What To Check For? Pre & Post Running My Yacht
What makes a yacht usable and enjoyable is it’s equipment (Engines, Gears, Generators). These pieces of equipment are essentially the vital organs of a yacht. In this section we provide a list of important things to check on your yachts equipment pre & post operation. We actually go through every part of this list when doing mechanical surveys, and this list should be thought of as like mini mechanical survey. It’s meant to be quick and effective at either spotting issues before they become worse, or giving you that extra confidence at sea. While we could probably create an entire book on things to check for. This list is aimed towards engines, gears, and generators, and tuned to be practical for everyday use. What you’ll read below is a brief explanation of the checks to do and when to do them.
At the bottom of this page we’re providing you a free print out check list that is simple to use and will help you fly through these important things to look for so you, your family, your friends, your dog, and your yacht stay safe, so you can enjoy your time on the water!!!
Check Before Starting Your Vessel’s Equipment
Fluids If there was one thing we’d recommend checking before even starting the engine or generator on your yacht, it would be the fluids. Let’s run through the list:
Oil - Check the oil level on your engines, gears, and generators. Make sure the level is no lower then the minimum and no higher then the maximum, and take a mental note of the oil color.
Coolant - Check the coolant level on the engines and generators, and make sure it is not dirty or discolored.
Steering Fluid - Some engines are equipped with a power steering pump. On that pump there will be a dipstick for you to check it’s fluid just like an engine. Make sure the level is no lower then the minimum and no higher then the maximum, and take a mental note of the fluid color.
Leaks & Smells Leaks and smells are also very good things to note before taking your yacht out for a spin.
Leaks - A quick way to identify concerning leaks is by looking into the area underneath the engine, gear, or generator. Whether it’s the bilge or a pan, if there is fluid in there then it came from somewhere. Look around for signs of saltwater, oil, coolant, and fuel leaks. It’s also wise to look for things that could pose a risk of leaking while under way such as hoses that are cracking.
Smells - Note any smells of gas, diesel, propane, or the smell of something burnt. If any of those smells are noted identify the source, so that it can be addressed.
Check Upon Starting Your Vessel’s Equipment
Oil Pressure As soon as you start your engine’s or generators the first thing you should look at is if it’s getting oil pressure. If you don’t see an oil pressure reading you should shut down that piece of equipment, and have a professional check things out.
Water Flow Right after you make sure oil pressure is good the next thing you want to check for is water flow out of the exhaust. This lets you know that your equipment has sea water running through it which is crucial for it to run at the correct temperature. While your checking for sea water flow you also want to note any smoke or sheen that comes out of the exhaust.
Leaks & Smells Leaks and smells you’ll want to check for a second time after the equipment is running.
Steering & Shifting Now is the time to make sure your vessel steers port to starboard, and to make sure it shifts in forward and reverse. The last thing you want is to get pushed off the dock and realize your yacht doesn’t go into gear or your steering doesn’t work.
To check shifting make sure your vessel is secured well to the dock. Shift your vessel into gear and as soon as you feel it engage, pop it back out of gear and into neutral. Do this for forward and reverse on only one transmission at a time if you have more than one.
To check steering simply turn the wheel all the way one way and all the way the other while watching your rudder indicator to ensure the steering is working. If you don’t have an indicator you can locate your rudders inside the vessel and see if they move when you move the steering wheel.
Temperature While you’ve been doing this checks with the equipment running they have had some time to warm up. Check the temperature on your vessel’s equipment and make sure it hasn’t gone above what the manufacture specification is.
Throttle If everything looks good so far now is the time to give your engines some throttle in the slip to make sure they sound ok. If everything sounds fine then you’re ready to hit the sea.
Check After You’ve Ran Your Vessel’s Equipment
Leaks & Smells You’ll want to check for leaks and smells one last time after shutting your equipment down. This let’s you know right away if any of the equipment on your vessel had an issue that occurred while under way. It’s a good last check to do in order to ensure you stay on top of any unexpected issues, and costly damage.
Above is a dipstick that used to be about 8 inches long, but it had melted due to overheating. The gear this dipstick belonged to is completely destroyed and no longer shifts.