Sealing engine controls against filled cockpit ?

[SvenG]

Even if you have great cockpit drainage, if you take enough water to partially fill the cockpit you'll have enough water to at least temporarily cover the engine controls if they are installed low in the cockpit.

So, how do you keep the controls from being flooded ?



-Sven

[brak]

Worse yet - if my cockpit gets filled, since engine is right under and cockpit floor opens up for engine access (and not hermetically sealed) water would fall on engine itself.
Sure hope Yanmar can run underwater. My solution is not to let water in the cockpit, other than a little rain.

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by brak

Worse yet - if my cockpit gets filled, since engine is right under and cockpit floor opens up for engine access (and not hermetically sealed) water would fall on engine itself. ...

Let's assume that water in the cockpit does not end up on top of engine.

I was asking about situations where the boat was reasonably well designed for ocean crossings where green water in the cockpit is not supposed to mean instant helplessness.



-Sven

[brak]

Originally Posted by SvenG

Let's assume that water in the cockpit does not end up on top of engine.

I was asking about situations where the boat was reasonably well designed for ocean crossings where green water in the cockpit is not supposed to mean instant helplessness.



-Sven

My boat is found on all the lists of "offshore capable" vessels (including one posted somwhere on this forum).

I think for many boats significant amount of water in the cockpit can be avoided. That said, some diesel engines do presumably work under water as long as air supply is available. Certainly water on controls is not much of an issue - diesel does not need electricity to run, and controls are just mechanical things, they might rust from excessive water but should work anyway. Just my 5 cents.

[SvenG]

Originally Posted by brak

My boat is found on all the lists of "offshore capable" vessels (including one posted somwhere on this forum).

I think for many boats significant amount of water in the cockpit can be avoided. That said, some diesel engines do presumably work under water as long as air supply is available. Certainly water on controls is not much of an issue - diesel does not need electricity to run, and controls are just mechanical things, they might rust from excessive water but should work anyway. Just my 5 cents.

Fair enough, but that still leaves the question of how you keep the engine controls from being ruined when they in effect end up in a temporary saltwater aquarium.

How do you seal the controls or do you move them ?

Thanks,


-Sven

[artbyjody]

For the most part - if your engine instrument's "plate" is not cracked and allowing a massive amount of water in - most of it will drain and just seep through. As long as the engine is running and any salt deposits etc do not really accumulate (we are talking lots of time here) - you'll be fine.

On my Barberis - the Yanmar engine instruments , ignition, etc are located in the cockpit and currently the plastic housing is cracked severely where the engine cut-off is. That does pose a problem but luckily if that much water gets in it drains down below. So, your only preventive measure is make sure that that particular housing is not cracked - or move them to higher point in the boat (on my C-27 I moved them from the cockpit to the saloon / exterior coaming (forget the technical word for that)...