack here's what I'd recommend.  Spray some WD40 on the unpainted metal and put each one in a Ziplock bag - That will keep them from rusting!! 
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 12, 2008, 08:47:18 PM
Any other must have gunk?   Strange muffler paste?  Exotic epoxy?  Liquid gasket goop?   
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 12, 2008, 08:58:05 PM
I see Torrenson has a "Major Spares" recommended list which includes:

Zincs

Heat Exchanger Gasket

Lift Pump Fuel Element

Fuel Filter

Oil Filter

Belt

Impeller Kit

Thermostat

Glowplug

Injector

Sea Water Pump Repair Kit

Complete Gasket Kit


They want $1089 for this kit...   I think I shall go to the tractor store.  That seems like a lot of cash...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Mike and Joanne Stimmler on October 13, 2008, 11:41:03 AM
One other thing is that zip lock bags have become invaluable on our boat! We use the ziplock freezer bags in both the quart and gallon sizes. The quart size is just a little bigger than a sandwich bag good for small parts and the gallon size is big enough for the larger engine parts. The freezer bags are a bit more sturdy than the standard bags which is great for long term storage in your tool box or locker. Also you can roll them up so they don't take up much room.

And in addition to all that their also good for keeping food in.    :D

As you all know,being near the water, it doesn't take long for your cookies or Cheerios to get soggy after you open them. Put'em in a ziplock and their good for a long time and their reusable.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Stu Jackson on October 14, 2008, 11:43:52 AM
I'd forget about WD40 and use PB Blaster.

You have pretty good list already.  Much depends on how long you plan to be there and whether you're traveling back and forth.  Using the Import Permit in Mexico will allow you to bring stuff in duty free, or have a friend do it for you.  Much also depends on how long ago you changed, for instance, your raw water pump.  The seals do go and a new shaft is always handy, but it is easier to replace the whole pump - only if you aren't capable of changing the seals.  Much is up to you.  I replaced my raw water whole pump in 1998 when we bought Aquavite, and now see some weeping which means I have to choose to either have the seals replaced (for almost the same price as a new pump), buy another new pump, or do the seals myself.  Them's the choices.

By now, however, having the boat for a while, you should have a pretty good idea of what you need.  In addition to light bulbs for nav lights, for instance, when was the last time you changed the lenses or put new fixtures in?  Only you know that.  I've been working on replacements over the years and now have new bow, stern and steaming lights.  Replace the anchor light with LEDs.

While an alternator's on the list, don't forget the regulator, they go out a lot more quickly than alternators.

An alternator belt tensioner is a great tool. See pictures:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=3667.0

And exhaust elbows last five years, depends on when you last did yours.

And get a battery monitor.  As I noted earlier (see: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=4454.0), my estimate of amps used was right on, but how much goes back in is even more important and I found the acceptance rate of the batteries reduced the final few amps for a full battery to hours of charging, so if you're NOT going to be tied to shorepower at least once every few weeks, go solar (big array) or you'll be sorry. 

Electrical wire and connectors and good electrical tools needed to replace that pesky starter fuse?   The list goes on...

Also, I think I'd suggested George Benson's harbor hopping the coast book and blog log (http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=4533.0).  Makes using the engine even more important and avoids brain beating offshore work.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 14, 2008, 01:08:22 PM
Excellent input guys.   I think I will take the feedback and draft my final list and repost it below so it's a concise record for reference for others down the road.   Then I just need to layer in the Kubota part numbers against the bits I can buy at the tractor store...

Stu - exhaust elbow is probably original, water pump is probably original.  The engine had only 500 hours in its first 18 years.   The next 500 hours only took me two seasons...

Already bought the battery monitor - my second favourite upgrade of the summer (just behind the cockpit shower).   

What's a "big array" for solar?   I'm thinking I will want something like 250W total...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Stu Jackson on October 14, 2008, 05:18:02 PM
Steve,

Exhaust riser - Had a friend with hull #214 (1986) [Bill Eddy] do his (voluntarily!)  after Duane Quick, Irish Whiskey, #635, 1988, had his fail during a return trip from Monterey out in the ocean in April 2007.  Both, I'm guessing, with between 700 and 1400 hours.  Once upon a time Dave Davis suggested that we keep track of when failures occurred, but it turns out that since so many exhaust risers have been made from so many different materials, it's hard to make recommendations based on engine hours alone.  Mine failed in 2003 at 1430 hours - one tends to remember those biggies!!! :D  So treat yourself to a treat - you can do it with proper preparation because we redid ours because of blow-by earlier this year.  We didn't replace the whole thing, just re-bedded the flange end, but that's where most of the work is anyway.  In Canada our skipper's input is that it's less expensive to make your own than to buy from the factory because of import duties, Charles Holder in Vancouver discussed that way back (see the FAQs for lengthy discussions on this issue).

Solar panel array - To read more, do a search on "solar panels" (use the """" marks) and read the input from jentine and Stephen Butler.  Only your personal energy budget can decide what you need, since generators, engine run time and plugging in all affect the sizing.  Depends on how "away from it all" you want to be, and what experiences you've had on your prior "out there" trips.  "Member, it's hotter down there, so think about refrigeration carefully.  As far as I know, Juan's #451 is in Mexico doing well with the original air cooled Alder Barbour.

Water pump?  Geez, don't remind me... :cry4`
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: ssk on October 14, 2008, 10:15:46 PM
Think about extra sail slug slides for your primary wind engine.  My dockside neighbors went on last year's Baja Ha Ha and spent 6 months cruising down around to Banderas Bay.  Halfway down Baja they had a puff rip their main off most of the nylon slugs.  They managed to radio panhandle enough to stich on with a reef till they were able to find a few that fit in Cabo.  Of course if you have track cars...take one or two extras.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: arthur on October 15, 2008, 06:21:27 AM
Waterdog,

Everyone has opinions on what you should take for your Long Cruise and so do I.  Take the minimal.

If you believe your engine is in such bad shape, fix it now.  Install all the parts everyone has told you to buy as it'll be easier to install them now.  Then just take some basic parts everyone carries:  impeller for water pump, belt for generator, WD 40, duck tape and baggies for leftover food.  In the past two years I've taken a 490 and a 450 mile cruise (fresh water) and nothing failed; my Catalina is a 1997.

Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 15, 2008, 10:10:45 AM
Arthur:

There is a lot of merit in what you say.  If I load up with all the stuff that people think I ought to have (must have liferaft - Solas certified offshore, can't go without a watermaker, don't forget a genset, must have a dingy that can plane with 2 people, drogues, sea anchors, radar, 3 sets of ground tackle, storm tri sail, etc. etc.) the total bill actually exceeds $50k and I would actually load the boat beyond a safe level.   So I won't be taking everything.   

But I don't like your minimalist approach either.  I took a 500 mile cruise this summer and lost a day trying to find a fuel lift pump.   In the Sea of Cortez, a simple problem could be a huge pain.   So I would rather make the big list and then decide I don't really want $484 worth of gaskets.  But it's much better to decide not to bring something than to never even consider it.   

   
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Stu Jackson on October 15, 2008, 10:29:15 AM
The humorous among us may suggest that a fuel lift pump is unnecessary if the fuel tank is fuller than half. :D  Easier to find fuel than a pump???
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 15, 2008, 11:49:22 AM
Quote from: Stu Jackson on October 15, 2008, 10:29:15 AM
The humorous among us may suggest that a fuel lift pump is unnecessary if the fuel tank is fuller than half. :D  Easier to find fuel than a pump???

I don't want to talk about the fuel pump.  I don't want to mention that the friendly cruiser next to us offered up some ancient looking spare that I bench tested and it made all the right noise and then I installed it and died 3 seconds later.   I don't want to admit that I ripped that pump out and borrowed a car and drove halfway down the sunshine coast to talk to a kid at the Canadian tire store who said sure he could sell me a fuel pump, what make and model was my car after I explained that it was for my boat.   I'm not willing to admit that I gave up an hour of my life having a ridiculous conversation at the parts counter giving him phantom make model and year data trying to keep a straight face as he would ask me if my 1982 Toyota was a two door or a four door.   I don't want to admit that I maintained some small amount of hope that there might be some way to get a fuel pump out of the parts room in spite of a system that doesn't sell fuel pumps it sells parts for cars of particular make model and year.   And I don't want to admit that I returned to the boat in defeat driving past the closed NAPA store.  And I'm damned if I'll confess that I spent hours chasing down an intermittent electrical problem and redid every connector on my engine panel because damned if the dead ancient borrowed fuel pump didn't pass its bench test on a second try.   And I'll never admit that actually if I had only bothered to crack the bleed screw on the first go I would have discovered that there was no problem with the fuel pump in the first place it just only works when it needs to.

Because if the truth were known, my family would think I was an idiot who wasted a day of our vacation because I didn't know anything about fuel pumps.   Instead, they think I'm a genius who can make anything work by the sheer force of my will and cunning electro-mechanical skills even if I can't get exact replacement parts.   I am a near god who saved them from 3 more days in Pender Harbour waiting for parts from Vancouver.   

Now you're suggesting that I could have dumped the jerry can sitting in my lazerette into the tank and my engine would have started without even getting my hands dirty?   

If I had done this would I be a better person today?   Would the marina owner have that good feeling (and a bottle of wine and a full tank of gas) that comes from helping someone in need?   Would Ted the cruiser have had the opportunity to help a fellow cruiser?   Would he have had a chance to enjoy Tracey's fresh baked brownies?   Would anyone else have given him a bottle of wine that day? 

I think not.   Some things are meant to be.   

I'll shed my ignorance a little bit at a time and enjoy the places it takes me...

Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Stu Jackson on October 15, 2008, 12:08:57 PM
Geez, Steve, you never mentioned the brownies.... :angel
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Craig Illman on October 15, 2008, 12:25:57 PM
Steve - Pender Harbor isn't the worst place to be stuck. I'd rather be there now on my boat, instead of in my chair in the office wishing that in the 21st century someone could get the HVAC working properly.

Craig
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 15, 2008, 01:00:33 PM
Quote from: Craig Illman on October 15, 2008, 12:25:57 PM
Steve - Pender Harbor isn't the worst place to be stuck. I'd rather be there now on my boat, instead of in my chair in the office wishing that in the 21st century someone could get the HVAC working properly.

Craig
I know.  That's why we hung out in Pender Harbour the day before installing the inverter and the new battery monitor, wiring in a new switch and starting an electrical fire...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Michael Shaner on October 15, 2008, 03:06:07 PM
You guys are KILLING me...just spit coffee all over the keyboard! :rolling

However, the topic remains extremely educational for the newbie...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 15, 2008, 04:38:58 PM
Quote from: waterdog on October 15, 2008, 01:00:33 PM
...and starting an electrical fire...

But I don't want to talk about the electrical fire, Stu.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 16, 2008, 10:48:06 AM
All right, Stu.  I will bow to your relentless pressure and explain the electrical fire. 

When I bought the boat, the AB refridgeration was wired directly to the battery, protected by a circuit breaker of course.   

I wasn't necessarily fond of this approach but in theory there is nothing wrong with it.  Minimize the voltage drop from the source to the load.  I have other loads, my windlass and my inverter, which also don't go through the panel.  In fact, both have switches on the side of the seat forward of the sink. 

What I didn't like was having a breaker as the switch buried under the outboard cushion and having to lift the cushion and the lid while reaching over the table just to turn off the fridge.  That, and I had no visual indication of whether the fridge was on or off.

So I decided I wanted to have a lighted switch right next to my windlass breaker and my inverter disconnect.   

Now I know what you are thinking Stu.   The humorous among us are thinking at this point, why go to all the trouble of installing a switch and starting an electrical fire when you have the control knob right there with handy access inside the icebox?

The short answer is, a long answer.   But mostly I just wanted a glowing warning light that I can see as I'm shutting up the boat on a Sunday night and dropping in the hatch boards so I don't drain the batteries.   That and I don't like the idea of the fridge being turned on at a different setting every time and having the milk freeze or the ice cubes liquidy.  It's a delicate thing.  A man ought to wire his fridge according to his personal preferences.

So I got the perfect little switch.   A surface mount affair with a round barrel because cutting a perfect rectangle through the two layers of fiberglass in this area is tricky business.   The terminals I would have to connect blind because I can't my head in there. 

Now the markings on the terminals were highly suspect.  No instruction sheet.  All rather vague.   So I trusted nothing and whipped out my hand multimeter and started testing continuity in the both the switch positions so I would be absolutely sure to wire it correctly.   

In fact, so confident was I working on this circuit with a breaker in line, that I really gave it no thought as I jumped a little negative lead over from the battery to the switch.  I didn't even really consider that I had two circuits in play, the fridge circuit and the switch light circuit.  Only one of these was actually protected. 

So I tightened everything up, admired my handiwork, and flipped the switch to turn the fridge on...

If you have never wired in a dead short across a battery before, I would highly recommend it.   It really helps you dispell the notion that working with 12V is not dangerous.   Sure your not likely to get a big shock, but if you screw up, you can really run some impressive current and make short work of insulation and indeed even #10 wire.   It's an impressive sustained flash and the smoke draws crowds from all down the dock.   

I would not want to wire in a dead short with 4/0 wire.   That might get nasty.

Anyway, I got a new switch.  And an inline fuse.   And some fresh wire.  All is well.   
   
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Stu Jackson on October 16, 2008, 11:45:30 AM
Glad to hear you still have some hair left! :D

We have the OEM 1986 electrical main panel with a refrigerator switch on it, so  I'm surprised that isn't present on your panel, or perhaps I'm making an assumption - maybe, as you said, it just wasn't wired to the panel which may have a labeled switch.

Dead shorts make for other kinda events in skipper's shorts!  Ain't fuses at the banks helpful?

Re: fridge operation, we have an in-line ammeter on our nav station (not from the factory - this boat was one of the first outta the box without any meters in the panel, and the ammeter, as well as a voltmeter, was added by the PO or the original dealer).  I posted a Blue Seas catalog cut of the 0-25A with internal shunt (and the whole page of the catalog) sometime earlier.  What happens is we KNOW the fridge is on because the ammeter pops up to about 5.  The Link 2000 now says it's "ONLY" 4.9 - we'll take what we can get.  We leave the thermostat on 7 all the time, and just flick the panel switch to off, if need be, like for overnight sometimes, or when we're coming back in, or for defrosting (yeah! I should be able to be on the boat long enough to have to do this more often! :D).
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Bill Asbury on October 16, 2008, 11:49:33 AM
Well done, Steve.  Have you considered writing sea stories for publication?  You might be able to make enough money to buy all the suggested spares, and a new much larger boat on which to stow them!
Best wishes.
Bill
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: arthur on October 16, 2008, 04:56:14 PM
Waterdog,

You know more about your boat than I do about my six speed fold-up bike.

My opinion was meant to be a little silly; however, I would do something closer to what I suggested than haul all the parts that have been suggested you should have on board.   What if you made a list of all the parts and phone numbers of where to order the parts from and just take said list along with you.   UPS delivers all over the world and most likely in Mexico too.   Hanging out at a new marina waiting for a part could be good therapy for you and your family. 

P.S.  Stu - Waterdog sounds like the tech person Mainsheet is looking for Catalina 34's.    :D
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 16, 2008, 05:15:42 PM
Quote from: arthur on October 16, 2008, 04:56:14 PM

P.S.  Stu - Waterdog sounds like the tech person Mainsheet is looking for Catalina 34's.    :D

Arthur,

If we burn half the c34 fleet to the waterline following my technical advice, it won't necessarily increase the value of your boat...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Stu Jackson on October 16, 2008, 06:08:35 PM
FWIW, we keep a spreadsheet inventory of everything we've ever purchased for the boat, including the parts #s.

Doesn't everyone? :D
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: arthur on October 16, 2008, 06:22:09 PM
Waterdog,

There you go.  Stu has all the part numbers you need, I bet.  And, where he bought them.  Ole!

P.S.   I believe you could maybe say half the fleet of 34's with your knowledge.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 21, 2008, 03:02:45 PM
Ah yes, lest we forget.  My final list:

Oil  8L    
Oil Filters   4
Hose - various    
Primary Fuel Filter - 6
Secondary Fuel Filter - 2   
Belts - 3    
Injector Nozzle -3    
Glow plug - 3   
Fuel Lift Pump   
Impellers   - 2
Pencil Zinc - 2   
Raw Water Pump   
Heat Exchanger Gasket 3"   
Thermostat 160 deg   
Thermostat Gasket   

I haven't disregarded your other excellent recommendations - it's just that most of them have ended up on other lists - not my engine spares and supplies list.   There are a few I left out - head gasket, fresh water pump, oil pump.  Still noodling on starter bits - need to talk to the tractor store...   

Ooops.  Edit.  Forgot the alternator and regulator.  There's a new one that's part of another list "Electrical Upgrades".  The old one will become spare...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Craig Illman on October 21, 2008, 03:16:52 PM
Steve - Not a fresh water pump too?

Craig

ps As suggested earlier, change the injectors and glow plugs, save the old ones as spares.

Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Stu Jackson on October 21, 2008, 04:11:18 PM
Good list and quantities.  I'd suggest more zincs and impellers - they're small, take up less space for "extras" and are hard to come by "out there" for our specific engines and pumps.  List looks good for a year or two of cruising.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Roger Blake on October 21, 2008, 06:05:08 PM
Where the heck is the beer, wine, and spirits for the human engine?...jeez folks...priorities...oh, I forgot, safety too...
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Ron Hill on October 21, 2008, 06:26:59 PM
Steve : With all of the suggestions, you also need the knowledge of having the correct tools to replace those items! 
A good example are your injectors!!  They use a couple of sockets and metrics that I didn't normally have on board!!  So read the old Tech note articles and make sure that you have the correct tools to do the job or the spare part may be of little value !!!  A thought.   
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 21, 2008, 08:53:24 PM
Quote from: Craig Illman on October 21, 2008, 03:16:52 PM
Steve - Not a fresh water pump too?

Craig

ps As suggested earlier, change the injectors and glow plugs, save the old ones as spares.



I think I will change those injectors and glow plugs.  Passes the test Ron suggests too.   But I have a mental block on the fresh water pump.   I have this strong feeling it will never fail.   It's not rational.   Will it fail, Craig?
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 21, 2008, 09:29:42 PM
Quote from: Roger Blake on October 21, 2008, 06:05:08 PM
Where the heck is the beer, wine, and spirits for the human engine?...jeez folks...priorities...oh, I forgot, safety too...

Keep your eye on the projects pages.   I'll be highlighting my gravity feed rum tank with deck fill that pulls out as a floatation pod with my ditch bag.   
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Craig Illman on October 22, 2008, 06:06:55 AM
Steve - See page 5: http://www.capsfleet1.com/NewsLetters/2008_09.pdf

Craig
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: John Sheehan on October 22, 2008, 07:03:10 AM
Steve,

I would second the thoughts on the fresh water pump.  Ours had a seal go out with only 365 hours on the engine and it took three weeks to get a replacement.  Now I carry a new pump and gasket on board along with a new raw water pump. 

John
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Ken Juul on October 22, 2008, 12:36:21 PM
Very unscientific but in my experience most car water pumps seem to fail at about 70,000 miles.  Using an average speed of 50mph thats about 1400 hours.  I'd definitely take a spare, if it goes the motor doesn't run for long.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: karista on October 22, 2008, 12:47:47 PM
My Fresh Water Pump seized up while 30 miles offshore on the gulf, there was no previous sympton to suggest that there was a problem with the pump. It simply seized up when I tried to start the engine. Once it seized up, the engine could not be started.
I now always carry a raw water and fresh water pump. If either one fails you are dead in the water!
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 22, 2008, 04:33:01 PM
You guys kill me.  The information is fantastic, but sometimes I think might be better off sticking my head in the sand.   Never ask a question you don't want to know the answer to.  I posted the following on another forum:

"Too Much Information

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The coast guard does a nice job of laying out the minimal requirements of what you have to have on your boat: flares, lifejackets, fire extinguishers, what not. Can't legally leave the dock without em. And most would agree that it's a reasonable minimum. Good seamanship would suggest the minimums ought to be augmented with other gear and training if you're venturing more than a few miles from the dock, but we don't regulate it in law. We allow idiots to kill themselves. It's one of our last great freedoms.

So the reasonable person is on their own to sort out what they need. It's a problem that is more complicated when you embark on a "voyage" instead of just heading out to the familiar cruising waters for a week or two. You must be self sustaining in conditions that you and your boat have never encountered. The burden of good seamanship is higher as it ought to be.

In the old days it was easy. You would read a book or two, the Hiscocks or Pardeys or whatnot and gather vague bits of information and do a lot of thinking on your own and perhaps draw on the expertise of your local chandler or surveyor if ever you lack information or have to reconcile contradictary advice. You made your decisions and you went with the best information you had at the time.

Now we have the internet. At your fingertips, the knowledgable and the ignorant all offering their opinion. In the old days you might read a magazine article about turning your dinghy into a liferaft and be happy and make it so. Now you might ask the question of thousands and receive 30 strong opinions. And soon you have several irrefuteable bits of anecdotal data, links to test data on liferafts, and a few ridiculous opinions. You reach the conclusion that not only do you need a liferaft, but anything less than an $8000 SOLAS approved offshore version will place your family in imminent peril. So not only do you have to sort through all of this stuff, but the end result is you will ratchet up your costs or knowingly make decisions to compromise your safety/comfort/convenience for the want of a few dollars.

And so the analysis will go through every damn bit of kit imagininable. It's the prudent seaman's obligation to seek the best information that's out there. And in the end, inevitably, choices get made and there are compromises. And you end up sending your wife to the dock in a dingy with an underpowered outboard loaded with the empty waterjugs because you chose to go for radar over a watermaker knowing that there is no such thing as a watermaker, but only a watermaker in the context of an entire electrical system including the increments to the battery bank, the altenator, the solar panels, and charge controllers. All thanks to the great advice you got on the internet. And you must live with the guilt. Though your wife looks to be in great shape.

And so it is that the only people who will be left cruising in a few years are the stinking rich and the ignorant. And I guess the few who dare to ask the question and live with the guilt."

So, head gasket.   Anyone with an impassioned plea?  Going once, going twice... :D
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 23, 2008, 01:23:57 PM
Of the items on the list, I was planning to go to the tractor store for the following:

Injector Nozzle -3   
Glow plug - 3   
Thermostat 160 deg   
Thermostat Gasket   
Fresh water pump
Starter bits

Have any of these been marinized and made incompatible for application in the Universal?

Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Stu Jackson on October 23, 2008, 04:12:54 PM
Nope, the only "marinized" stuff are the heat exchanger and the associated raw water pump for the heat rejection system with the exhaust riser through the muffler.  You could pop the engine out and throw it up on your tractor and get goin' in a hurry anytime.  "Marinized" is such a useless word...

Add coupling bolts to your list, I keep "throwing" mine.

Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 23, 2008, 04:28:03 PM
But Stu, without "marinization" there is no way to get sailors to pay 3 times as much for stuff as farmers do.   Mostly "marinization" means changing all the part numbers so that only the marine dealer will have the exact bits listed in the manual...

You shouldn't be throwing your coupling bolts.   Think about some courses in anger management.  Or relax and have a martini next time you have a bolt in your hand and the urge is building.   Or maybe alignment and stiffer engine mounts?
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Stu Jackson on October 23, 2008, 04:48:28 PM
"Engine mounts, engine mounts, I don't need no stinkin' engine mounts!"

I think they're 3/8 inch FINE thread.  I've discussed this before elsewhere.  New coupling bolts are just as easy as new engine mounts for me, because I can FEEL the engine's performance through my feet on deck!   :D
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Ron Hill on October 23, 2008, 06:24:55 PM
Dave : From the advice you've received you might want to trade in your dink and just tow another C34!!!!
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: waterdog on October 23, 2008, 08:35:43 PM
That's a good idea, Ron.   What do you think I should carry for spares in the second boat?
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Mike Denest on October 24, 2008, 04:51:04 AM
Quote from: waterdog on October 23, 2008, 08:35:43 PM
That's a good idea, Ron.   What do you think I should carry for spares in the second boat?

Beer.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: senorquill on February 04, 2020, 05:48:31 PM
Which glow plugs do you recommend. Mine are shot. Thanks

Ryan
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: rmbrown on February 05, 2020, 03:53:03 AM
I'm going to start searching for waterdog posts to read... who cares about the actual topic... man, you are funny!   Oh, and I had nearly the same lost day due to my fuel pump last June.  :)
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: ewengstrom on February 05, 2020, 06:48:04 AM
You can still get the NGK glow plugs that were OEM on our Universal Diesels. I just bought all three recently and installed them yesterday, the price was pretty reasonable.
Unfortunately I don't have that particular model number handy but it isn't too hard to find.
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: Ron Hill on February 05, 2020, 02:03:33 PM
Ryan : What is your hull # and which engine do you have???

A thought
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: senorquill on February 05, 2020, 05:12:34 PM
Hull: 368
M25-XP
1987
Title: Re: Engine Spares for a Long Cruise
Post by: senorquill on February 06, 2020, 05:43:07 PM
NGK Y-103V
Part number: NGK2031