250 Hour Engine Service

Execute the following procedures in order...

1. Warm up the Engine
2. Extract Engine Oil
3. Change Engine Oil Filter
4. Add New Engine Oil
5. Change External (CAV) Fuel Filter Element
6. Change On-Engine Fuel Filter
7. Bleed the Engine Fuel Lines
8. Check Engine Bolts
9. Check Engine Alternator Belt
10. Check / Replace Raw Water Impeller
11. Clean Raw Water Strainer
12. Check / Adjust Engine Coolant Level
13. Check / Replace Engine Exhaust Anode

Day 167: Home

Around 4am, it all started to go downhill. I was just passing Hat Head, south of Trial Bay, and the seas started picking up. A distinct chop on the nose started to build up. At first I thought it was a tidal run around the headland but, as I kept going south clearing the point, conditions worsened. It started to rain and the wind started to rise. Turns out I had run straight into an unforecast storm. I had noticed lightning to the south earlier but didn’t think it was anywhere near where I was going.

The early morning turned into an exercise in hanging on. The wind peaked at 30 knots with waves up to 2.5m. I slowed the boat down to reduce slamming but it was very uncomfortable. At one point I took a wave right over the cabin top. Not sure whether it was just an excessive wave or I buried the front.

After about 3 hours it started to drop. The storm passed over and, with dawn breaking, I was able to look around. It was a lot more comfortable. My next problem was going to be crossing the bar. My predicted time was now near the end of the window and I really didn’t want to miss it and have to spend another 9 hour’s waiting for the next window. I was able to put the speed up and do the final leg at 6 - 7 knots. I made the bar.

Once in, I had to prep the boat for the mooring. I drove it up the river on autopilot and set up a couple of lines as a bridle. I also ran a temporary line from the roller to the cockpit, the plan being to clip the temporary line to the mooring with the props at idle from the cockpit, and then hand haul the boat over the mooring.

Picking up the mooring worked very well and I attached the bridle lines. These will need a shackle in the next few days. It was then a matter of bagging up the stuff that was coming off the boat, packing the cats in their carrier, and dinghying over to the jetty where my love was waiting.

Off I stepped.

Location

Paradise Point

Day 166: Off Nambucca Heads

Passage planning for the final run to Port. There are steady southerlies along the coast except for a small break tonight. There is an 8 hour window where the wind dies down to no particular direction. I can slip out of Coffs just before it drops and be in Port just as it starts coming up again. I also have to hit the Port bar window which starts at 8am and closes at 11.30am tomorrow. The plan will be to leave Coffs at 9pm tonight and overnight to Port.

Similar seascape to where I learned to dive.

I went to the small chandlery in the marina and got an emergency nav light. I’ll be needing that tonight.

Emergency navigation lights.

Left Coffs at 9pm and turned south. There was a slight chop on the nose so I slowed down to 5 knots. This still puts me on the Port bar in the window so I settled in for the night with 15 min horizon checks.

Location

Off Nambucca Heads

Day 165: Coffs Harbour

Full day in Coffs. Went into town for a bit of shopping - raining so I got the bus back - and some boat housekeeping

Managed a walk on Muttonbird Island.

Overlooking the marina.

I'll be heading this way tomorrow.

Muttonbird (Shearwater) nests.

Location

Coffs Harbour

Day 164: Coffs Harbour

Still underway Gold Coast Seaway to Coffs Harbour.

Some time in the night, the mounting screws for the masthead light must have come adrift and the whole fitting is flopping around on its cable. Not much I can do about this under way. It will look weird to other boats so I'll have to keep my eyes open until dawn.

Was surprised to see a cargo ship come up on my inside. I didn't think I was anywhere near the shipping channels. The AIS had him missing me by 1/4 nm but I called him on the radio anyway. He assured me there would be no course changes until after he passed me.

Last leg to Coffs was fast with following wind and seas. Proper whale soup out here, and I had a dolphin escort into the bay.

Tied up at 5.45pm, went to dinner at the sailing club, and slept the sleep of the dead.

Safely tied up.

It's a bit cold and the cats are heading for the warm places.

Location

Coffs Harbour

Day 163: Currigee

Back at Currigee ready for tonight's exit. Passage plan says leave at midnight for a 24 hour passage to Coffs. Expecting the first few hours to be a bit bouncy until I round Point Danger, then a fast run with northerlies all the way. The plan has the seaway calming down at around midnight. Went to bed in the afternoon to try and get some sleep before leaving. I won't be sleeping much underway.

Update: I woke up around 5pm and checked the weather which suggested I could leave at 9pm. Checked with the Seaway Tower VMR and they told me the bar was calm right now. Woohoo, early exit.

Looks like an evening race going past.

2 hours out, heading for Point Danger and the port engine sputters and shuts down. I find lots of water in the CAV filter. Checked on deck and I had left the filler cap off the fuel tank and had been taking on sea water. This is a big problem. If I don't fix it quickly, I'll have to go back to the Gold Coast and I miss my weather window. Took me 1 1/2 hours to clean out the fuel filters and lines. I put two old filter elements on. Took a bit of purging but I got the engine started and it ran perfectly for the rest of the passage.

My passage companion.

Not much sleep single-handing. I got 15 minute snatches between horizon checks.

Location

Currigee

Day 162: Paradise Point

Weather improving but still not great.

Another day, another supermarket.

Poured yesterday's fuel run into the tanks. That should be enough for the next leg, so I refilled the cans for my reserve.

Had enough of being stuck on the boat all the time. A night out is in order. Went to the Runaway Bay Tavern near the shopping centre for a steak and to sit out the quiz night. Good beer, nice evening.

Things didn't improve for that mono.

Location

Paradise Point

Check / Replace Engine Exhaust Anode

This is a holding post - this procedure needs work and better supplies.

Check / Adjust Engine Coolant Level

Parts / Tools

•  Coolant concentrate, if required.

Concentrate - needs diluting (best with ion-free water like from the watermaker.

Method

• Wait until the engine is cool.
• Open the coolant filler cap - check that the coolant level is at the top.



Coolant filler cap and reservoir.

Check the reservoir - level should be greater than 1/3rd full.

If either of these are low, make up a solution from the concentrate - at 50% - and top up.

Clean Raw Water Strainer

Parts / Tools

• None

Port strainer - the starboard one is a different model but the principle is the same.

 Method

• Close the raw water inlet sea cock.
• Unscrew the top of the strainer and remove the strainer insert.
• With a small paintbrush in running water, clean the strainer.
• Remove any debris from the strainer body.
• Replace the strainer insert and screw on the top.
• Open the raw water inlet sea cock.

Check / Replace Raw Water Impeller

Parts / Tools

• Screwdriver
• Replacement impeller
• Impeller body seals

Impeller cover plate.

Method

• Turn off the raw water inlet sea cock.
• Unscrew the raw water impeller plate.
• Prise the impeller out gently with a flat-head screwdriver.
• Inspect the impeller. If there is any damage, replace.



Damaged impeller - needs replacing.

• Clean and replace the front plate using a new paper seal.



New impeller with vanes in correct orientation.

• Open the raw water inlet sea cock.

Day 161: Paradise Point

Weather still bad - heavy rain and high wind. Anchor doing a sterling job.

Decided to have some time ashore. I will need fuel to get home and, while I could drive round to the fuel dock, I decided to walk the cans up instead. Got a lock for the trolley so I could leave it at the marina while I walked up to Runaway Bay for lunch. It rained most of the way making it a miserable walk.

Houseboat up on the beach, and a big mono dragged and aground.

Location

Paradise Point

Day 160: Paradise Point

Currigee prove far too rough. It actually wasn't that uncomfortable on the boat but with high wind combined with tides running through the anchorage, I was concerned that the anchor would significantly drag. There is some evidence that it has already moved around in a limited area, always resetting. This is outstanding ground tackle but you can't be too careful.

Decided to give Paradise Point another go. The crossing was not as choppy as yesterday and, at low tide, the anchorage looked fairly calm. I knew it would pick up as the tide came in and uncovered the protective sandbank but decide to see how it goes. Dropped the anchor in 1m LAT with a good amount of chain for the expected 40 knot winds and settled in. Spent the day on the boat.

Blowy but a good spot.

Location

Paradise Point

Day 159: Currigee

There is a lot of bad weather coming. Days of high wind, rain, and thunder storms. Dunwich would normally be OK for the wind direction but, at this intensity, it is way too rocky. Still, I'm in southern Moreton Bay and, in the channels, things should be a lot quieter. I looked at the charts and a spot between Macleay and Karragarra Islands should be good. It's a short 1 hour motor.

I set off on reduced power - I'm in no hurry - and made slow headway into the tide. This would take some time but I can enjoy the trip. Just coming up on Macleay and I noticed a dark shape following the boat about 5m behind the starboard engine - the lazy engine today. Further investigation revealed it as a crab-pot. I don't know if this was set in the channel or was pushed in by the weather but I had caught it.

Anchored off a nearby beach, splashed the dink, and jumped in with the mask / snorkel to clear it. An easy job to untangle it from the prop. Checked inside and just found a whole chicken - no crab or lobster, dammit. There was no marker on the line, it must have been cut off by the prop. I cut off the line so that it wouldn't be a hazard and sent the pot to a watery grave.

On to Macleay. When I got there, it was clearly not going to happen. Strong gusts were running down the reach throwing the moored boats around and I didn't want to be a part of that. On, then to the Gold Coast, only now it's getting late because I've been buggering around with a crab pot!

Very heavy.

I headed for Paradise Point, somewhere we stopped on the way up, and arrived just on dark. This was no good either. Of the boats anchored, they were being thrown around, and a couple of houseboats were up on the beach. It was too dark for the precise maneuvering I would need to put the anchor in safely so I bailed to Currigee campsite.

Low visibility.

I have been to Currigee a few times and it is good for the wind direction, and big so there should easily be a spot. When I got there it was very dark so I used the big torch to scope out where everyone else was. Eventually got the anchor down in 4 1/2 m of water and all the chain out, between a mono and another cat. One problem is the tide running up and down the reach, which conflicted with the wind somewhat. Rocky night with little sleep because I was afraid of the anchor dragging. The plotter track showed that the anchor had reset a couple of times through the night but never very far from where it was dropped. Another tick for the Manson Supreme!

Location

Currigee

Day 158: Dunwich

Quiet day. Caught up with sleep all morning and just hung around on the boat for the rest of the day.

Location

Dunwich

Check Engine Alternator Belt

Parts / Tools

• Spanners / sockets to fit adjustment bolts.
• Replacement belt, if required. (See paper binder for part numbers).

Method

• Inspect belt for damage. Some wear is expected but, if it looks like it may fail, it needs replacing.
• Swing the alternator to adjust tension. It should be possible to just rotate the belt forward by 90' in the middle of its top span.



If you can just rotate this by 90', it is at the right tension.



Belt tension adjustment points.

• If the belt has stretched to the point where it can no longer be adjusted with the alternator, replace the belt.

Check Engine Bolts

Engine Mounts

• Check that corrosion has not damaged the integrity of the mount.
• Check that all nuts are tight.



Engine mount - these are the bolts that need to be checked.

Engine Bolts

• Inspect external bolts on the engine. Corrosion should be low and they should be tight.
• Stand back and do a visual inspection of the engine looking for out-of-place or missing parts, like fittings, excess corrosion.



Stand back and look over the engine.

Hose Clamps

• Tighten any loose engine-related hose clamps. These are mostly for fuel, water (raw and coolant), and exhaust.
• Replace any damaged clamps.

Bleed the Engine Fuel Lines

Parts / Tools

• Various scanners to crack the bleed screws.
• Rags for cleanup.

Method

• If any work has been done on the fuel lines, it s possible that air would have entered the lines. This needs to be removed; at best it will require excessive cranking to start the engine potentially draining or damaging the starter batteries, at worse the engine will not start at all.
• The principle is to use the bulb pump to push fuel from the tank to the high-pressure pump past 3 bleed points. There is a bleed point on each fuel filter, and also one on the engine itself.



Bulb pump.

• The method is to pump the bulb pump while holding each bleed screw slightly open in turn. Continue pumping while air or bubbles leak from the screw. As soon as liquid-only comes out if the screw, tighten it while maintaining pressure via the pump.
• External (CAV) filter. The bleed screw is the larger of the two on top of the filter.



CAV filter bleed screw.

• On-engine filter. The bleed screw is on top of the filter.



On-engine filter bleed screw.

• Engine high-pressure pump. The bleed screw secures a banjo fitting to the pump.



Engine high-pressure pump bleed fitting.

• If the engine does not start, or starts and then stops, repeat the purge - there are probably remaining pockets of air.

Change On-Engine Fuel Filter

Parts / Tools

• Replacement spin-on filter element.
• Oil filter wrench and socket wrench.
• Rags for cleanup.

New filter element and wrench.

Method

The filter.

• Pre-prepare the filter element by smearing a small amount of clean engine oil on the seal.
• Use the oil filter wrench to remove the old element. Keep this as level as possible to minimise fuel spillage and discard the fuel in the filter. The filter should unscrew fairly easily - if it seems to need a lot of force, check that the wrench hasn't bound on a fitting behind the filter.



Wrench in place.

• Screw in the new filter making it hand-tight.
• The fuel lines will need to be bled of air before the engine can be started.

Change External (CAV) Fuel Filter Element

Parts / Tools

• Replacement filter element with seals.
• Medium-size shifter.
• Waste container for spilled fuel.

The filter.

Method

• Holding a container under the filter glass, undo the water drain screw. Catch and dispose of fuel as it runs out.



Water drain screw.

• Remove the water-drain bolt from the base of the filter.
• Loosen the vent screw at the top of the filter, drain fuel currently in filter, and discard.
• Remove complete filter / glass assembly.
• Discard the old filter and seals.
• Clean the parts that will be refitted - glass, base, screws.
• Reassemble filter with new element and seals.



Cleaned ready for reassembly.

• Refit assembly to the filter body.
• Air will need to be bled from the fuel lines before starting the engine.

Day 157: Dunwich

Fast and furious day in Mooloolaba. As nice as this town is, I need to get moving, not least because there is a weather system on its way that could trap me here for a week. Even though I've just arrived, there is a window between now and Saturday when I could get to Morton Bay. Once in there, it's sheltered motoring to the Seaway. Trouble is, there are things to do before I can go.

Up early and over to the laundry to wash the clothes. While I was about it I checked in with the marina. Next was fuel. I emptied both reserve cans into the man tanks, filled the cans, did the same again, and then refilled the cans for my reserve. I put some fresh water in to about half capacity (we keep it on this level to reduce weight). Then into town with a trolley for shopping. I don't need much - some cat food and people food - so one trip will do. Linda kindly offered to give me a lift back to the boat.

Something that women enjoy, apparently.

I spoke to Linda about leaving either 4pm today, or 6am tomorrow and she pointed out that Morton Bay is very tidal and it would be a good idea if I could catch a tide assist. I checked the tide tables and the best time to leave was about 10.30pm. Confirmed with Bill that this wasn't an insane idea and he reckoned is was pretty good. He also suggested a fairly straight course missing out the shipping channel, which adds miles to the trip.

Went to bed at 6pm for 4 1/2 hours and was out of the heads by 11 heading for Tangalooma. It was a very fast run with the current pushing me up to 8 knots at times. By the time I got to Tangalooma, if was still dark so, rather than try to anchor in what can be a crowded, tricky spot, I pushed on to Dunwich and was anchored up by 8 am.

Car ferry at Dunwich.

Location

Dunwich