New project - Seahunter 520

[9-R]

Thanks for the kind words, @harrison @PeterM and @Sibfisher

The zodiac is now my brother’s and he could fit it in his car, which is why we were using that. Also I haven’t fixed (or even found) the hole in the Honwave yet.

There is still a bit more work to do - I need to fit the step to the stern and glass the seats in. For the first run we decided that we didn’t need the seats - people could sit on the floor!

[ChrisParish]

Had another good outing on Sunday. It was glorious in Poole Harbour



Only problem was an overheat warning on the engine when trying a full throttle run.
So my next job is to pull the thermostat and check a) that it opens at the correct temperature and; b) that it isn’t all chocked up with crap. Having done that I will add a load of vinegar to the water butt and give the engine a good long run.
The guy I got the motor from seems to have coated stuff with silicon grease, because when we run it in a bucket there is silicon in the bottom afterwards.

[sonny1]

very nice video @ChrisParish . you just cant beat sandwiches on wareham quay. i spent three nights at ridge farm camping with my boat the week before last , i launched from redcliffe farm slip ,18 quid ,not cheap and i had to pay 2 days running but all in all well worth it . it was calmer for you in the harbour than it was for me . looks like you had a great time

[9-R]

Thanks @sonny1! It was flat calm pretty much everywhere except crossing the main channel by the harbour mouth, to get from the south side of Brownsea, by the castle, across to the North Channel.

Here is a map of our journey.

[PeterM]

Re the over heating - I have experienced in very hot countries OB over heat simply as a result of the ambient temp under the cowl ( admittedly the water pump wasn't exactly new … ) but Sunday was a touch 'hot' for the UK!

[Sibfisher]

Enjoyed watching the video Chris and what a lovely place to have a boat looks like a great day out you had there.
Must be well pleased with the boat, hopefully should not be too bigger problem sorting the overheating on the engine.

[ChrisParish]

Went to do some work on the boat yesterday. I decided to check on the condition of the thermostat so I grabbed the socket set and took the cover off.

The thermostat is missing!

Well that isn’t going to help things! I wonder if without the resistance of the thermostat water isn’t getting around all the other parts of the engine. The flow rate is quite high, even at tickover.

So - new thermostat ordered.

I also fixed the Rev counter. There was a fault in the wiring loom.

[ChrisParish]

Took a trip down to Poole yesterday to fit the new thermostat.

Thermostat in and cover refitted. The flow from the tell-tail is much stronger now, which is nice.

Unfortunately I think I have now found out why the thermostat had been removed in the first place: the thermostat cover is cracked. Without the thermostat in there the crack is closed up and doesn’t leak, but with the thermostat in the load from compressing the rubber seal on the thermostat causes the housing to bow slightly and opens up the crack.

Looks like I need a new thermostat cover!

[sonny1]

New thermostat cover fitted!

Having fitted the cover I filled the bin with water and fired her up. No leaks - everything looks fine.
10 litres of spirit vinegar added to the bucket to help clear any salt or corrosion from the engine and after a 20 minute run there is quite a lot of crap in the bottom of the bucket.

So I am pretty pleased with the progress. We get the boat squared away and ready for a trip out from baiter the following morning (Sunday)

Sunday rolls around and we get down to Baiter and onto the water for 10. We get about half way to Brownsea island and the over temperature alarm goes off again. Arse.
Determined to have a good day out I pull the thermostat back out while sitting at anchor just south of the main channel and then we proceed round to Cheavel Point for a picnic.

The day wasn’t wasted, but the problem isn’t solved. I have just received the diagnostic cable and software for my laptop so I can plug it in and we can see which of the sensors is reporting a problem. At this point I am hoping for a dodgy sensor, but I suspect it may be something more sinister.

Stay tuned for more in the Saga of “I wish we had just bought a new engine”

[harrison]

Oh dear, bit of a bummer @ChrisParish

Hope you get this sorted.