Sea Ray SSS 1993 63 ft

[rszarka]

Woody: thanks for the advice of how best to get diesel engine advice, i will take a look around the forum for the right topic and give that a try

 

[Topaz_1]

Rob,

I would seriously consider joining "boatdiesel" they are on the net. I have joined them and could provide you with plenty of useful information about your engines.

Ozzie

Totally agree!

 

[rszarka]

So yeah got myself into an interesting mess lol the detroit diesel mechanic said That using the engine with one faulty injector is no big deal and it was safe to use the boat this week end... Well now after talking to some other members that know about motors apparently i could wash out a cylinder like this.... I knew the weather would be crappy but my sis and brother inlaw who came down from Canberra wanted to go anyways...well we are out on the hook in a sheltered bay in 60 KMPH plus winds... i don't want to use my port engine because of the new info and don't want to leave the swing mooring in the weather the harbor has white caps on it!! So yeah navigating in this especially on only one engine, no freakin way! So here we are stuck out on the hook on the harbor lol Not supposed to clear until around 8-11pm so will just hang out and relax as best we can with the boat rocking around like crazy until then ... Looks like my dripless has a cross over system so it is safe to run on one engine but i will make sure before even thinking about it! Geez boating can be a pain in the ass lol ...the fish are pissed off so haven't caught one in like 24 hours now, seeing as this is a fishing trip, that sucks!! Anyways CPTN Rob does it again lol went out in crap weather with an engine i should not be using and am now paying the price fun fun fun lol!!

 

[barlow]

Start them both up and get back to your dock. Listen to your mechanic. The boat will be a real handful on one engine in the wind. Speaking from experience here.

 

[rszarka]

Barlowe: yeah it's not fun on one engine at all!! We decided to stay the night and will leave early tm morn! So just enjoying a night out on the water for now. In regards to running the port engine it runs great all in all just the oil in the outflow on cold start which disappears shortly after startup. My dock is only aroun 2 miles away so guess wouldn't be much harm
In just getting her home quickly either which way. But I am
Not going out again until the engine has been diagnosed properly and fixed. The mechanic seemed to think it didn't even need fixing kept saying well if it's bothering you I can fix
It. He didn't seem to think it even needed the repairs which after what I have heard and read the possibilities are it leaves me questioning how good he actually is. Dunno guess we will see next week thanks for advice barlowe.

 

[testlab]

You were brave being out today... 30kts gusting 40. I have my 330DA up on the Hawkesbury and discretion was better than valor today. Having owned and run several 50'+ boats in a variety of conditions around Sydney for over 30 years and many years with rescue organizations I think you have been lucky so far.

A nasty forecast, gale warnings, small boat warning for the harbor and environs and an engine of unknown reliability, yes, very brave to go out today. A 63' boat in today's conditions can do a real lot of damage, to itself, it's crew and anything unfortunate enough to be in the way. Staying on the pick was wise. Btw, most public and private moorings around the harbor are only rated up to 20 tonnes displacement in good weather - a boat that size should be using the heavy capacity moorings, which are placarded with the heavier rating.

Not being a smart arse here, but practiced your man overboard and recovery procedures? On one engine? In crap conditions? Apart from PFDs do you have a life ring or two to throw and do you brief your pax how to retrieve someone without fouling props or smashing them against the hull? Conditions like today mean when something goes wrong it goes wrong quickly and gains in seriousness even quicker.

Anyway, hope to see you out there some time.

 

[rszarka]

Hi testlab

yes the weather last night and today was very tricky. I erred on the side of caution and decided not to move and would rather just stay here as long as it takes than take any chances.. My sis and husband were supposed to get off today but i said sorry guys, it is not safe.. I will not move the boat if you want to go home we can call you a water taxi. I am not so sure if i would call it brave, more like improper planning and i need to do better weather checks before i go out! I knew the weather would not be nice but i did not expect weather as bad as it actually was starting around 6 pm yesterday.. so brave No, i think a little bit careless and reckless not planning ahead properly are more what you were thinking and rightfully so, this was no condition to be out in and stupid of me not to look into the wind forecast and warnings properly!

I agree a boat of this size could indeed be very dangerous if things went south. I learned that first hand a few weeks ago when a 60+ cruiser fouled its anchor near to me and very very nearly slammed into us had maritime not jumped onboard!
The mooring I am on is a large police mooring, i know it from my friends boat 65" he moors here a lot...it is bigger and stronger than the other moorings around the harbor. The police don't seem to mind when you get on it we have never had a problem. I tripled up on lines for the weather, i added two of my own lines attaching them directly to the shackle and used the line from the bout just in case...put each line on a different shackle so i was actually attached in 3 different ways in case one or even 2 broke whatever i had a third. With the kind of wind we were in I was not about to take any chances!

You are the first person that has asked me that and funny enough a few weeks back i did a bunch of drills for myself with man overboard and recovery...i read about it on a website and thought it was a good idea since I am out a whole lot. I have a life ring and i Have a yellow floating rescue rope...its in a yellow bag with one end through the hole and designed to make it easy to throw out to someone, I keep both of them right behind the helm chair on the dash by the cup holders in a very easy to get to spot at all times. I always brief everyone that comes onboard before i go anywhere, i explain man overboard and rescue procedures, i show them the man overboard buttons on the radar and the chart plotter... its unlikely anyone else would ever be at the helm when that would happen but who knows. I make sure everyone knows where fire extinguishers are and pfds. It was a bit careless coming out in such weather this week end and I have learned from it. Yes nothing bad did happen but it was just not smart coming out with this kind of wind, rain is whatever but strong wind is not safe. I will check the weather much better from now on! Got a little bit complacent when it comes to that! It has been a big learning curve and I am getting better at all of this slowly but surely, I do learn my lessons though and do think I am very safe on the water.. safety is is always on my mind. Some people call me anal for it but i would rather be called anal than have something happen!
Staying on the hook today was definitely the right decision and I will not move off of it until i feel completely safe about it! Speaking of bigger boats and mooring bouys, a guy pulled up behind us today to get out of the wind, he had a boat bigger than mine and jumped on one of those tiny yellow mooring bouys rated for a tiny little boat in that strong wind!! I was thinking damn he's going to end up on shore! he didn't but still think that was a very risky maneuver. The bouy i am on is a big solid one red color and for maritime and police vessels although they never use it!

Thank you very much for the advice and concern Testlab, i am still pretty new to all this in terms of experience and greatly appreciate any advice and knowledge anyone cares to share with me Let me know when you will be out on the water maybe we can meet up some time.

Rob

 

[rszarka]

So still out o the pick all day today and staying over night again! The spot where i berth her is tricky to get in during calm weather let alone in strong winds we very nearly went aground last week..... Tomorrow a house boat is coming in and taking my spot next to a barge, I will then tie up to the back of him which will be much better for me, way easier to get in and out, so safer in every way! So if i did struggle and go in today in the wind i would have just had to pull out again tomorrow around 10 anyways for the houseboat to go in... Took sis and family to rosebay in the jet this morning, now its out of oil so can't use it until i get some... Was calm wind wise in the morning but that changed around mid day up to 15 knots, small white caps on the harbor again! GF wanted to come out for the night but had to say no as the jet boat is out of oil its rough and I don't want to use the big boat except to gin in with the injector probs so will be a night alone out here in Taylors Bay...night 3 .... # days solid on the water in rocky conditions i know i am going to feel way funny when i get back on land lol you know that drunken feeling you get when you get really used to the movement of the boat!
Woody: Thanks for suggesting i post my questions in other places on the forum, i have had much more success getting answers that way about technical problems You know me i have tons of questions lol
So weird its a long 3 day week end and there are hardly any boats out here, well i guess its not weird with this weather.... But usually aussies are pretty gung ho and go out anyways at least the guys on sailboats, just goes to show just how bad it has actually been! I think the smartest thing i did since i was stupid and came out in this was to stay put on this heavy duty swing mooring!
Very very happy i am getting a new berthing spot i know if i stayed where i was it was just a matter of time before i would have ended up grounding her or hitting something ...the shallows were about 5 ft from the spot and when i say shallows i mean about 2 ft deep at low tide...it is mud but if there is a log or something like that in there it would have been bad! Plus i have had to get my cousin take me in and out each time as it was just too tricky for my level of experience... too fast and you end up in the shallows, too sharp of a turn and you slam into the crane on the back of the barge, too far forwards and you would hit this huge piece of steel ...a little wind from the south and the back end of the boat got swung in to the shallows....so yeah was a really bad spot.. Even with my cousins 20 + years big boat experience we have had some close calls...plus was a real pain, i would anchor in the bay go get him with the jet.... So glad all of that will be no more and i can just pull straight in 30 ft deep water!!! Such a relief i can't tell you...so so so so happy about this! Can dock and leave solo from now on and not have to rely on anyones help for all of that!! Independence looool Some new pics for you guys know how ya all love pics

view of the back deck with a lil sailboat behind me people are overnighting on that as well tonight.

coming up on sunset soon

dunno why i love the bow shots but i do!

view of the little beach right behind the boat, collected limpets there for fishing..

on our way into the swing mooring right before the weather turned

same deal a few mins later

ultra mini flathead we caught lol released of course

another sydney sunset

just another view of it a min or so later

last one lol

some kids enjoying the cockpit sun pad

my next boat lol

sydney during the dust storms a few years back ...it was eery almost as if we had just emerged in a post nuclear war world...everything was red it was so strange lasted for hours!!

what i used to do before i got crushed and turned towards the boating world

back when i was 20 those were the days, didn't have a 60 ft yacht but loved life!

 

[douglee25]

Nice pics!!!

Doug

 

[Pyrojodge]

Rob,
Here's to hoping you get you girl up and running very soon. Love the pics as usual and yes it is tough to adjust to land after you have been out on the water for awhile... good luck and keep us posted your in our prayers...

Jason

 

[rszarka]

Waited out the wind, spent 4 days on the swing mooring at Taylors Bay! just got into berth, cleaning up covering up everything and headed home for the night! nothing eventful the last two days just waxed the living hell out of everything keeping her extra shiny and protected! Im a waxaholic! Mechanic is coming tomorrow, will go over both engines from head to toe, don't care what it costs i want both of them in perfect condition by next week end! I figure would rather spend a few thousand on preventative maintenance than a ton when it breaks...stay ahead of the game! I came in at just above idle speed 6 knots, nothing eventful no smoke no alarms everything ran fine. I called the mechanic to ask about what i heard with the cylinders getting washed out if the fuel was not being atomized properly. He said two factors would show if the engines were getting washed...1 i would be gaining oil, instead this engine slowly eats oil over 2 months it will slowly head lower.... he also said it would be very smokey making the back black.... its a very small amount of smoke coming out.. so he said it was very unlikely the cylinders were getting washed and he doesn't even think it needs any repairs... I told him come out anyways test everything make sure all is where and what it should be! I know it may cost me but I'm sure it the long run it will save me money! It is very expensive to own a boat of this size and I am not even paying for berthing! It is worth it to me to get to live like I am on the water usually 4 out of 7 days .... just love being out somewhere with the ocean as my back yard! I probably won't be able to afford to live like this forever but will keep it up as long as i can! I am working on some things that may fund me continuing to live like this indefinitely will have to see how it goes! Eventually want to get a proper berth, climbing over barges and tugboats is kind of crap and keeping a boat like this in a place like this is kind of unfitting this boat but will have to do for now! Me and the bimini guy keep missing each other, it is the one thing that does not look good on the boat! All that front isinglass has to go...will get it soon!! Well guys until next week end which is only 3 days away now ...checking out!! Will update on what happens tomorrow with the engines!

Ciaooo

 

[rszarka]

Oh forgot to mention on the way in a sailboat was coming along side of me running on engines, i thought thats weird a sailboat without a mast... well the mast was laying on the deck looks like it snapped in the very high winds that occurred this week end.... Appraently there was also an accident with a catamaran that capsized and several people from a family died.... grand parents and some children..... so it really was a pretty crazy bad weather week end.... looks like a few people paid the price for not heeding the weather warnings.... so glad i just stayed on the swing mooring and waited the storm out! Learned my lesson will check the weather properly before each outing from now on!! Until now i was just like whatever i am not leaving the harbor anyways but from what i have seen this week end bad things can happen in the harbor as well!!

 

[Sea Wolff]

'i thought thats weird a sailboat without a mast...'

Isn't that a 'powerboat'

 

[rszarka]

So looking good with mechanics report all the injectors are good and seems the problem is me!! I have been idling around not using any throttle at all. He seems to think it just needs a good hard run that carbon has built up in the turbos and seeing as the engine is a fresh rebuild it has not broken in properly yet. He explained it all to me but don't really
Understand. Anyways he said take it out run it pretty hard for around an hour and let's see what the deal is after that. He seems to think that will fix the problem. He said if after that there is still smoke and fuel in the outflow then we will do other tests. I did not realize idling around is actually not good for the motor!! He said at least at the end give it a good run or things get gummed up. This whole time I have either been going idle speed or slightly above very rarely over 7 knots in a boat that does 32 thought that's the best way for engine longevity. Looks like I was wrong lol damn I feel stupid some times with all this stuff!!

 

[rszarka]

Wolf: it was a regular sailboat you know that style body so just looked way awkward without the mast. When it got closer I saw the mast was laid down on the deck. It must have broken in the high winds.

 

[HUMPH]

You need to exercise your engines at least once a month (more often as much as you run your boat). I would let her purr every week or two for about 10 minutes, that may help.

 

[rszarka]

Ken: he checked the fuel injectors shorted each one out etc and said damn these are in good condition these are all new components and even still have some new packing lubricant on them .... he said since there is under 100 hours on the engine what he believes is happening is the cylinders have not worn into the sleeves yet and hence oil is getting past the oil rings when cold..as i have not run it properly he thinks the cylinder sleeves are smooth and not fitted to the rings something like that ...he said all she needs to do is tun properly a bit and she should break in .... so the plan is i take her out this week end and let her purr as you call it for at least an hour while watching heat oil pressure etc.... he said if the problem persists past that then we know i have a faulty injector ....hes coming on monday to inspect.... but apparently if it is a faulty injector it is very very very mild and will be hard to find ..he might have to pull all of them and have them all tested as its so mild there is no other way to tell! But he seems very confident that the engines just need to be run as i have done close to 50 hours at just idle speed thinking i am treating the engines nicely while in fact i have been making it hard on them ... told me to get it up to a heavy load and keep it there awhile : IE just before planing let her work! Inexperience in boating is dangerous!! here i am trying to be nice to my boat and instead doing it a dis service!! At least i am cautious and catching stuff early not cutting expenses and getting things seen to right away ...i will have this unbelievably complicated world of boating down yet!! I have learned soooooo much but yet have sooooooo much to learn!! I don't pretend to know what I'm doing and will take any and all advice and listen to people!!! So yeah hopefully he is right i will work her this week end and the problem hopefully will be solved!
He said the engine is in amazing shape in every way so really happy about his visit on monday he is showing me how to change the oil because on fresh rebuilds apparently there will be a lot of metal in it after 50 hours ..and change the coolant in fresh water system.... he's taking me down and showing me how to do it all so i can do it from now on ..apparently there is only water in the fresh water system ..not good for corrosion so he's getting special stuff to put in there!! So yeah preventative maintenance full speed ahead gotta keep my baby in top notch shape yeeehaw!

 

[Graham Lorimer]

Hi

"told me to get it up to a heavy load and keep it there awhile : IE just before planing let her work!"

Not sure that is the best advice, maybe you have misunderstood what he has said, but I would think that holding it under big load just below planning speed would be the equivalent to running with an over-propped situation, always very hard on engines and their life expectancy.

I have no doubt others far wiser than me will contribute, but I specifically try not to run any longer than necessary in a high load situation. Get it up on the plane at a comfortable cruising speed, ie about 80% throttle, and then let it run.

Just my thoughts

Graham

 

[rszarka]

Really, he emphasized running it for a bit in that exact situation...he said what you want is heavy load for a bit to blow out my turbos and carbon build up and get the cylinders to break in and form up ... he specifically emphasized doing just that running at just before plane for 10 mins or so just to give the engines heavy load.... i could imagine doing this all the time would be bad for the engine but for our purposes he seems to think thats what she needs... his background: 14 + years working on detroit diesels.... no i feel a little weary of following his advice lol arrrgghhhh what do i do lol .... i mean makes sense to me swell utting very heavy load on the engine is not the wisest thing but he seems to think thats exactly what she needs since i have spent 50 hours idling around making the cylinder sleeves smooth and building up carbon ...said the spatters around my turbo are from that too ..that the seals that are between the turbo and the muffler are not designed to stop liquid from going through and oil is getting past my oil rings because of all this and simple running her hard a bit should solve the problem ..he said it is typical after a new rebuild and before and engine breaks in properly and more than likely is because i have just been putt putting around and the sleeves have not formed to the cylinders properly because of that ...if this is stupid advice on his part would love it if everyone let me know before i do this the coming week end.... he rebuilt 2 8v92tas this week and has rebuild tons of my particular engine supposedly so i am guessing he knows what he's talking about...god i hate being a know nothing with these engines makes me nervous as i read and hear so many different things all contradicting each other! Could be that short term like this its exactly what the engine needs he did say you do not want to run it like that all the time but for this purpose do it this week end..and run her fast at varying speeds..dont just stay at the same speed ...what else did he say ...oh yeah that if you used your engine say 8 hours in a day ..one of the 8 hours total combed time you are allowed to be at heavy load the rest of the time is recommended varying loads ...but at 2/3rds speed you could run all day and the engine would love it.... just quoting what he said here as i don't know crap about this stuff!

attached is a photo with the rocker covers off

 

[Graham Lorimer]

OK..... I guess I mis-read your previous post, I interpreted that you planned to run like this for an hour!!!

Good luck, I follow your adventures with pleasure, I bought my last Sea Ray (400DA) from Florida and shipped to the UK, then ran it down the French Canals to the Mediterranean, 1,200 miles and great trip for 6 weeks.

Graham