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Ryan Williams Professor Alicia Bolton Eng 101 November 7, 2013 Precautionary Boat Maintenance All motorized vehicles require a routine maintenance check from time to time. Key elements are a large role in correctly running motorized vehicles. Properly caring for an engine is a lot of work but it will be more efficient and safer in the end. However, in the writing End Game, an aquatic vessel seems to have a mechanical issue. The vessel was carrying passengers, vehicles, and other items. What seemed to happen was, there was a problem in the engine room, causing the vessel to sink taking many passengers with it. There are many precautions that can be taken in order to keep failure of mechanics from happening. Many lives could have been saved if all of the precautions were taken properly. Delays may occur due to checking mechanics before leaving port, but it would be better to be late than dead. Engines are a complex system of fluids, wires, rods, horsepower, filters, and heat. There are many mechanical precautions to be taken before any vessel is ready to be operated.

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Fuel filters, and hoses that are clogged can cause problems, this is a type of mechanical precautionary action that can be taken to keep from being stranded. Making sure that oil and fuel levels are good are also another mechanical precautionary that can be taken. Powerboat Care and Repair How to Keep your

Outboard, Sterndrive, or Gas-Inboard Boat Alive and Well, composed by Allen

Berrien is a how to guide for checking boat engines for problems. Berrien is a boat owner himself, a former marine mechanic, and once captain off an offshore charter boat. The information in his book is very precise and in depth. For example: If youve cranked the engine for ten seconds and it hasnt fired up, the spark plugs should be damp and smell like gasoline (Berrien 29). This is an issue with having clogged fuel filters. Berrien goes in depth about the hosing that runs throughout the bottom of the boat into the motor; All hoses that run below the waterline must have double hose clamps at both ends when hooking into the motor (Berrien 125). If everything is not properly checked and cared for, mechanical troubles will find a way to become present. Berrien presents a logical thought as to why a boat may not crank: We overlook the most obvious cause of poor fuel delivery. That is, taking a look in the fuel tank. Is there anything in there? If not, youve solved the problem. Fill up the tank (Berrien 29). When an engine is run with low fuel levels and low oil levels the motor is forced to do more work to keep pumping. Making sure

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that those levels are up is another precautionary for running a motor; if the oil level becomes too low the motor will overheat and quit running. This generally leads to water pump, and fuel pump issues. Wiring in the motor can cause a major problem as well. Just this past Friday I had some bad wiring on my tilt and trim; my motor would not trim down in the water. This problem could have been prevented if I had taken the time to check all the wiring before launching the vessel. Instead I had to idle all the way back to the landing; a 7 minute ride turned into an hour long ride. Berrien gives in depth information as what precautions to take. The precautions also come to a solution as to why something is not working properly or why it is not working at all. Not all mechanical issues can be found immediately, for say a boat has been sunk for some time; a corrosion sets in on the metal parts of the motor, and it is a scientists job to run the corrosion off in order to determine the problem. Mike McCarthy composed the eBook Iron and Steamship Archaeology: Success and Failure on the SS Xantho. McCarthy is not much of a marine motor specialist. He is a scientific researcher that studies sunken ships, and possible causes as to why they sank. McCarthy was doing an investigation on the sunken SS Xantho. The cause of sinking was not specifically said. In a general assumption from the

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information gathered while reading the cause seemed to be a fire that started on the inside of the boat. This fire could have started in the engine room and spread. More times than less when an engine room gets to a certain temperature it starts to smoke. When the smoke sets in on the walls it causes the wood to start splintering and burning. Once the wood starts burning the engine and the room is on fire spreading all throughout the boat. There are a lot of boats that sink that are never recovered till years later. After a wrecked ship has been discovered it goes under investigation; Shipwreck corrosion scientists have since recognized that the principle of applying anodic protection devices, or impressed current, to a historic wreck has considerable merit (McCarthy 186). The de-corrosion of the motor allows the scientist and mechanics diagnose the issue as to what went wrong with the motor. When ships have sunk and have been under the water for quite some time the water begins to corrode on the motor, and rust it up. By process when the motor is de-corroded more test can be run to evaluate the motor and what mechanical problem caused a malfunction. How to Keep Your Boat From Sinking, A Simple Self-survey Can Prevent Big Trouble written by David Pascoe, an informative article from the internet gives many tips on how to keep a safe boat and motor. Pascoe is a boat owner that keeps

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his boat at a local marina in his hometown that he works at. Pascoe has also done mechanic work to marine engines. Pascoe goes through his own specific checklist before taking his vessel out on the water. Pascoe starts at the bow of the boat and works his way to the back of the boat going through his checklist. The last thing that Pascoes checklist consists of is making sure the cap on the motor is sealed tight. In chapter 13, water leakage is discussed. If water leaks through the seal it could cause many problems: The engine housing sealant has to be tightly sealed or water may leak in drowning the motor and causing fire, thrown rods, or shaft issues; all o these can cause motor heaviness leading to weakening the transom and causing the transom to break losing the motor and placing a hole in the boat (Pascoe 1). Not only can inside motor damage cause problems, but so can outside coverings and protectors. The last precautionary on Pascoes checklist is a big deal because if that one sealant is not sealed tightly and properly a lot of trouble is bound to happen. Keeping a checklist according to Pascoe is safe and it keeps people from being forgetful of their stuff. Being responsible is a key component to keeping a close check on mechanical issues with a boat engine. If one lacks responsibility, then the motor mine as well be thrown away. Pascoes check list is a great way to check precautionary mechanical errors, and other issues with the vessel before launch. Having this checklist makes

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remembering to check everything a lot easier. Pascoes article throws a twist in the game adding the fact that not only mechanical issues but issues with protectors and housings can lead to problems.

McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology published the

article Ship Design. This article is about a colossal cargo ship that travels the seas delivering, and receiving loads of cargo to carry around the world by ship. A vessel of this size has more than one engine therefore requiring a lot more mechanical maintenance. This cargo ship pumps tons of gallons of oil a day; filters are steady being changed just as more oil is being added. The maintenance level for a ship this size must be the best that can be provided. If one maintenance requirement is missed the whole motor and ship could be jeopardized. Not only do the motors onboard the ship have a tough workload but so do the crane arms and motors up top unloading the cargo. These arms have their own motors for each arm. Each of these motors have a high task force set; they must move the large steel arm and claw, then they pick up cargo and move it around on the loading dock. This arm moves a lot of stuff: On- and off-load the 5000 containers using shore-based cranes in less than XX hours (np). This machine uses hydraulic fluids to release the pressures of going up and down so often. Hoses on these machines must be

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changed frequently due to the hydraulic fluid backing up and causing clogs. These machines must be tended to regularly in order for proper mechanical running. These large cargo ships pump a lot of horsepower which means they need higher maintenance. The proper maintenance keeps everything running smoothly and there are no dangers to anyone. By taking the precautionary and checking everything crisply, all machines will run sound and be good to last with no troubles. In contradiction to all mechanical problems, not all boats that sink have mechanical issues. The Hutchison Encyclopedia has a story within its pages called the Sinking of the Lusitania. This story was written about the large militant ship cruising along and almost into port, the ship is struck with torpedoes. Even though these torpedoes caused the ship to sink, not always is it the motor that causes a boat to sink. The Lusitania was 755 feet long, 88 feet wide, and 60 foot 4 inches tall. This ship was huge, one of the large ships of its time. The ship was set up with the military. Thinking of the military most would think that the ship is almost indestructible; but in this case the ship was far from indestructible. Two torpedoes crashed into the starboard side after a mate on the boat saw a white bubble cloud coming for the boat. When the torpedo struck, another one was right behind it hitting almost simultaneously. The ship sank quickly: Being struck took a heavy list on starboard side and in less than twenty minutes she sank in deep

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water (np). It is not always a mechanical problem that causes a ship to sink or have a problem. The problem occurred from German U boats striking the Lusitania with torpedoes opening up holes in the boat for water to leak in. There was no precautionary to prevent that problem happening. Not everything can be stopped before it happens. As shown in this article not all boats that sink are related to mechanical issues. This article shows firm proof that unexpected events can strike at any moment and send everything else downhill too. All in all it is a good thing to have certain precautionary checkups before taking a boat out in the water. All motorized engines require maintenance; if the proper maintenance and precaution is not taken then the motor will not perform. Many ships have sank and take the lives of others due to the lack of taking the precautionary look. Works Cited Berrien, Allen. Powerboat Care and Repair: How to Keep Your Outboard,

Sterndrive, or Gas-Inboard Boat Alive and Well. 1st ed. Camden, ME:
McGraw Hill, 2004. Print. McCarthy, Mike. Iron And Steamship Archaeology : Success And Failure on

The SS Xantho. New York: Kluwer Acamemic, 2002. eBook Collection

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(EBSCOhost). Web. 5 Nov. 2013. Pascoe, David. "How to Keep Your Boat From Sinking, A Simple Self-survey Can Prevent Big Trouble." Top Tips to Keep Your Boat From Sinking: Boating

Magazine. D. H. Pascoe & Company, Inc., n.d. Web. 5 Nov 2013.

<http://www.yachtsurvey.com/sinking.htm>. "Ship Design." McGraw-Hill Concise Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. McGraw-Hill, 2006. Credo Reference. Web. 05 November 2013. "Sinking of the Lusitania." The Hutchinson Encyclopedia. Helicon, 2013.

Credo Reference. Web. 05 November 2013.