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Old 06-11-2021, 07:26 PM   #1
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$0.69

There's a saying in aviation that checklists are written in blood. I have a checklist on the boat. It's flow is just like it was in the cockpit...... Before Start-After Start-Before Shutdown etc.... It contains items out of the Hatteras manual and my add ons. It is updated regularly. I print it, I laminate it and I use it. Every time.

$0.69 is what I paid for the part missing in the picture below.......

I don't know how long it's been like that. One of the challenges doing checklists in the cockpit was always to not just LOOK but to SEE. Devious simulator instructors would put something out of place and if you said "CHECK" he would stop the proceedings and say....."IS IT?" So I try to LOOK AND SEE, every time. So maybe it just happened, maybe I finally caught it. But the bottom line is that I caught it, and fixed it.
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Old 06-11-2021, 07:50 PM   #2
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For want of a nail the kingdom was lost! Or in this case, a circlip!
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Old 06-11-2021, 09:41 PM   #3
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This is a most useful thread. Thank you.
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Old 06-11-2021, 10:10 PM   #4
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Added “check main shift and throttle cables” and “check wing shift and throttle cables” to my engine room pre-departure checklist.

We had a main shift cable break about a year ago. Stepped down from the flybridge to the pilothouse and it worked fine. The one that broke was the slave cable between the two. I was glad I had the wing running and warmed up, and I was glad I was not going too fast in the fairway.

Another time, on a twin diesel Luhrs I was running as a student in a class, the cable came off the transmission on the port side. I didn’t know it at the time, I just knew there was no resistance on the shift lever. We were approaching an end-tie, and the trans was in forward. I was just going to secure that engine, but the instructor pushed me aside and took the helm.

Takeaways are…these things can and do happen.

Thank you for prompting me to think, oscar, and make it a formal checklist item.
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Old 06-11-2021, 10:18 PM   #5
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Added “check main shift and throttle cables” and “check wing shift and throttle cables” to my engine room pre-departure checklist.

Thank you for prompting me to think, oscar, and make it a formal checklist item.
You're welcome. This item was one of the ones that came from the Hatteras book.
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Old 06-12-2021, 07:25 AM   #6
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I've never turned it into a formal checklist, but so many people I know think I'm crazy for crawling around the engine room before the first engine start of every day. Every fluid on the engines and generator gets checked, belt tension checked, look for any new leaks and a general once-over of hoses and anything else visible. Doesn't matter if I never actually started the engines that day, I'll do it again the next day if we're going somewhere, even if I'm down there at 4 AM before coffee.
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Old 06-12-2021, 07:32 AM   #7
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I've never turned it into a formal checklist, but so many people I know think I'm crazy for crawling around the engine room before the first engine start of every day. Every fluid on the engines and generator gets checked, belt tension checked, look for any new leaks and a general once-over of hoses and anything else visible. Doesn't matter if I never actually started the engines that day, I'll do it again the next day if we're going somewhere, even if I'm down there at 4 AM before coffee.
Well, either we're both nuts or..... "They" are nuts for not checking stuff before going out there.
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Old 06-12-2021, 07:42 AM   #8
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Well, either we're both nuts or..... "They" are nuts for not checking stuff before going out there.

I'm going with "they" are the crazy ones. Particularly all of the other gas boat owners that never seem to open the engine hatch, just hit the blowers, wait a couple minutes and go. For me, the pre-start check and an after-fueling check both get done before turning the blowers on so that any trace fumes can be smelled before they're sent overboard. Then after checking, turn on the fume detector (if it's not already on) and blowers and wait before starting. Fuel dock attendants all hate me, as it's usually close to 10 minutes from when we finish fueling and I hand them a card to the point where I've got engines running, confirmed stable idle and ready to move.
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Old 06-14-2021, 05:56 AM   #9
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Its usually hot down in the HELL Hole , but I prefer to do the inspection right after engine shutdown.

We mostly anchor out so must be ready to move with little notice , so little time for a Pre Start check list.
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Old 06-14-2021, 07:20 AM   #10
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Its usually hot down in the HELL Hole , but I prefer to do the inspection right after engine shutdown.

We mostly anchor out so must be ready to move with little notice , so little time for a Pre Start check list.
At anchor or otherwise away from shore power where I may want the generator at some point or may need to move, I just do my checks when I get up in the morning while my coffee is brewing even if I don't necessarily need the engines that day. My usual daily checks take 5 - 10 minutes, assuming I don't find anything that needs attention (and depending on how fast I'm crawling that day).
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Old 06-14-2021, 07:25 AM   #11
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I have seen people ruin engines becausecthe didnt check fluids, engine rooms...... and I have seen a few save their engines because they did.

If you wind up with water entering your oil.....checking it before running it allows fixing it. But running it hard the next time without checking usually results in ruining your engine.

Every engine room can benefit from different checks...but I never at least fail to look for water in oil as it is by far the most common destroyed of recreational engines in my experience with no external warning (like running aground and then overheating and continuing home).
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Old 06-14-2021, 01:07 PM   #12
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I wonder how many of these spectacular large ship collisions you see on Youtube etc. where there is either loss of propulsion or loss of control, are due to simple clips or other safeties missing, and then a cable or rod goes rogue.
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Old 06-21-2021, 02:19 PM   #13
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Is this Oscar myers?? S/f
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Old 06-21-2021, 06:39 PM   #14
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My husband and I are both pilots as well (he's now an instructor at Flight Safety Int'l) and we also had a checklist on our sailboat. A whole lot of people thought we were nuts, but it saved us several times. We'll have a detailed one on our trawler when we finally find one. And you are so right that it's easy to just run the checklist without really seeing. Same as it's easy to miss something critical in a scan on a passage. Being situationally aware seems to be a lost art these days because of the constant distractions we're exposed to on a daily basis.
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Old 06-21-2021, 07:02 PM   #15
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I had a similar experience. After a very carefully inspection of all systems, I found a missing set screw on my generator. It held the water pump cog belt pulley to the crankshaft. The pulley would have easily destroyed the shaft causing catastrophic failure. .25 screw/ 8,000.00 generator
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Old 06-22-2021, 06:32 PM   #16
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Good thread.

I am in the process of acquiring a 2009 Nordic Tug 37 which will be both the oldest and most complex boat that I have owned. How should I go about creating a comprehensive checklist? Not sure if the manuals are with the boat and I am sure there are items that should be on the list that aren't in the manuals anyway.


I am having both a whole boat and a diesel survey next week. I'll try and write down everything the surveyors talk about but I know I won't get it all because those guys are amazingly comprehensive.


I admit that in my sailboats (which were much newer), I went through a checklist in my head but didn't actually do all the checks (heck didn't do most of them) that I should have. I'm becoming both more cautious and more sensible now.


Thanks for any suggestions!
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Old 06-22-2021, 08:04 PM   #17
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Exactly what happened here:
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Old 06-22-2021, 10:46 PM   #18
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You can let go of that horn now......

FWIW here is my checklist.

BEFORE START

Engine heat
Blinds
Life Vests Out
Electric Fuel Shutoffs

GENERATOR/BATTERY ROOM

Generator coolant level
Generator oil level
Fuel filter check
Battery switch on
Bilge
Start Switch “Auto”

ENGINE ROOMS

Raw water inlets
Engine coolant levels
Engine oil levels
Emergency air shutdowns open
Throttle and gear cables secure
Fuel filters check
Steering system level and pressure
Battery disconnect
Fuel levels
Fuel manifold
Bilges

AFT STATEROOM

Rudder stuffing boxes
Steering linkage

LOWER HELM

Navigation
VHF
Lights
Rudder position indicator
Rudder check
Alarm system
32V Charger Off









SETUP FLYBRIDGE


AFTER START

Water discharge
Engine room visual
Engine heat off
Air building
Oil pressure alarm
AIS on

BEFORE SHUTDOWN

Gear oil level
AIS OFF

AFTER SHUTDOWN

Fans if needed
Rudder position indicator
Ignition Off
Engine rooms
32VDC Charger On
Stuffing boxes
Rudders


BEFORE LEAVING

Doors & Windows
Garbage
Fridge(s) Open If Off
Breakers: WH/WP/Black tank gauges
Lights/IT
Flags
Sound
Through Hulls
iPad





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Old 06-26-2021, 12:20 PM   #19
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Since you are using aviation methodology, a "walk around" would be the first part, before you get to the checklists.
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Old 06-26-2021, 12:57 PM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by oscar View Post
You can let go of that horn now......

FWIW here is my checklist.

BEFORE START

Engine heat
Blinds
Life Vests Out
Electric Fuel Shutoffs

GENERATOR/BATTERY ROOM

Generator coolant level
Generator oil level
Fuel filter check
Battery switch on
Bilge
Start Switch “Auto”

ENGINE ROOMS

Raw water inlets
Engine coolant levels
Engine oil levels
Emergency air shutdowns open
Throttle and gear cables secure
Fuel filters check
Steering system level and pressure
Battery disconnect
Fuel levels
Fuel manifold
Bilges

AFT STATEROOM

Rudder stuffing boxes
Steering linkage

LOWER HELM

Navigation
VHF
Lights
Rudder position indicator
Rudder check
Alarm system
32V Charger Off









SETUP FLYBRIDGE


AFTER START

Water discharge
Engine room visual
Engine heat off
Air building
Oil pressure alarm
AIS on

BEFORE SHUTDOWN

Gear oil level
AIS OFF

AFTER SHUTDOWN

Fans if needed
Rudder position indicator
Ignition Off
Engine rooms
32VDC Charger On
Stuffing boxes
Rudders


BEFORE LEAVING

Doors & Windows
Garbage
Fridge(s) Open If Off
Breakers: WH/WP/Black tank gauges
Lights/IT
Flags
Sound
Through Hulls
iPad





A friend has a copper cover on his Throttle/gear levers with the most important items permanently stamped into it. Ending with :
"Wife Aboard ?"
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