Stand up engine room

Magic has an "almost" stand up engine room. Today I spent 2 hours on my knees replacing a float switch and its wiring. Now my knees hurt. Had my engine room been 8 feet tall, my knees would still hurt. Guess it depends on what has to be done. Change an impeller? Back on my knees.

Never learned to dance but:

duck around the stairs, otherwise 6'6" across the front of engine,
then step down on each side with 7'1" all the way to aft bulkhead.
Still have 6'2" in galley above.
Ted

Open the hatch (either side or on top of the engine), step down and sit on the battery box (no need to be on one's knees), do the engine and/or fuel-line "thing" and stick your head into the pilothouse if fresh air is needed.

Ted said:

Never learned to dance but:

duck around the stairs, otherwise 6'6" across the front of engine,
then step down on each side with 7'1" all the way to aft bulkhead.
Still have 6'2" in galley above.
Ted

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Stairs?!! Sure beats using the exhaust manifold as a step.

ghost said:

Northern Marine was also puzzled why adding space in one area should have to impact spaces elsewhere.

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Good one!

My engine room is not a stand up ( we are only 37 ft) but it is 'sit around'. I can access all sides of the engine from a seated position. After spending most of last years weekends down there, I have found it to be quite comfortable to work in.
Getting in and out is not too bad as long as I remember to put the hatch back in place when I am not accessing the engine room. My knee still bothers me from that spill I took.

I envy you guys! The only way I can stand up in my engine room, is horizontally

On smaller self contained boats:

Easy peezie access... and, more than full standing head room for general maintenance needs. That is of course, as long as the hatches and ER space are set up correctly. Bit of contortion needing to get to transmissions or outside of engines next to tanks. Notice blue knee pads in bucket. I also recommend a "head-light" as well as some real good small flash lights.

With my hatches open I've got stand up engine room. There's a catch though. Gotta spread my legs apart over the little engine. Over twice the open hatch area as Mark though. But Marks is MUCH more neat and tidy. Interestingly the floor beam was cut out long before the engine got removed. That was presumably when we repowered but perhaps someone had the old Perkins out in the past. I had always assumed someone did it to be able to move around the engine better. Actually I could stuff a Lehman in here if I wanted .. if I wanted .. if I wanted.

I feel if you can stand up inside ( opening hatches to be able to stand don't count) you have a "engine room"..

If you have to crawl you have a " engine space ".. which my current Ocean Alexander qualifies as.

I have, but do not like to, go into my "space" while underway.. just too tight and too many whirling, hot, pokey, sharp things to negotiate while the boat is in motion.

I deeply miss being able to walk around my old John Deere in Volunteer while underway.
It doubled as a great man cave to hide from pesky guests and the family on extended trips.
The Admiral always understood what was up when I needed to " work on something " in the E.R.

Now the farthest I can get away is the the flybridge for a little peace... oh the sacrifices we make..

HOLLYWOOD

hollywood8118 said:

I feel if you can stand up inside (opening hatches to be able to stand don't count) you have a "engine room"..

If you have to crawl you have a " engine space ".. which my current Ocean Alexander qualifies as.

I have, but do not like to, go into my "space" while underway.. just too tight and too many whirling, hot, pokey, sharp things to negotiate while the boat is in motion.

I deeply miss being able to walk around my old John Deere in Volunteer while underway.
It doubled as a great man cave to hide from pesky guests and the family on extended trips.
The Admiral always understood what was up when I needed to " work on something " in the E.R.

Now the farthest I can get away is the the flybridge for a little peace... oh the sacrifices we make..

HOLLYWOOD

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Hey, Hey... I take exception to that, and so should Mark and Eric... as well as others on TF. Regarding: "(opening hatches to be able to stand don't count)"

"Engine Room" - can also = just that - "Comfortable Room" to service "Engine".

Especially coming from an owner belonging to the engine "crawl-space" officialdom!

Kidding aside... I feel for you. That is one of my tallest (pun intended) requirements for any boat I purchase. Must be able to stand erect in engine area and have at least reasonably comfortable/ready access to engine(s) as well as other items. There are several boats that I felt were real nice... but would need extensive alterations to get hatches made into salon floor for "Comfortable Room" to service "Engine". That factor stopped my purchase on two boats. One a Chris Craft and one a Tollycraft.

Happy Engine-"Room" Daze! - Art

A full stand up engine room being the ideal but from a practical standpoint one of my non negotiable must haves on our next boat will be easy to access mechanicals. If the access is not easy for "me" to comfortably work in there will not be a next boat.

I've only ever had "engine spaces" in sailboats, so my current ER is a dream. Now that I've been so spoiled, I never want to go back! I tell people I don't have room (get it?) to complain about doing maintenance in the ER anymore. Of course I've also been told by taller friends (I'm all of 5' 6") that the height is kind of wasted on me... :lol:

Here's a video still of the Cheoy Lee 46 ER from the Wallas Heater Installation video we just did:

Greetings,
I'm with Mr. H on this one. Standing on the keel with one's butt hard by the pots and pan's drawer and knees resting on the valve cover do NOT an engine ROOM make. It's a crawl space period. A proper ER has a vertical DOOR with which to enter and exit and enough vertical space to stand upright without slouching or stooping. The ER size and configuration should allow EASY regular inspections whilst underway. I'm perfectly willing to allow the "crawlers" to describe the ease with which they can access the mechanical spaces but again, a ROOM it is not!

One of my next projects will be to instal a couple of cameras to keep tabs on our ER while underway AND while crew members are doing their regular ER checks while underway. Currently, if the crew members happen to slip and/or fall whilst in the ER, there is no way I would know.
Mr. M. Now THAT'S an ER!!!!!

Hollywood you're right. I meant it as a joke. I've never called Willy's engine space an "engine room" as it obviously isn't a room. Engine compartment is what I usually call it.

Wasn't trying to sneak one by.

Irish Lady is all crawl around. The only place to stand is directly in front of the engine if the hatch is removed. The other 2 hatches over the engine do not help access at all because the openings are over the engine, not the deck path.
Whoever thought it was a good idea to put aluminum diamond plate decking in a crawl around ER was truely evil. Knee pads are essential gear.
That said, access to do essential PM is not bad.

Art said:

Hey, Hey... I take exception to that, and so should Mark and Eric... as well as others on TF. Regarding: "(opening hatches to be able to stand don't count)"

"Engine Room" - can also = just that - "Comfortable Room" to service "Engine".

Especially coming from an owner belonging to the engine "crawl-space" officialdom!

Kidding aside... I feel for you. That is one of my tallest (pun intended) requirements for any boat I purchase. Must be able to stand erect in engine area and have at least reasonably comfortable/ready access to engine(s) as well as other items. There are several boats that I felt were real nice... but would need extensive alterations to get hatches made into salon floor for "Comfortable Room" to service "Engine". That factor stopped my purchase on two boats. One a Chris Craft and one a Tollycraft.

Happy Engine-"Room" Daze! - Art

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Oh I can open hatches over the engine to open the overhead in the E.S. to lessen the cave like area .. but one needs to be a contortionist to get down into it without burning ones manhood to a crisp if the engine has been running. Luckily there is a hatch back in the salon that one can go down and get around to the genset and the main.

One of my winter projects is to finish the linear actuators I am installing to lift both of the big hatches so I can look down onto the main with a flick of the switch while underway without getting off the pilot chair!

My issue is I have had a great E.R. and have spent a fair amount of time on a boats that have real engine rooms that allow unlimited access to all the mechanicals... But is is very rare on a sub 50' boat

HOLLYWOOD

Thanks so much everyone. Leaving Maine today for Trawlerfest. Can't wait to see all those engine rooms

Hmmm. Don't be disappointed if you can't actually see all the engine rooms. It must be pretty tough for the sales people to pull hatches on those without strand up engine rooms. Take pics. Have fun!

manyboats said:

...There's a catch though. Gotta spread my legs apart over the little engine. Over twice the open hatch area as Mark though. ...

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Eric, you've forgotten that the Coot has hatches allowing access to either side of the engine and its top. Battery boxes on either side make great seats.

markpierce said:

Eric, you've forgotten that the Coot has hatches allowing access to either side of the engine and its top. Battery boxes on either side make great seats.

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Mark: Do you have any pictures on how you access your transmission and stuffing box. It looks like you do have good engine access for service.

Larry M said:

Mark: Do you have any pictures on how you access your transmission and stuffing box. It looks like you do have good engine access for service.

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Access to transmission is from the engine compartment.

There are hatches in the saloon floor accessing shaft and stuffing box which are inches from saloon floor and hull. No photos, however.

My engine mechanic likes the boat.

markpierce said:

My engine mechanic likes the boat.

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Your mechanic is not the only one, I like your boat too ;-)
Cheers, Georg.

markpierce said:

No photos, however.

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There has got to be a prize in this for Larry. Think that's the first picture request for the Coot in the history of TF that was not met with at least two angles!

Mark, you're slipping my friend

CPseudonym said:

... Mark, you're slipping my friend

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Nobody is perfect.

I have a vertical door in the v berth under the wheel house that I enter into engine area . I have to turn sideways but I can step in . Door is about 18" wide and around 5 ft tall . I have about a 2' x2' area where I can stand straight up soon as I step in . Then it's on the knees down each side of engine . Not to bad for 32 foot boat .

Nordhavn 62, from anchor tip to bustle it's 69', and still no stand-up engine room But we do OK. I guess it helps that both my wife and I are vertically challenged. I'm 5'8" and Jay is 5' 1". I haven't actually measured the height, so I'm gussing it's maybe a few inches under 5'

Although no where near the stand-up comfort of most newer Nordhavns, I actually like it. It's clean, bright & airy, and I sit to do most tasks. The only task where we've had to stoop-over was for the Valve Clearance adjustments prior to leaving for Hawaii. (photo 1) The other 2 photos show the space either side of the main engine.

The only way I'd ever get the space I dream about, would be to embark on a custom newbuild, which would likely have zero resale value.
But lets save that for another thread

Clean and well lit too!

nemier said:

Nordhavn 62, from anchor tip to bustle it's 69', and still no stand-up engine room But we do OK. I guess it helps that both my wife and I are vertically challenged. I'm 5'8" and Jay is 5' 1". I haven't actually measured the height, so I'm gussing it's maybe a few inches under 5'

Although no where near the stand-up comfort of most newer Nordhavns, I actually like it. It's clean, bright & airy, and I sit to do most tasks. The only task where we've had to stoop-over was for the Valve Clearance adjustments prior to leaving for Hawaii. (photo 1) The other 2 photos show the space either side of the main engine.

The only way I'd ever get the space I dream about, would be to embark on a custom newbuild, which would likely have zero resale value.
But lets save that for another thread

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Beautiful boat . It's nice to know that dreaming doesn't stop even at a Nordhavn 62 .

We had a wonderful time at Trawlerfest, getting back to Maine ahead of the coming blizzard. Saw lots of great boats. I did take pictures but have had some trouble uploading them. Suffice it to say we really liked the stand up engine room a used Nordhavn 47 that was at Trawlerfest. It was really easy to access and to get around. And the rest of the boat was great too.
Thanks again everyone

Mainetrawler said:

We had a wonderful time at Trawlerfest, getting back to Maine ahead of the coming blizzard. Saw lots of great boats. I did take pictures but have had some trouble uploading them. Suffice it to say we really liked the stand up engine room a used Nordhavn 47 that was at Trawlerfest. It was really easy to access and to get around. And the rest of the boat was great too.

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The Nordhavn 47' was one of our favorites also. We saw the 55' prior to the 47' but wasn't too impressed with the 55'. For the life of, I can't remember why.

Our other favorites were a Defever 50', the Krogen Express 52', Grand Banks Europa 42' and the Fountaine Pajot powercats.

We were only there for one day and decided to skip some the whales that were too big and order of magnitude over our budget. Come to think of it, most we looked at were an order of magnitude over our budget....sigh.