Has anyone run their engine 24 hrs per day?

Whats the longest continuous run time you have put on your engines/engine?

I usually max out at about 12 hours.* But curious about you guys who power to places like Bermuda or Hawaii.

Do long range cruisers stop mid ocean for maintenance and fluid checks?

Just wondering.

Blue water cruisers do a 24/7 in most cases. Never stop their*engine(s) until*they arrive at a dock. CA or WA*to Hawaii is normally the longest run between harbors - 200 to 300 hours for "trawlers."*Oil checks can be done on fly. Water/coolant - you should never have to add any. If you are, don't leave port until you find the leak. Look up logs and articles*for the Egret -*they did Spain to Brazil non stop in their Nordhavn 47.

Like light bulbs, the only problem I've ever had with engines is when I've tried to turn them on or start them.

markpierce wrote:

Like light bulbs, the only problem I've ever had with engines is when I've tried to turn them on or start them.

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I agree with that statement.* The only time I've had a marine engine of any kind shut down is when it ran out of fuel.* Other than that I've shut them down on purpose when they overheated, but that was due to catching a plastic bag on the cooling water intake.

We did 60 hours once....bay St. Louis(Rabbit Island actually) to Clear Lake,Tx. The only real issue we had was the stainless water tank became heat soaked so it was hard to take a shower with "cold" water. We stopped at Shell Morgan Landing and topped off the water tanks(fuel tanks as well) to help cool the water.

I took my FL120 this last summer from Deltaville, VA to Ocean City, MD in one run. Left DVL at 2:00PM and tied her off at 1:30PM the following afternoon. No problems and no reason to shut anything off. We don't cut off our cars in the middle of the highway and check things.

JohnP wrote:

Whats the longest continuous run time you have put on your engines/engine?

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So far only about twelve hours I think, once, on a trip to Desolation Sound.* We've run eight hours or so a number of times.

*

7 days , 12 hours off 7 days.

Delivery from Belize to St Thomas.

I did a 13 hour leg once in my ex Mainship. Point Pleasant, NJ to Mystic, Ct.

80 hours from Cancun to Galveston. 12-71's at 10 kts. No oil burn to speak of. Never turned them off.

Did over 24 hrs with Cat 3412's which have a running dip stick mark.

18 hours with my current Cummins...Tarpon Springs to Carrabelle.

-- Edited by Doc on Monday 17th of January 2011 08:04:29 AM

Our longest to date has been 3 1/2 days. Chuck

We ran 48 hours, Norfolk, VA to Jersey City, NJ.* Stopped once for fuel only.* Three qualified*operators aboard, so we stood watches of about four hours on duty and eight off.* Total IFR conditions at night.* The eisenglass might as well have been painted black.* We ran entirely on our GPS display using Offshore Navigator with radar set to maximum on a separate display.* Only saw two ships all night the second night.* Cruised at 1800 rpm, making about eight knots.

forum.spark?aBID=115492&p=20&memberID=1353918
ColonyCove,
I had zero visability due to sea mist on that same run, kind of spooky. I had no other operators and no radar just to add to the joy. Also had a giant lightning storm that lurked behind me for 6 hours.

In the farming community they use diesels to run large pumps that is is cost prohibitive to run power the distance from the established grid, they may run for 5 mo. at a time... they use oil bypass filters and remove and replace oil with the pump running. The farmers hate to shut them down because it can be hard to re prime the pump. I ran Volunteer From Neah Bay to* Longview and it was no different than a run to the San Juan's. Diesels like to be run. About 15 years ago a guy from Port Townsend ran from P.t. to Cabo, Cabo to the Marquesas, to Tahiti, then to Hawaii, then to Alaska... and back to Port Townsend... all in 9 or 10 months!. The boat he built for the trip had a old straight 6 cat motor grader engine that he rebuilt prior to installing it in the boat. Personally I would of stopped to enjoy the islands ... but he was on a mission and had limited time. The boat was pretty simple... a later owner lengthened it and spent a boat load fitting it out as a proper yacht. Clean fuel and oil and they will run a LONG time
HOLLYWOOD

Boston to Miami Beach Marina several years ago on a 55' steel hull. 12v71 NA no stops 8.5 days if I recall. Coastal to Norfolk, ICW due to wx out at southport-coastal the rest of the way. 2 long nights navigating by chart and spotlight/radar. Pre chartplotter days 1996 ish. Draft exceeded water depth several times-no worries steel shoe under prop/keel cooled dry exhast

Sailor of Fortune wrote:Draft exceeded water depth several times-no worries steel shoe under prop/keel cooled dry exhast

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It's my understanding that when your draft exceeds the depth of the water, you are most assuredly aground.* ..................Arctic Traveller

*

No worry Jeff, the 20' FL tides floated him off.

That would be correct! Or said another way- "We were helping the Army Corp of engineers with
actual depth observations" LOL

Most of our cruising on the coast in Aus is done with day trips.
This is especially good when it is only the Boss and myself.
On my Great Barrier Reef trips to the Swains it is a 36/38 hour open ocean steam. These are usually a boys own spear fishing/fishing trip.
I just do the normal engine room inspections and usually do an on the run oil check after about 12 hrs.
A bit of greasing to the fore & aft shaft bearings every 12 hrs or so and everything is hunky dorey.
The 3516 CATS on the Vantage that I am presently on have been running non stop for the last 12 days, they will get an 8 hour break whilst we are in port today and then we are out for another 8 days.
Then it's going home time for me.
The CATS will get another 8 hour break.

Benn

Did almost 2000 nautical miles last summer in 5 weeks. Longest non stop run was La Coruna, Spain to Guernsey, Channel Islands. 500 nautical miles/60 hours.*