Ex-ship's lifeboat modification advice please

I have just purchased an ex-ship's lifeboat with the makers plate stating that it is a Viking Marine Co. Ltd vessel, 5.85 metres long by 1.9 metres beam, built in 1972.

She has a knackered volvo penta (don't know the model or hp) aboard but for my purposes (inshore creel fishing) I was going to heave this out and fit an outboard. Does anyone have any knowledge of these boats and any suggestions for a suitable size of outboard?

Also, to protect the hull when beaching, is it possible to add short timber bilge keels by bolting straight through the fibreglass hull? I was thinking of something like 4" x 2" timber to prevent her from listing over too much as the harbour dries out.

Regards, Colin.

 

Welcome to the forums Colin, to answer your questions in reverse order - that's a good way to make her leak you'll have difficulty sealing any holes made directly into the hull! You could 'Glass' in a strongback which would make it a little stronger (prevent the bilge keels getting ripped off - maybe!) but you'll still have a wee bit of a weep unfortunately!

Secondly this would be a dinghy style vessel I believe? An outboard is possible but remember that the engine is an intregal part of the ballast system (yeah they do recommend ditching it when you have run out of fuel in a rescue for more room but in that situation you have lots of ballast - the crew all ten of you) I'd change the engine out for another small diesel, run for years (as long as it's maintained properly)

 

Thanks Safewalrus, think I might give the bilge keel idea a miss if that's the case. The outboard vs inboard problem persists a bit though. The reason for considering an outboard is for mainly for weight saving and easier beaching. When a northerly is forecast here you get down to the pier and drag your boat up by whatever means you have available - or you loose it! I personally would prefer a diesel for economy and ease of maintenance though, and if the weight is required for ballast then I think the choice is obvious. Would I be correct in thinking that the current engine is a volvo MD2? 15 hp? Are these easy to come by nowadays or any suitable cheapish alternatives recommended?

Many thanks, Colin

 

Colin, the best bet with the engine is drop a line to your local volvo dealer (check out the web) and let him find you! Wether that particular make is still available is an open point but may I suggest you tell the guy your interested in an air cooled one and see what he's got - reason - water cooled is OK but as your coming off a beach you'll get sand into a lot of places you'd never never believe possible! and that stuff don't help the works (actually if I remember a lot of the old lifeboat engines where aircooled for a different reason - you could test 'em at the davit head, you run a water cooled one for anything longer than a few seconds out of the water and you'll make a lot of money for your local engineer!)

 

Thanks. The engine in place at present is plumbed in from a sea-cock but the thought of an air cooled one does sound appealing for the reason you stated. Any links to suitable sites etc.? Would you stick to the same size/hp bearing in mind the proposed usage as opposed to an emergency craft??

Thanks again, Colin

 

You'd probably get away with something slightly smaller enginewise as it would appear that you don't intend any dramatic runs off the beach in serious weather, but remember modern horses ain't quite up to the old style ones for various reasons - be guided by the local 'engine' man! there's a lot to be said for using the local man, apart from the fact he's close (after all he's probably got the only spares for anything in the local area; and knowing the Western Isles he's no doubt related! unless he's on the next island in which case he's an old enemy!)

 

This type of boat is quite easily pushed by a small gasoline engine. The ones for roto tillers have a built in 6-1 reduction gear.

Electric start.About 6hp, no winterizing needed.

Say $300 and a bit of kluging and you have an old fashoned setup.

You start in gear & have no shift or reverse , but with practice its fine, ask anyone that was fishing in 1920!

FAST FRED

 

Didn'ty realise you were that old Fred! I'd ask you about the Great War but of course the Yanks only just made that one (looking for a winner before committing yourselves?)

Of course the 'horses' in those days were real horses not the little things we get these days! But at that size why do you need an electric start? the wheel could be swung by hand! Actually on sizewise you could get away with that size but for a few extra £££'s (we don't use $$$ yet) the extra whump would be useful in a blow, and it ca get kinda drafty up on the west coast of Scotland at times, with creels or pots you may need to get out and get 'em in before a big blow or loose the lot (and those things ain't cheap these days)

 

Safewalrus, it seems you know this part of the world well. The weather does blow up seriously big style and yes, just about everyone I meet is related to me in some way or another! I will try and contact the local "engine man" with regards to a similar inboard but I think he is more into selling new stuff (reliability, severe weather, reputation etc., etc.).

Supposing I did go for the outboard option (30hp ish???) would a couple of sandbags to the weight of the removed diesel, lying in the bilges under the floorboards, suffice for ballast? I know another local creelman (my wife's uncle, by the way) has concrete poured into the bilge of his orkney longliner for ballast but perhaps the sandbags would be better for taking out when the time comes for dragging the boat up. Any views or better ideas on this matter?

Regards, Colin

 

All things considered I'd prefer the movable option given the choice, True a concrete block in way of the old engine would be fine but you'd still loose that space and of course when dragging the boat up the beach the weight is still in there!

If you do go for the outboard engine I wouldn't go much higher than 15hp; your sticking a big weight on the back (t'was originally midships remember!), the boat is a displacement boat, it will not go above hull speed no matter what size engine so why burn extra fuel to make a louder noise (leave that to the minster on the sabbath)! Also thinking of the shift in engine weight you can shift the 'beach' around to suit the new trim, concrete (whilst bloody good stuff) is static and you'd end up using 'beach' anyway to trim!

On the subject of weight [again] when dragging the boat up the beach a 30hp engine is a big lump to lift off the back of the boat - a 15 is manageable ('course the tractor is even better; big ring at forefoot of stem, shackle in long rope to eye, other end to tractor and engage low forward gear, boat should run up the beach quite easily as long as you don't rush it, your lucky not much stone on most the beaches that way (few empty whisky bottles from the 'Politician' in Eriksay if your that way - what you canna remember that, afore your time! Only the greatest piece of Scottish history since time began!)

 

Darn ,
I keep forgetting some folks live Inside a refrigerator.

Here in FLORIDA , even a day boat needs a bit of electric to keep the fridge cool and the fan running.

And a 6hp rototiller engine has a generator , and weighs only 30 or 40 lbs.

Oh I forgot pounds is your currency ,
at least till some politico sells you down the old Euro rathole.

FAST FRED

 

This is a non-political board.
Which is fortunate for the yanks here.

 

Yeah Fred your right, and at the moment (especially up in the Western Isles it's kinda cold - we live in the refrigerator to warm up!

As for the money thing, some politician (but not the SS Politician - enough on that story, all good Scots were weaned on it ) will no doubt sell us down the river at some stage untill then were hanging on to our traditions!

Ok your the only people who still use one of them - linear, feet and inches stuff [lucky buggers this metric stuff ain't the same thing], even the money is going stupid and is now metric 100 pennies to pound, what the hell is wrong with 240 pennies to the pound, 12 pennies to a shilling, 20 shilling to the pound stuff anyway, not as if it were complicated is it?

 

Thanks for all of the advice folks. I'm now even more baffled than before I started. The local "engine man" (not related to me believe it or not!) says go for the inboard option, but air cooled would be very loud. Apparently perkins make a 3 cylinder raw water cooled which is sold exclusively by volvo. He thinks a bit more than the current 15 horse would be better and says don't go for an outboard 'cos its a bulky hull to shift along.

Nobody said it was going to be easy. Oh, what bait do you recommend for a bottle of SS Politician??!

Thanks again all. Please feel free to keep the thread going with any suggestions of good lightweight diesel inboard ideas.

Colin.

 

Aye, that's the trouble with using 'foreigners' as experts, he's probably from Barra, and their all mad from Barra (an old bosun told me, he was fra' Barra and would know)! Got me doubts about anyone who times their airline by the tides (Colin will explain to the heathen)! OK so aircooled is loud but the fish don't care, and it lets the wife know when your coming home! But the kelp canna get to it so it does have it's uses!

But yeah I'd go with his choice the Perkins sounds good, always had a good reputation (didn't ken about the volvo thing tho') IF he's a Volvo man he'll ken what he's talking about mind, they've always produced good engines and more importantly good engineers - and they used to train their own people too! But I do think his talk of a larger engine might just be sales talk, I'd be a wee bit circumspect there!

Bait for a bottle of SS Politician - try dangling a minster of the 'wee free' on the end of a line, works wonders (but for some reason it don't work on a Sunday?) Partial to a wee dram of Glenfarclas myself but each to there own! A fine Harrison's (of Clyde) boat was the Politician I believe, that was until some daft bugger put the rocks in the way. Brings a whole new meaning to 'whisky on the rocks' does it not?

"I don't suffer from insanity, I'm loving every minute of it!"