Can I test my Inboard on the hard before boat is launched?

[kupskius]

Me again! Now that spring is almost here, I will be posting questions and progress on the launch of my 1980 Cherubini 30 (new to me).

I want to be assured that the motor is running well prior to launch (I have about a 12 mile trip from the hard to my marina). The boat has a brand new (used < 1 season) Yanmar 2YM15 inboard. How can I start it and run it briefly while she is out of the water? Or should I just bite the bullet and have the boat yard do it for me?

 

[LakeShark]

When I lived on a Catalina 30 I used to flush my engine with fresh water after every trip at the dock. You just need a 5 gallon bucket and your raw water intake line. I had a T in my intake line with a ball valve that had a section of hose on it which was closed except when flushing. I closed the seawater intake, dropped the hose in the bucket with water and opened the valve on the line in the buckett. I then started my engine and ran it for 5 or so min until the Bucket was empty. It's not as hard as it sounds. And it's a good way to make sure your impeller is still taking water as it should.

 

[kupskius]

Excellent! Thanks LakeShark. I figured it was similar to doing the same with an outboard, but I read somewhere that there were concerns, can't remember what the issues were...

 

[Stu Jackson]

but I read somewhere that there were concerns, can't remember what the issues were...

Here's why & how:

Winterizing an Engine on the Hard (Thanks to Maine Sail) - NEVER connect a hose to your raw water pump inlet - NEVER!!!

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=873073&highlight=winterizing

 

[Captn Scotty]

Here's why & how:

Winterizing an Engine on the Hard (Thanks to Maine Sail) - NEVER connect a hose to your raw water pump inlet - NEVER!!!

http://forums.catalina.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=873073&highlight=winterizing

Wondering why not to use a garden hose into raw water intake? I've been doing it for years. Maybe some models of engines get water in the cylinders? I don't use antifreeze since I keep an oil heater going in the boat all winter. Please enlighten me to any potential hazards Stu...thank you!

 

[Johnb]

Where we live the water pressure is anything up to 75 PSI. I could see that wreaking havoc with strainers and impellers and flooding the engine

What has not been mentioned is damage you can do to the cutless bearing and stern seals running them dry

 

[frankies56]

I have seen people do this at boat yards they stick a hose up the intake and start the motor, but what about if you have a strainer at the hull ??? I would imagine a bucket and disconnect the inlet and put water bucket hose to the intake side of raw water impeller.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Please enlighten me to any potential hazards Stu...t

Have you seen the video?

Scotty, I just clicked on that link which I had on our C34 website and it seems the video is no longer up on this forum in the link. I have no idea why it disappeared and I have no control over it.

Basically, more water comes in through a pressurized hose than any raw water pump would ever pump.

I'll see if I can find the video on Maine Sail's website.

 

[tmjb]

What I have done in this type of situation for a number of years is set up the bucket as previously suggested with the raw water intake hose disconnected from the thru hull in it, but also run a garden hose with and nozzle of some sort to it. Fill the bucket, start the engine, then open and adjust the nozzle such that the level in the bucket stays approximately constant. That way you can run the engine without concern re water pressure for as long as you want.

There are those however who are concerned when doing this in the hard that the vibration of the engine could dislodge the boat stands.

 

[heritage]

MainSails complaint to the poster about teeing off of the raw water intake was that he was using brass shutoff valves and single hose clamps. MS went on to explain that the proper way would be to have a bronze valve upstream of a rugged bronze filter with proper fittings.
Using a water hose to cool the engine would not be a problem IF you can regulate the flow to be about the same as what the raw water produces. Too high a flow could fill the exhaust manifold faster than the engine exhaust can kick it out the boat and allow some water to drain into an open exhaust valve when the engine is shut down.

 

[Ed Schenck]

I've always just made sure that it started. My 3YM30 will catch immediately and then I shut it off. Need to know that I can get away from the crane. Might be a little hard on the impeller for fifteen seconds without water but I am running the same one for two years. I will change it and the oil as soon as I get to my slip which is in about two weeks!

 

[DianaOfBurlington]

Forespar makes a very nice Marelon through-hull made to facilitate engine flushing for rinsing away salt water or for winterizing. The through-hull lever has separate stops for 'from overboard' and 'from inboard'. You can connect a freshwater source (NOT a pressure-fed hose!) to the inboard attachment and run the engine as normal. One bonus is that, left hooked up with a short length of hose into the bilge, this will make your engine raw-water pump an excellent emergency bilge pump. Look at their web page for details about this. It's made specifically for what many people have done via jury-rigging for generations.

The problem with hooking the hose of city water directly to the engine intake (however you actually make the connection) is that the water service pressure can be anything from much too low to much too high. With many sterndrives and outboards, the service pressure is too low. Larger inboards tend to run hot (too little pressure), confusing owner/mechanics trying to sort out problems. (Watch the garden hose: it goes flat.) Most of the time, engines appear to run fine on pressure-fed water, fooling owner/mechanics into thinking the impeller is sound when it's not. With small motors like our auxiliaries the pressure may be too high, causing other kinds of false readings and possibly over-stressed gaskets. ALWAYS let the motor's own raw-water pump do the sucking, from a proper bucket (which provides a natural siphon break). If you see problems under the proper conditions, then you know you have real problems.

 

[kupskius]

Wow! Thanks folks! This is great info!
I will not be getting to the Engine for a week or so, more to do before then...

See my new post "Seacocks - to close after sailing or not?"

 

[Tom J]

I installed a bronze three way valve at my strainer, with enough hose to reach the bilge, and a screened fitting on the end of the hose. It's a simple matter to throw the valve, and flush the engine with fresh water from the bilge, or anti-freeze for winter decommissioning. Putting a garden hose in the bilge lets me run the engine on the hard as long as I need to.