Kay's Canal Crafty Arts
  • Home
  • ‘Buckby’ watercans
  • Bespoke Horseshoes
  • Kitchen & Home
  • Barrels, cratchboards & doors
  • Canal art an eclectic collection
  • Bring me your stuff!
Boat fixing , Canal , Narrowboat , Narrowboat DIY , Sabb engine

Down in the Engine Hole

by Kay July 14, 2018 13 Comments

Mini Engine

The original manuals for my boat’s engine

I must admit  it’s only been in recent weeks that I have learnt how small my boat’s engine is.  Even at ‘top speed’ I am sure my boat  doesn’t reach the 4MPH canal speed limit, I have seen one-legged rabbits overtaking my boat on the towpath.  A recent chat with another boater on the marina revealed his boat has a 28hp engine – whereas my little chuggy boat can only muster about 9hp. It has taken two years to learn this, reflecting my total  lack of knowledge about engines.

Meccano struggles

I link this engineering failure back to childhood when I struggled with Meccano, my left handed default for turning stuff was – and continues to be – anti-clockwise.  It wasn’t that long ago  that I realised screws go in clockwise – no wonder I have struggled.  (As an adult my screwy revenge is having a left handed corkscrew, this gives me inordinate dark pleasure as I watch the rest of the world unable to remove a cork…  welcome to my world.. insert villainous laugh here!)

1973 Norwegian Engineering

sabb, advertising, 1970
A rugged fisherman with his rugged engine! Sabb promo literature early 1970s

For those of you who are engine  aficionados Pea Green has a 1973 Sabb 9HP HG engine.  For those of you -like me- who aren’t engine savvy Sabb is a Norwegian marine  company (not to be confused with the Swedish car manufacturer Saab).  Sabb are known for their reliable marine engines used in fishing boats and lifeboats, think fishermen in arran jumpers and the hardy engines that keep their boats going.  Even their old 70s advertising includes a jaunty fisherman wearing a jumper as he uses his ‘rugged’ engine – though perhaps the photo was taken for a knitting pattern.  The tough nature of these engines does give me great faith as I chug to the edges of Northamptonshire on the still waters of the Grand Union.

Out to The Wash?

I don’t think my little Sabb could deal with the rigours of the North Sea, and I am in awe of a bloke who recently took his Springer narrowboat across The Wash (though admittedly he probably had a bigger engine and propeller than me.)  I am not even sure Pea Green could  cope with a river – but that probably has more to do with my helmswoman incompetency than the power of the engine! As demonstrated last year when I came out of a lock at Braunston as the weir next to it was overflowing – despite having full power on there was absolutely nothing I could do to avoid smashing into the lock entrance wall.  After the lock incident the thought of battling rising rivers, currents and up-stream /down-stream navigation just seem way too much.

Engine Plans

manual, engine, sabb h, 1973
The plan for the Sabb H engine – can you find the crank handle?

As with all things to do with Pea Green I am trying to do ‘engine stuff’ myself, though this particular learning curve does seem mammoth.  The boat came with  two  well  thumbed original engine books.  As I looked at the engine plans with their  maze of lines and numbers for the first time I did feel overcome by a sinking feeling as I could make no sense of them.  My Dad, on the other hand immediately identified bits to be greased and stuff I should be aware of.

My previous engine experience took place  back in the late 80s when as an eager new driver,  I did a  car maintenance course. Though  that was in the days when you didn’t need a degree in computer science to dabble with a car engine, and most of the information went in one ear and out of the other.  As a result the ‘work’ (I use this in the loosest sense of the word)  I have done on the boat’s engine has been very basic, and I am grateful that the 1 cylinder Sabb engine keeps chugging away.

Braunston Barney Boat Makkah

At some point I do think I need to take a trip to Braunston and have the legendary Jonathon look at – apparently he IS the man who knows!  His old phone number is penned in one of my engine books – along with the old phone code. The limit of my  engine knowledge is reflected in my stupidity the first time I viewed the boat. Some of you will remember I took as ‘normal’ an engine hole sloshing with water and an engine that wouldn’t start.  However, for some reasons the Goddesses of the Cut were on my side and despite the water the engine has chugged on.

Bailing out the water

sabb, engine, hg, 1973
The engine hole when I bought the boat

Late in 2016  I did bail out  25 litres of  oily dirty water…. I have no idea where it came from, but it was a total pain in the rear to get out.  I began by using a hand-pump to syphon it into random containers, then it was a matter of sponging out the rest.  It requires a contortionist’s skills to get into the engine hole and reach the floor with a sponge. Accessing  the floor means dismantling a jigsaw of hatches, pieces of wood, walls and steps that cover the engine, plus the weedhatch cover f you actually want to see what you are doing – though this  requires two screwdrivers to lever off the cover and a rope to haul the steel lid open.  The other issue with all of this is that on a little boat there is nowhere to put the removed hatches, wood and stuff and it leaves my OCD head hurting when the boat is pulled apart and is in chaos.

Contortionist

The water had sloshed itself around the engine tray and on the starboard side I couldn’t reach the water without going through the hatch at behind the toilet.  This meant  moving the toilet and accessing another door next to the  engine’s radiator.  Laying on the on the floor I was able to reach into the engine hole with a sponge to mop out the water.

As I moor at the furthest point from the marina gate and carpark it felt like an additional challenge to carry all of the water back to my car for disposal – dirty bilge water can’t be dumped in the marina.

Mini service

Having owned the boat a  year in July 2017 I decided I really did need to do a  mini engine service – I say this as I am sure there are other things I should have dealt with but I am not quite sure what they are!  It does feel much easier accessing the boat engine than the car,  as you can squeeze all the way round it.   Although unlike on a car, when it comes to removing the oil from my engine there is no plug you remove to let the oil drain out, but rather you have to pump it out using a small pump and syphon it into a container. Luckily I had found the pump sloshing around in the 25l of water in the engine hole.   Dad  fixed  flexible hoses onto the pump and away I went taking out engine oil and gear box oil before I replaced the oil filter.

Grimy engine hole

sabb, engine, sabb hg, 1973
The engine with panels and hatches removed

Despite bailing out the water the engine hole still looked pretty grim, a residue of mud and years of grime seemed to cover everything.    I must admit I left cleaning out the engine hole until months and it was probably the dirtiest job I have done on the boat.  It gave me dark pleasure to wear the the ex’s designer shirt for this job – he forgot to take it with him when he ran for the hills, if anyone would care to let him know he can have it back, please do!  My Dad had  given me a tin of engine degreaser and with the loan of a brush and a #10 tin can from my marina neighbour I began the hideous job of cleaning the engine hole.

Degreaser at work

The idea of the degreaser is that you can paint it on and wash it off and ta-dah you have a lovely shiny engine.  Of course with an engine hole that hasn’t been cleaned for a very long time, if ever, the dirt build up on Pea Green was grim.   I had to paint on the degreaser, leave it  to soak in, then wipe it off, then do the same over and over again.

I had started by using rags, but as each time I had to wash them out I was creating move filthy water, so I shifted onto using kitchen roll, with a big bin bag at hand. The worst part of the job was probably clearing out the  engine drip tray  it was 5cm deep in oil, gunk and yuk, all of which had to come out.  At the bottom, I found an oil absorption pad and I wondered how long it has been immersed  in oil.  Similarly, the container under the stern gland was deep in slime and the best thing to do seemed to be to ditch it.

Almost shiny…

sabb, advertising, engine, 1970s
Sabb advertising for their rugged engines c1970

Finally, after days of degreasing and  aching all over from the weird positions I had been forced into  I managed to get back to cleanish metal around the engine.  I must admit that I was pretty much losing the will to live.  As Autumn was creeping on and the weather beginning to turn I was concerned I wouldn’t get the engine hole repainted and the paint dry before winter set in. (Yes, I know it probably wasn’t the most sensible time of the year to begin this endeavour.) Finally, with the grease removed I found a tin of Hammerite and painted the engine hole.  So far  I haven’t painted the engine, but this will need to happen before long, as the blue paint is beginning to peel, but right now it is engine service time once again, and that is the job for this week!

Barney BoatBraunstonenginenarrowboat DIYNorthamptonshiresabbSabb engineservicewelford

  • Previous Blobs in the right places aka canal art7 years ago
  • Next Monte takes a swim7 years ago

13 Replys to “Down in the Engine Hole”

  1. Pingback: How not to buy a boat - Kay's Canal Crafty Arts
  2. David Coller says:
    17th July 2018 at 6:16 am

    Fun and games, Kay! Even having dealt with my boat’s engine for the past 13 years, I still find it the most intimidating thing about the entire enterprise. This year I replaced the starter and the fuel lift pump and discovered that the old lift pump had been wired wrong for as long as I’ve owned the boat.
    Cramped engine space, immortal dirt and grease. I don’t know how all those serious power boaters can stand it. At least you have a diesel and don’t have to worry about blowing yourself to smithereens. And those old one-lungers are famously reliable.
    Happy boating!!!
    David

    Reply
    1. Kay says:
      17th July 2018 at 7:06 pm

      Ah thanks David! Glad it’s not just me who feels slightly intimidated by the engine! Wanted to change the fuel filter today, but left the manual at home and wasn’t convinced I had turned off the fuel… Left handedness kicking in… Hope I don’t have to do anything too complicated in the future 😉

      Reply
  3. Pat says:
    25th July 2018 at 6:25 am

    Well done Kay ! a steep learning curve indeed . loved the idea of using ex’s shirt as overall ! suggest a short wait until weather cools a bit before your next service activity….sounds as though it would be hell in present circumstances ! cheers for now , carry on boating ! Pat

    Reply
    1. Kay says:
      27th July 2018 at 11:15 am

      Haha actually did the most recent oil /filter change last week 🙂 though still haven’t done the fuel filter, I forgot to bring the engine manual and could work out how to unscrew the filter housing!

      Am trading all weekend at Welford should be walking the dog in this direction 🙂

      As always thanks for reading and commenting.
      Kay

      Reply
  4. Clive says:
    30th July 2018 at 3:34 pm

    Another very amusing blog Kay – it is exactly the dreaded job that I now need to do with my newly purchased ‘project’ of a boat which appears to be in a similar condition to yours having been neglected for years and now has loads of oil / rags etc sloshing around the bilge.
    Hay ho – all part of the fun of boating.
    Clive

    Reply
    1. Kay says:
      8th August 2018 at 9:47 pm

      Hello Clive,
      Yes, why do people leave oily rags down there? It’s so much easier when the engine hole is kept clean! Or is that my OCD coming through? Hope all is well with you and Maisy. Kay

      Reply
  5. edie says:
    13th August 2018 at 4:24 am

    Ok, now I am *really* impressed by you, Kay. A very horrible story well told!!! 🙂

    Reply
    1. Kay says:
      13th August 2018 at 4:09 pm

      Thanks Edie – part of my therapy to try and deal with it!! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Michele says:
    18th February 2019 at 9:43 pm

    Kay, as you know I know nothing about boats. Still laughing at your left handed cork screw and happy to have this information before I visit. How is your left handed fish slice of moms working? 🙂

    Reply
    1. Kay says:
      19th February 2019 at 3:26 pm

      I love my left handed gadgets and the corkscrew is the best…. The leftie fish-slice is a dream, I think I need to acquire more!

      Reply
  7. John Band says:
    9th January 2021 at 2:50 pm

    Just caught up with this post. Really enjoyed reading through your posts on the Barney Boat adventure. My family had a 32 ft Barney from new in 1972 (Bandit, Number 16 – still going as “Lil’Fin”,. apparently) and I loved it. Although the Sabb engine seems small, extra hp makes very little difference on the canals – the shape of the hull and shallowness of the water mean that a lot of fuel is wasted with bigger engines trying to go faster than 4 mph to no great benefit. I quite like the idea of a Barney boat restoration as a retirement project, but this time I’d go for a serial hybrid, maybe a 10w genset and an 18Kw lynch motor.

    Reply
    1. Kay says:
      9th January 2021 at 6:21 pm

      Hello John, many thanks for taking the time to comment, and how lovely that you are a Lil’fin boater. Am not sure if you ‘do’ Facebook but there is a Barney boat group with old /new pics of Barneys ?. I dream of going 4mph – Pea Green is lucky to reach 3.5 ( with a hurricane force wind to push us along!) Barneys do seem to come up for sale now and again, and they do make a good sturdy project. ?

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

My Blog – Pea Green & Paint

  • Doing the laundry and launderettes
  • Atherstone and its hats
  • How to blow up a shower pump
  • Wedgwood Teapot Tale
  • Cropredy & a flying windlass

Instagram

For future blog posts & news sign up here!





Contact and Follow

FacebookInstagramkayandrews2102@gmail.com

Archives

  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • February 2019
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018

Categories

  • Ashby canal
  • Background to boat buying
  • boat cat
  • Boat fixing
  • Braunston
  • Canal
  • canal art
  • Canal journey
  • Canal River Trust
  • Canal visit
  • carpenter
  • DIY
  • gin
  • History & canals
  • Ladybird books
  • Narrowboat
  • narrowboat adventure
  • Narrowboat DIY
  • Oxford Canal
  • roving trader
  • Sabb engine
  • single-handed
  • welford

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org
2025 Kay's Canal Crafty Arts. Donna Theme powered by WordPress