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Starting an Engine MacGyver Style


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https://www.sailingworld.com/story/how-to/how-to-use-your-sails-to-start-your-engine/

Great thinking here!

 

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“It was the last day of 2000, and when I started the engine the previous day, I had heard a bad noise, but I didn’t care. The day after, I wanted to start it again to charge the battery, and nothing happened when I switched on the contact and pushed on the start button…. So, my first job was to remove the starter to understand why it didn’t switch on. I removed it from the engine, and then I opened it, and I found out all the brushes are more or less dust, nothing repairable.”

Y5YC5RZ7MBEB3OUJCRXQV7LZUA.jpg

 

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51 minutes ago, Fogg said:

Given the speed of those things I was hoping he managed to 'jump start' it by sailing at 30kts then putting the engine in gear...

The old boy towed a yacht back in the 70s,the owner was adamant that doing 10knts and dropping in gear would be enough jump start,no one had jumper cables, 3 bladed prop decompression lever up shaft by all accounts spinning fast enough but put in gear was like a brake coming on. total fail.So how fast would you need to go??Gave up after an hr. Owner sailed off presume find jumper cables. Thought was to take our battery over but if failed to start and flattened ours then what.

 

Just done a quick google and reasons why it would never start.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f54/push-start-a-sailboat-129505.html

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6 hours ago, harrytom said:

Just done a quick google and reasons why it would never start.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f54/push-start-a-sailboat-129505.html

I'm not convinced by some of those arguments.

If the prop has enough bite to drive the boat forward, it could well have enough bite to turn the engine over. The starter on a small diesel is not particularly powerful. Interesting question is" what about a folding prop?

I believe that I have successfully used sail assisted starting. One evening I was sailing along and wanted to run the engine to charge my aging battery. With the battery already a bit flattened it would not turn the engine over quickly enough to start. Rather than grinding away until the battery was dead flat I decided to try some sail assist. While sailing along, I put the engine in gear at a setting typical for the boat speed, and pressed the starter. It started easily without laboring.

I can't prove that the starter would not have been sufficient on it's own, but in my opinion the additional help from the prop made the difference.

 

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4 hours ago, DoT said:

I'm not convinced by some of those arguments.

If the prop has enough bite to drive the boat forward, it could well have enough bite to turn the engine over. The starter on a small diesel is not particularly powerful. Interesting question is" what about a folding prop?

I believe that I have successfully used sail assisted starting. One evening I was sailing along and wanted to run the engine to charge my aging battery. With the battery already a bit flattened it would not turn the engine over quickly enough to start. Rather than grinding away until the battery was dead flat I decided to try some sail assist. While sailing along, I put the engine in gear at a setting typical for the boat speed, and pressed the starter. It started easily without laboring.

I can't prove that the starter would not have been sufficient on it's own, but in my opinion the additional help from the prop made the difference.

 

The prop has to drive the gearbox, then the engines. It takes a LOT of speed to do this - some cats capable of over 20knots have been known to start their engines (in reverse!) unintentionally when dropping a folding prop back in the water - they can unfold when they are lifted out...

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