Canal Boat — November 2017

80 November 2017 Canal Boat canalboat.co.uk

BACK CABIN: EXPERTS

WEB Q&As

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and get the answers online at Canal Boat’s website – what’s more, you

can read other people’s questions and answers by simply clicking onto

canalboat.co.uk

SUBMERGED STARTER

My boat unfortunately took on a lot of

water and the engine submerged. Do I

need to replace the solenoid, the starter

motor, or both?

JIMMER, via the CB website

TONY REPLIES: As many boats have the

solenoid built onto the starter this can’t be

answered until you identify the engine or

the starter. You also give no indication of how long it

was submerged, to what depth and how much oil/

fuel there was in the water.

I think that for a start if you take the motor and

solenoid off and put them is a warm place for

several days or in a very low oven (say gas regulo a

quarter or 110C) overnight to dry them out you could

be lucky. If that doesn’t work take the whole lot to

your local alternator and starter specialists

to be sorted out.

OUTBOARD ANGST

We have bought our first little river

cruiser but have a problem. Most

times when starting the engine you

have to use fast idle, then when you close fast

idle down it stalls. Also, when it does run it stalls

when it is put into neutral. Any ideas?

HAVANACHOW, from the CB website

TONY REPLIES: I am unsure about

your use of the words fast idle. If

you mean a partially open throttle

then fine, but it’s possible you mean the cold

start choke control. I expect the idle jet in the

carburettor is fully or partially blocked or the idle

adjustment is incorrectly set. If the outboard

has been left for a long period with fuel in the

carburettor a blockage is more likely and it will

have to come apart and be cleaned. If it’s a

two-stroke, has the correct amount of oil been

mixed with the petrol?

A

WHAT’S THE RIGHT OIL?

Our 2007 canal boat has a Nanni

three-cylinder engine. It has covered

1,300 hours, mostly canal cruising.

The engine only idles when used in a lock. We

seldom run to just charge batteries. I have used

the 15W40 API CD-rated oil from new but have a

chance to buy 20 litres of Mannol API CF 15W40.

Is this likely to be too higher a spec for a

1,300hr engine?

WIRREN, via the CB website

TONY REPLIES: The first question is

what do Nanni say? You should go by the

manufacturer’s recommendations.

The last time I looked on the API website it said that

grade was obsolete and superseded, but canal use is

highly unusual in that our engines rarely have to produce

much more than a few horsepower. Diesels tend to

prefer working under a reasonable and varying load, so a

lower grade oil is often advised. Yours is a three-cylinder

so of more modest power than many, this means it will

be working harder than the larger engines.

Q

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My five-year-old boat, which was

professionally built and fitted-out, has a

slight list to one side (starboard). The bilges

are completely dry. What could be causing this and

how can I ensure a level boat when afloat.

PATIENCE, from the CB website

TONY REPLIES: The cause is too much

weight on one side of the boat. Why there is

too much weight on one side is impossible

to answer without a lot more information about the

location of any toilet holding tank, the gas bottles,

water and fuel tanks if they are not central on the boat,

where you store things and the weight of the things

stored in relation to the list.

Once you know what is causing the list the answer

is to remove weight form the low side or add it to the

high side. It all depends upon the degree of list;

I suspect most narrowboats list to some degree.

Even if you correct it now it is likely to come back as

you move stuff on or off the boat etc.

During a pump-out last night, the

external cover fell into the water, I need a

replacement but am unsure as to what the

correct name is. To clarify it’s a cover/ cap on the top

of the boat which is removed to do the pump-out.

I hope you can help.

TONY REPLIES: I think you are talking

about the large male screwed cap that

fits into the fitting that the pump-out

hose goes into. I say this because you may have a

smaller one that the rinse hose uses. If I am correct

then I would call it a pum-pout fitting cap. ASAP

supplies list the plastic version at asap-supplies.com/

deck-fittings-and- hardware/waste-pump-out-deck-

fittings/deck-fille r/waste-out-cap and I am sure any

decent chandlers will also stock them. I think they are

available in plastic for aluminium fittings or brass.

How to cure a list?

Q

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Blocked carb jets can be an outboard issue

Rinse cap top, pump-out below