Engine Survey - how detailed should it be ?

[ecmark]

I purchased a 1986 Carver and had the standard seaworthy survey done - after 1 hr 15 min into our move from the Chesapeake to Ocean City Md we had over-heating problems with starboard engine - I've learned another lesson in life that I should have had the engines surveyed - how detailed and what should I expect from an engine survey ? Can I trust a local marine mechanic to do this?

A veteran of life, comfortable at the helm but a novice in the engine room - all the best! Ed

 

[Robyns Nest]

How long did you do the sea trial?

Did you run the boat at wide open throttle for a period of time?

If you did that you probably would've found the issue then IMHO.

You can only trust someone who you know or were referred to, ANY local guy.......no you can't fully trust. Many are not that good.

 

[Al_Prisco]

I don't believe you had much of a survey. The vessel would need to be run under load conditions and fluids should have been sampled to detect contamination. The risers and cooling system are best tested with a thermal imager. Did your surveyor do any of this?

 

[Ghost]

I've never heard of a standard seaworthy survey. But that's okay because I earned my own first hand knowlege of make believe surveyors many years ago, so I don't need to chide you too badly!

Dare we guess who recommended the surveyor?

To answer your question directly, no, don't use just any mechanic. This can be tricky as engine surveyors do not come with "surveying" credentials the same way that a surveyor might (though obviously surveyor credentials are not exactly foolproof in themselves). Often the best way to find an engine surveyor is to ask for assistance by the boat surveyor in who they normally work with. In the case of diesels, often there is a program run by the mfg (less so with gas boats). In any case, you will need to do some investigative work to find the right person. Maybe a good place to start is in fact with some "good" local surveyors and ask for their advice on who to contact.

 

[rapscallion]

Sorry to hear about your delivery trip problems. I hope they got sorted out okay and you're happy with your boat.

I bought an 1982 Carver 3007 in June. I did a two hour sea trial. I had a marine survey conducted by a surveyor recommended by a yacht broker friend who lived and worked in the city where I was buying the boat, and with whom I'd worked for several years. I also had the engines inspected by a marine mechanic, also recommended by the same broker friend. Lastly, I had samples of the engine oil and transmission fluid analysed by a lab.

The mechanic ran the engines while at the dock. Crusader 220 hp, FWC. He checked the fresh water cooling system and the raw water system and found that the raw water pumps needed to be serviced with new impellers and replacement of worn components, and that the coolant in the FW system needed replacing. He noticed that the sea strainers were not bonded. He recommended replacement of the transmission coolers due to their age. I learned that the transmission oil had likely never been changed. Of great importance to me was the condition of the exhaust manifolds and risers, and the heat exchangers. The mechanic removed one riser to inspect it, and he removed the end caps on the heat exchangers to inspect and "rod them out". The mechanic checked the packing glands as well as the charging system. He also checked the ignition and fuel systems, batteries and battery cables, controls and control cables, instruments and indicators, making a number of recommendations for each.

I paid $400 for the mechanical inspection. I received a very thorough multi-page written report with recommendations for each system inspected. I had $1,800 of mechnical work done to the boat before I took delivery. Delivery for me was a two day voyage during which the only problem I noticed was that the port engine was running hotter than the starboard engine. I discussed this with the mechanic after the trip and he made a number of suggestions, and advised that the temperature difference wouldn't have shown up when the engines were run under 'no load' conditions while at the dock.

The oil samples were of limited use as they were essentially a snapshot at one particular point in time, whereas a database of information acquired from regular sampling done at regular intervals before and after changes in use, repairs, alterations, etc is needed to provide a complete analysis. As one poster to this forum suggested to me when I inquired about fluid analysis, if you don't have fluid samples analysed you won't learn anything; if you do, you might learn something you didn't know.

I definitely recommend having a separate mechanical inspection done in addition to the marine survey. You'll learn a lot from the inspection. The only thing I would do differently is to try to have the mechanic aboard during a sea trial so he can inspect the engine while under load. The pre-delivery service work I had done I saw as a pay-now-or-pay-later thing.

 

[btoran]

are you looking for an actual engine SURVEY done after purchasing the boat, or do you just need a good mechanic to check it over for peace of mind?

 

[ecmark]

Thanks for all the excellent insights - I've resolved the overheating issue with the Starboard engine and although the local recommended mechanic was pretty "spot on" with his assessment I'm concerned that his focus might be more on the commercial fishing boats in the area. It was a struggle to have him commit to a service time - maybe it was just that the commercial guys pay more and have a higher emergency need (since they are making a living at it)- the original suveyor did use a thermal gun to measure the heat on 8 places on each motor when we were running it but that was all - at this point with 850 hrs on original motors and 1 velvet drive replaced back in 2002 I'm thinking this winter I'll have some major maintenance to do - if anyone has a recommendation for a mechanic in the Ocean City MD area that will teach as they work please have them contact me at "ecmarkrb2@gr5tcopper.net".

All the Best! Ed