New Owner Questions

[MLampner]

As a brand new owner of a 77 Hunter 30, I am dealing with getting the boat ready to shift to its new home. Since the run at 5 to 6 knots will take 12 plus hours at a best case and I don't expect to be ready much before the end of Sept, I need running lights. Mine are not operational, I would appreciate any tips people might have for dealing with the bow lights. This is not looking like a fun job even assuming the best case that its nothing worse than a blown bulb.

Do these used color lens or does the bulb need to be colored?

Also any trick to starting a Yanmar YSB-12. Does the battery switch need to be in both or can just one battery get it started. I tried yesterday and had no luck. It was frustrating as between the presale and survey visits it started every time. Yesterday I couldn't get it to catch. I am chalking it up to my inexperience.

Is there any place I can go to get a manual for the boat? All of the links I found seem to be out of date and either hang the broswer or just come back 404 errors.

Thanks to all.

 

[Ed Schenck]

You do not state the symptoms of the start failure. Is the starter turning over the motor the way you would expect from having heard it during presale? Yes, battery position #1 should be the start battery and should start the motor. Then where is the throttle set while you are trying to start? If the starter is working and you have the throttle at about 1/3 it should start. But we need to know what you are seeing and hearing before we go further.

As for lights the color is in the lens, green on starboard and red on port. You need a white stern light. Then if under power you are required to have a "steaming" light on the front of the mast(not the same as the anchor light at the top of the mast). You could accomplish all of this with four cheap separate battery operated lights until you can get the boat wired correctly. Run the steaming light up on a halyard. The others could be clamped to the pulpit(bow) and pushpit(stern).

 

[MLampner]

Ed thanks, in answer to your question turned over fine and at least to my reasonably untutored ear seemed to be going fast enough. Throttle was about 1/2 way mark (mine had a dentin at that point so assumed it might indicate the start position).

Thought it might have a glow plug so had it in the on positon for about 15 seconds prior to cranking. Cranked for about 25 to 30 seconds then slowed down. Tried twice more but it didn't seem to be spinning fast enough, so gave up. As Sunday was mostly a clean up day and fix the small stuff didn't try it again.

Thought of going with the battery lights and may do that but thought I would try and seem if I am dealing with just blown bulbs or something more major.

Will need to look at the mast to see where the steaming lights are, assume unlike the deck lights these can be reached from cabin top? Might be the best place to start with the VOM.

Appreciate the input.

 

[Ed Schenck]

Sorry to tell you that the steaming light is not reachable. You should see it on the front of the mast at about the height of the spreaders. I have sailed on a couple of 30s but am not that familiar. Paul from Clearwater will likely see this, he has an H30. But I think he has the bigger 2-cyl Yanmar. Do you have switches for Running Lights and Steaming Light on the panel?

On my old Yanmar there was no separate stop switch or fuel shut off. You simply pulled the throttle all the way back. What about your YSB-12, how do you stop it? Could there be a fuel shutoff and it is "off"? The other issues are lack of fuel or air in the fuel line(requiring a bleeding process). Compression is also a biggie but if it ran before that should not be the problem.

 

[MLampner]

Switches exist for both running and steaming lights, and doubt I will be climbing the mast so a battery for the steaming lights for sure.

As to the engine it is stopped by putting the throttle all the way back. In line valve seemed to be open, but if all else fails will have to check for air in the lines but hope this isn't it, while not complicated bleeding the lines doesn't sound like much fun.

 

[Chuck Creel]

Re: lights

Your bow light has a clear bulb and bi-colored lense which do become brittle after years so be carefull or just replace it. The bulb that came in my 79 H-30 was like a fuse and the ends had corroded not allowing contact. This is probably what you will find on yours as well.

Same as stern light and anchor light.
I replaced all mine with new lights and switched to LED bulbs. Initial cost was a bit much but did it over time and the rewards are never having to buy another bulb again.

Bulbs can be found on E-bay, Defender and West Marine. I[ chose the E-bay ones at $19.95 each.

Good luck and congrats;

Captain Charles Creel
S/V Jacobs Dream

 

[Steve C.]

I have a 78 30 with a ysb12 as well. Bleeding the system as long as you have the same set up is easy, on the engine mounted filter there is a 6mm bolt on top of the filter, a 10mm wrench or phillips screwdriver will crack it open, on the banjo fitting at the injector pump there is a the same bleed bolt. I have an electric fuel pump so I turn the key on let the pump run. open the bleed screw at the filter use a rag so you don't get fuel all over you when the fuel has no more bubbles close the screw and open the one at the inj pump. Now open the throttle and have a helper crank the engine over, and crack the hard line at the inj pump to the injector when you have clean fuel tighten that end and crack the line at the inj when you have no more bubbles tighten the line at the inj and start her up. It sounds harder than it is, it takes 5 min to do it, and you should know how to do it. There is no glow plug on that engine.
I would get the engine running and go out and motor around for 2-3 hours to make sure everything is working, oil pressure, cooling, and basic engine performance before I took off on a 12 hour motor trip.
Where your running lights are concerned, the wires for mine where in the anchor locker and a mess. I could not get power ther for some reason. I ended up installing a tri on the mast head and don't use the bow lights. The stern light worked fine. The steaming light was a mess as well but I was able to clean the socket and replace the bulb now it works fine.

 

[Paul F]

Starting an older diesel can be a challenge if it hasn't been run in a while. Before you bleed the engine, which you may have to do, try this. Turn the batteries on combine and get all the battery power you can to spin the engine over. If the batteries are old you may have to buy new batteries as I had to. Push the throttle to wide open this will get the maximum compression in the engine. and crank it. if it starts back off the throttle right away. As has been said earlier take a few test runs before going out for 12 hours. Here is a link to fairly good engine information.
http://www.motoren.ath.cx/menus/yanmar.html

 

[Cpt. Jon]

It sounds like you might not have enough charge in your batteries if you only turn it over a couple of times and then it starts dying.

removing the covers for the lights should be very easy and quick (for the bow and stern), check if the bulb is good and look for corosion where the bulb goes in the light (I've had that happen more than once on different boats). If a no-go, I would use the clamp on lights that were recommended until you can get them fixed.

Good recommendations on here so far!

Jon