Got an LM 27 motorsailer with a Bukh DV36. The engine is 41 years old and still runs like a new one. These motors are so incredibly solid. At 13-1400 RPM, it uses around 0.6 to 0.7 liter per hour, at 3.8 to 4.2 kts. I've had my boat for a couple of years now, and I always use the engine since I took off the mast. Initially I wasn't happy about a 41 year old engine, but it's grown on me. Now, I'm beginning to think that this thing could run for the next 200 years without any major issues. It's creme de la creme when talking marine engines.
That little diesel engine is probably based on a design 50-60 years old which is fascinating. Obviously in a lifeboat you need reliability and simplicity and you can't get much better than a little four cylinder diesel engine like this, which has a fully mechanical fuel injection and pump system. Modern diesel engines in cars are highly complex, and employ many electrical functions to control the injectors, ignition timing and turbocharger. The beauty with this engine is that provided you could stop it pulling in water, it is so simple and so "mechanical" that it can run without any electrical power at all under water.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals That's interesting. I thought as well how similar it is to narrowboat engines. They are insanely reliable due to their simplicity. Love your videos. Am in the process of watching through your entire conversion series on here.
I assume your bringing another method of propulsion. I suspect the foam standard is a product of the boats past life and the launch method being a factor, it slows water ingress should there be a breach. Its your call and your life on the line but I would of thought other buoyancy applications are practical both physically and economically such that you might even free up more space. Even the fuel will add buoyancy although minimal. Best of British luck and ill give it a touch of Irish too.
IDK about where you are, but that closed cell foam can be really cheap if you mix your own (hear in Australia anyway). A premix can would do 0.3m cubed for about $56 from memory, I found a fiberglass wholesale supplier and they sold me 2 tins, I could do about 5m cubed for $150. It's less convenient for doing up under decks and ceiling type work, or even side walls I need to learn a few skills, but basically you mix 2 parts in a cup like green cordial and water, tip it in like water, and within seconds it starts to expand 10 fold. Side walls I had to do in steps like the side of a mine hole so the thin mixture could sit on an edge and build up wards, the ceiling I didn't really get, I expanded a few bits all the way up and just left it as good enough, was no way to get the liquid into a tight whole, but my project with foam was in a 1k tin boat from 1970's, so it didn't really matter.
The LD40 is quite expensive here - I've used the two part in a few areas. It's got to be the correct weight bearing grade, not squishy foam. But have kept lots of the dug out foam to recycle.
Sweet running little engine. I have 2 of them that I got out of a warehouse that had been abandoned. A single cylinder and a 2 cylinder. But both need work. Do you have any info resources on these?
I've considered Lithiums, but Lead Carbons can be abused in a similar way (fast charge, deep cycle etc), are helpfully heavy (free ballast) and are a fraction of the cost.
@@cliffp73 Also, lithium batteries cannot be charged below freezing. Keeping the batteries above freezing shouldn't be a problem if things are going normally, but it is something you have to consider for emergencies.
The boat may be internally buoyant, but internal water will still be a problem. In addition to an electric bilge pump on each bilge (see my other comment), consider an engine driven water pump that can be engaged / disengaged. These can remove a lot of water quickly. On my boat (which is much bigger), we simply use a Y-valve on the engine's cooling water pump, allowing it to suck water from the bilge instead of outside. However your engine's water pump is probably much smaller and that setup might not be effective.
Just started following you. Very interesting. Especially when I learned that you plan on some long range voyaging. I often thought that these vessels might make for an interesting and capable conversion. You later sea trials showed that you were not using that much of the power curve. Be aware that diesels like to work. Constant light loads a not so good for longevity. So perhaps less pitch on the prop? Good luck and I will subscribe.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals I am sure you will receive a lot of advice. Here is mine. Pay attention to your ballast. Keep it low and often neglected CENTERED. After your fuel empties you will be riding a different animal.
I'm not sure what video this is most appropriate for - but you should have two alternators connected to the engine via separate belts. Redundancy, extra capacity. You can run them to the same electrical system, or have parallel / backup electrical systems (house battery & starting / emergency battery). Alternators take a lot more wear when you run them close to their maximum capacity. Specifically the diodes which convert the 3-phase AC produced by the alternator into DC to charge the batteries. So having extra capacity has tangible benefits.
If you don't mind saying, how much did the boat cost U.S.$? I haven't seen anything posted that mentioned what a perspective buyer could expect to pay.
As YT keeps shoving boats down my throat & most seem to be floating crap caravans, this piqued my interest as it had a purpose! & for that my good fellow I will Sub & my attention span is a lot higher than sub 4 min so hopefully, longer dodad vids can be added to this series :-) else nice shiz dude!
Beware running your diesel at low RPMs for very long, else you may glaze the cylinders, and you don't want that to happen. Other than that, whack-o, lads!
@@AlexHibbertOriginals It happened to me with my 120 hp Ford Lehman, cruising around at 1200 rpm burning waste veggie oil. White smoke out the exhaust and oil blasting out the dipstick hole. Fuel conditioner cleared it up fortunately. Great project you have going there. Greetings from Canada.
@@Shmerpy waste veggie oil is a sod for that, I had a similar experience using it in a low revving engine, had to take the top end off and de gunk evrything, valves, rings, everything. A diesel engine likes to work hard, so, towing another boat or somthing from time to time, really use its torque. And of course, from time to time just blast it at full revs for 30 seconds to de carbonise the engine and exhaust, really just blast out the carbon, you'll see it fire out in lumps! It's also worth remembering that a lot of older type diesels actually need a bit of carbon to run at optimum, many newer and synthetic engine oils contain detergents etc which can actually be counter productive! So, as ever, attention to detail in finding the exact manufacturer's recomended brands and formulations of lubricants etc.
That ugly as sin old boat looks like a good deal the best boat deals are always covered in bird crap. The old one looks bigger as well. All those straps would make a great bed it would last a thousnad years like the boat.
Close up, that v old boat was in quite a state, with some serious fibreglass damage. It could have been a houseboat after a LOT of work, but not at sea.
![Lifeboat Conversion Ep3: The first float test on the sea for Alan [4K]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/OqcZ9dG6R5A/mqdefault.jpg)
![Lifeboat Conversion Ep3: The first float test on the sea for Alan [4K]](/img/tr.png)
Ok, I'm inland, by 1000+ km, but now stangely want one of these lifeboats.
Noah, is that you?
Who’s going to watch someone fix up an old life boat? To my surprise,,,,, ME.
Great videos
Smoky, sardonic, semi-sarcastic, yet sonorous to the senses, your pipes are wondrous. Kudos.
Smart to bring in a diesel mechanic. Glad it runs.
So were we.
Got an LM 27 motorsailer with a Bukh DV36. The engine is 41 years old and still runs like a new one. These motors are so incredibly solid. At 13-1400 RPM, it uses around 0.6 to 0.7 liter per hour, at 3.8 to 4.2 kts. I've had my boat for a couple of years now, and I always use the engine since I took off the mast. Initially I wasn't happy about a 41 year old engine, but it's grown on me. Now, I'm beginning to think that this thing could run for the next 200 years without any major issues. It's creme de la creme when talking marine engines.
I hope to have similar luck!
And yes, you can get 65 persons in one of those. I've been there countless times during the weekly drills.
wow
Exactly that's why there are 65 harnesses.
Cool!
I bet this wasn’t a cheap venture.
Bring extra belts for the engine and marine epoxy putty sticks. Let's gooooo
Miliput, spray foam, candles, waxed storm proof matches, dry socks in a plastic bag. cognac.
Onwards and upwards.
@@Ben-Downlow. ...of course pack the nooks with even parts chutzpah and reverence 😃🍯
What a massive flywheel for such a small engine....I like it.
Yes indeed, some serious inertia there
love brit voiceovers
Yes I am back for more. Well observed.
You're a wise man, Ed.
it was a very nice idea to chop all that insulating material into small bricks for later!
Thinking ahead yes - and professional grade foam is expensive to buy/
Love the honest voice over
Man... I love me a good diesel mechanic.
Good engine technically brand new. Yes very sufficient horsepower and being able to run at lower RPM. Binge watching your videos 👍🇦🇺
It's one of the great things about a decommissioned TELB. Although, diesel engines don't like being sat inactive for ages.
That little diesel engine is probably based on a design 50-60 years old which is fascinating. Obviously in a lifeboat you need reliability and simplicity and you can't get much better than a little four cylinder diesel engine like this, which has a fully mechanical fuel injection and pump system. Modern diesel engines in cars are highly complex, and employ many electrical functions to control the injectors, ignition timing and turbocharger. The beauty with this engine is that provided you could stop it pulling in water, it is so simple and so "mechanical" that it can run without any electrical power at all under water.
Bukhs certainly have a good reputation, and these are intended for lifeboat use, and not repurposed tractor engines.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals That's interesting. I thought as well how similar it is to narrowboat engines. They are insanely reliable due to their simplicity. Love your videos. Am in the process of watching through your entire conversion series on here.
I like your logical, strategic thinking about how you do what you do, and why!
Thanks - definitely the intention.
Ok, I know little about boats... but this is really funny so I'm sticking around
Some hold up to 92.
Ahh the good ole Bukh engines....I think almost every lifeboat I've ever been in has that engine..lol
That power plant looks like a gem
Yes a lovely Bukh
cover band. A second high Amp alternator can be added to charge additional batteries and power lights and equipment.
I assume your bringing another method of propulsion. I suspect the foam standard is a product of the boats past life and the launch method being a factor, it slows water ingress should there be a breach. Its your call and your life on the line but I would of thought other buoyancy applications are practical both physically and economically such that you might even free up more space. Even the fuel will add buoyancy although minimal. Best of British luck and ill give it a touch of Irish too.
Great little engines, sounds great.
They are!
You have a pleasant voice.
New subscriber here from USA
Cheers!
IDK about where you are, but that closed cell foam can be really cheap if you mix your own (hear in Australia anyway). A premix can would do 0.3m cubed for about $56 from memory, I found a fiberglass wholesale supplier and they sold me 2 tins, I could do about 5m cubed for $150.
It's less convenient for doing up under decks and ceiling type work, or even side walls I need to learn a few skills, but basically you mix 2 parts in a cup like green cordial and water, tip it in like water, and within seconds it starts to expand 10 fold. Side walls I had to do in steps like the side of a mine hole so the thin mixture could sit on an edge and build up wards, the ceiling I didn't really get, I expanded a few bits all the way up and just left it as good enough, was no way to get the liquid into a tight whole, but my project with foam was in a 1k tin boat from 1970's, so it didn't really matter.
The LD40 is quite expensive here - I've used the two part in a few areas. It's got to be the correct weight bearing grade, not squishy foam. But have kept lots of the dug out foam to recycle.
Sweet running little engine. I have 2 of them that I got out of a warehouse that had been abandoned. A single cylinder and a 2 cylinder. But both need work. Do you have any info resources on these?
Bukh publish reasonably good documents on their website.
You should consider a very high amp alternator and lithium batteries. That way you could do just about anything with the batteries.
I've considered Lithiums, but Lead Carbons can be abused in a similar way (fast charge, deep cycle etc), are helpfully heavy (free ballast) and are a fraction of the cost.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals thank you.
@@cliffp73 Also, lithium batteries cannot be charged below freezing. Keeping the batteries above freezing shouldn't be a problem if things are going normally, but it is something you have to consider for emergencies.
Cut my teeth on these engines. Absolute joy to work on
Sounds painful.
The boat may be internally buoyant, but internal water will still be a problem. In addition to an electric bilge pump on each bilge (see my other comment), consider an engine driven water pump that can be engaged / disengaged. These can remove a lot of water quickly.
On my boat (which is much bigger), we simply use a Y-valve on the engine's cooling water pump, allowing it to suck water from the bilge instead of outside. However your engine's water pump is probably much smaller and that setup might not be effective.
After a few days, it was no more than a sponge job to clean and dry the bilges.
Just started following you. Very interesting. Especially when I learned that you plan on some long range voyaging. I often thought that these vessels might make for an interesting and capable conversion. You later sea trials showed that you were not using that much of the power curve. Be aware that diesels like to work. Constant light loads a not so good for longevity. So perhaps less pitch on the prop? Good luck and I will subscribe.
Cheers!
Yes, you're right, although the engine is far from idling when at cruising pace. I do need to speak to a propeller expert in the coming weeks.
Nice 👍 video
Still want one
Im in. Subscribed.
Great!
@@AlexHibbertOriginals
I am sure you will receive a lot of advice. Here is mine. Pay attention to your ballast. Keep it low and often neglected CENTERED. After your fuel empties you will be riding a different animal.
@@chriscoralAloha Wise advice Chris - will do.
Wow, "Alan gets wet." Nice, Alan's been luckier than I've been over the past few months.
That foam if dirt cheap it is bog standard expanding foam.....Check the specs it is probably fire resistant
It's far from dirt cheap sadly. Closed cell 2-part LD40 marine approved.
Is the Eng. Aircooled? See no Waterhoses during running?
No it's keel cooled. The engine was only run dry for a minute or two to avoid overheating.
Scandalously expensive.... Very European phrase. 👍
exactly my style, sealab! Care to help me find one of these for sale?
In the UK they are sold from a dealer in Stonehaven, near Aberdeen. There's a dealer in northern Denmark too.
I'm not sure what video this is most appropriate for - but you should have two alternators connected to the engine via separate belts. Redundancy, extra capacity. You can run them to the same electrical system, or have parallel / backup electrical systems (house battery & starting / emergency battery).
Alternators take a lot more wear when you run them close to their maximum capacity. Specifically the diodes which convert the 3-phase AC produced by the alternator into DC to charge the batteries. So having extra capacity has tangible benefits.
It's logical but just not practical for the setup here. Also, energy generation is not going to be relying on the engine as a primary source.
I suppose it would be irritating if my boat were to be cut in half, at sea or not!
zero digressions?
Guilty
If you don't mind saying, how much did the boat cost U.S.$? I haven't seen anything posted that mentioned what a perspective buyer could expect to pay.
Pinned comment on Ep1.
flat earth expedition... I like it.
As YT keeps shoving boats down my throat & most seem to be floating crap caravans, this piqued my interest as it had a purpose! & for that my good fellow I will Sub & my attention span is a lot higher than sub 4 min so hopefully, longer dodad vids can be added to this series :-) else nice shiz dude!
If I were to convert it I'd put an electric engine, battery, solar power, wind turbine, backup generator. Then set sail around the world. Yey
Beware running your diesel at low RPMs for very long, else you may glaze the cylinders, and you don't want that to happen. Other than that, whack-o, lads!
We'll most likely run at mid-revs, in the middle of the power curve graph we had from Bukh - and at the point we later calculate gives best mpg.
@@AlexHibbertOriginals It happened to me with my 120 hp Ford Lehman, cruising around at 1200 rpm burning waste veggie oil. White smoke out the exhaust and oil blasting out the dipstick hole. Fuel conditioner cleared it up fortunately. Great project you have going there. Greetings from Canada.
@@Shmerpy I'm there most years - one of my favourite places - hello Canada from the UK!
@@Shmerpy waste veggie oil is a sod for that, I had a similar experience using it in a low revving engine, had to take the top end off and de gunk evrything, valves, rings, everything.
A diesel engine likes to work hard, so, towing another boat or somthing from time to time, really use its torque. And of course, from time to time just blast it at full revs for 30 seconds to de carbonise the engine and exhaust, really just blast out the carbon, you'll see it fire out in lumps!
It's also worth remembering that a lot of older type diesels actually need a bit of carbon to run at optimum, many newer and synthetic engine oils contain detergents etc which can actually be counter productive! So, as ever, attention to detail in finding the exact manufacturer's recomended brands and formulations of lubricants etc.
I read on a forum about some guys who'd put water injection on their veggie oil fuelled diesels to aid cooling, and found that it prevented glazing.
volkwagen 1,6D its better! and 1,9TDI its cool
Bukh engines are not ment to be used, they are ment to just sit in lifeboats.
Suck that you didnt upload in one go…. Shame on you mate
That ugly as sin old boat looks like a good deal the best boat deals are always covered in bird crap. The old one looks bigger as well. All those straps would make a great bed it would last a thousnad years like the boat.
Close up, that v old boat was in quite a state, with some serious fibreglass damage. It could have been a houseboat after a LOT of work, but not at sea.