ST44 daily engine checks

[Wagamama]

Considering the purchase of a ST44 but concerned about the engine compartment accessibility to perform daily engine checks. How do owners deal with this? Thanks

 

[SOJOURN4]

We have had a ST44 for 5 years. Engine room is tight (I am 6' 230#) but are able to complete daily maintenance and annual service without many issues.

I installed "gym" mats on the floor to help my old man knees.

Daily's should not be an issue - oil in the engine room runway and coolant on the top of the engines. For the coolant, I first would use my iphone to take a fluid level pic pf the port motor but after a while just used my finger for a level check. Easy access to the primary filters and strainers

Good luck

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. I don’t have that boat but I do have a handfull of knee pads that I used every time I have to get on my knees. I ger them at Lowes garden department for about $10 each.

 

[boater3]

Considering the purchase of a ST44 but concerned about the engine compartment accessibility to perform daily engine checks. How do owners deal with this? Thanks

daily checks are pretty straight forward, quick, and easy but i dont necessarily do them daily. i do them before any significant trip or periodically if we are on the hook or mooring for weeks.

the manual has recommendations what to check for but i look for:
- leaks (fuel, oil, water, coolant, etc) around engines, in engine compartment, bilges, including aft in generator area
- any material from a degrading belt
- smell for weird smells (had a blower relay burn up recently)
- check oil level (we have no issues with engines eating oil, so its not like its going to go anywhere unless you see it leaking)
- check coolant level (again, unless you see it leaking, its unlikely for the level to change) but since its shared with the de-misters and water heater, it could leak in other areas you won't see in the engine room
- we check fuel water separator seldom these days (but before any big trip). reason being because we have a single private fuel supply that gets high use and we are confident in the tanks, fuel quality, etc, as well as dozens of other boats are always getting fuel from it and we would hear quick if there is an issue. i was going to install clear racor bowls with the easier draining fittings but haven't yet. i did check the fuel water separators often on my 2900 mile trip where i had to get fuel from different places almost daily. i did experience a bad batch of fuel at one point but thankfully was able to contain it. i also tape over the fuel fills with shrinkwrap tape as the o-rings are not to be trusted. we have had zero issues with any water or debris in the fuel since we have been only using our private supply.

i wear knee pads some times. i am 6' and fit in the engine room fine but if you want to access the far sides of the engines, it requires you to be quite flexible (but there should be no reason really to go there for daily checks)