The Importance of Oil Tests

For humans, a blood test is often critical in order to anticipate serious health problems. Likewise, testing fluids in a marine engine tells plenty about its condition. And it’s cheap, an oil sample costs between $30 and $50 and the result is usually available in 48 hours. It’s a technology bargain and a good insurance! Beyond regular services, occasional oil analysis is the best way to monitor the condition of engines and transmissions. It allows to identify serious potential mechanical issues before a breakdown and helps to schedule repairs and spare parts supplies at the best cost in a convenient location. 

Preventive Maintenance

As an engine is operated, the metal parts of the engine, iron, chromium, lead, tin, copper, etc. wear against each other in spite of the lubricants and small particles will remain in suspension in the engine or transmission oil. Spectrographic, spectrophotometric, infrared and gas chromatographic testing will report abnormal quantities of particles that will eventually require attention and cause failures. While we install John Deere or Cummins bullet-proof engines, this is a very important part of preventive maintenance which is too often neglected… As the famous French writer Jean-Baptiste Racine said: “Who wishes to travel far spares his steed.”

On a yacht, oil analysis should be a routine operation on every Diesel engine, including generators and wing engines. The following summary gives some useful indications on how to read an oil analysis report.

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Microorganisms in diesel fuel

There are many types of microorganisms that thrive in diesel fuel, including various types of fungi which can grow into long strings, forming slimy mats or globules in tanks or other fuel system components. They use the diesel fuel as their primary food supply, and require only small amounts of water and other minerals to grow. As they grow, they produce water, sludge, as well as strong sulphurous acids, which are corrosive to metals in the fuel system and engine. There are several telltale signs of microbial contamination: slimy buildup in filters, tanks, and other fuel system components. Rotten egg smell. Corrosion in fuel system components. Darker, more opaque fuel.

These microorganisms can cause a variety of problems. The diesel engine’s injectors may not properly atomise contaminated fuel, which is required for proper combustion. Initially, this may only result in lower performance and efficiency. However, as contamination increases, so do the risks of serious damage to the injection pump and injectors, as well as other fuel system components. Of course, the most critical concern is the potential of complete engine failure underway. Unfortunately, the conditions in which a loss of power due to fuel contamination may be most dangerous are also the conditions where it is most likely to occur. The heavy seas that usually accompany foul weather can stir up sludge and other contaminants from the bottom of fuel tanks and cause filters to plug or other failures at a time when a loss of power may be most dangerous.

Eliminating the bugs

Until recently, biocide dosing was the most common method used to control microorganisms in fuel. However, the biocides are composed of highly toxic chemicals that can be hazardous to both humans and the environment. In addition, adding biocides to the fuel system can actually cause problems. Once killed by the biocide, the dead cells from the organisms collect on the bottom of the tank and may actually increase the short-term likelihood of clogged filters or other fuel system components. Further, over time, biocides lose their effectiveness as microbes build immunities to the chemicals.

The Selene solution

Selene Yachts come equipped with the ESI Clean Fuel system as standard equipment. It not only cleans and decontaminates fuel, but provides a convenient way to transfer fuel between tanks. It is installed as a stand-alone system, directly connected to the fuel tanks independent of the engine’s fuel supply system. Fuel is circulated using the system’s fuel transfer pump through the filter/water separator and the « De-Bug » fuel decontamination unit, and back into the tank. The De-Bug decontamination unit is based on technology that was developed over ten years ago in New Zealand.

De-Bug is not a filter or a chemical treatment process. This patented device uses magnetic fields to destroy the fragile membrane of single-celled microbes, reducing them to sub-micron size debris that easily and completely passes through filters and pumps and is burned with the fuel. It has an effective kill rate of 97.6% kill rate for a single fuel pass. The De-Bug unit requires no power, as it uses permanent ceramic-coated magnets, and has no moving parts.

Results

The ESI system, installed as standard equipment, virtually eliminates fuel contamination problems. Clean fuel means higher reliability, better efficiency, cleaner combustion, and lower repair and maintenance costs. Since the same fuel supply is usually used to supply diesel generators, as well as heating systems, clean fuel also means better reliability and lower maintenance for these systems as well. Selene Yachts owners can go to sea with confidence, knowing that their fuel is free of damaging contaminants that are a primary cause of diesel engine failures.

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What battery bank on a long range power yacht?

Just like the debate over twin or single engines on a passage-maker, or the raging battle about fibreglass vs steel, the question of gel vs lithium-ion batteries also has the potential to ignite World War III whether on online forums or at the pub… Armchair sailors and engineers alike love to talk about the mutual benefits of each battery solution. Not to mention that lithium-ion batteries are becoming trendy in the boating industry. The li-Ion chemistry is called lithium ferrous phosphate, LiFePO4 or LFP for short, but it’s a long story when it comes to installing them on yachts… And it’s not a mere box-dropping exercise.

Without going as far as doing the maths with amps, watts and charging parameters, what is, in the owner’s point of view, important to take into account when selecting a house bank for a new boat? Let’s try to remain simple and practical. 

The simple facts on a trawler…

LFP batteries, if we keep aside the, not so important, fact they are more expensive, also happen to be smaller and lighter than any other batteries, and can be charged faster than gel or AGM batteries. But unless the boat is a sailboat or a catamaran chasing undesired weight, what’s the point of saving space and weight on a 20 or 70-ton yacht? And what’s the point of charging faster when in most cases, the generator will be running all night long for zero-speed fins or gyro stabilizer, air conditioning or heating at anchor, or any other electricity-dependent commodity? Reducing the charging time while at anchor or underway on a sailboat, which has no other power source than its main engine makes sense. But does it make sense on a passage maker crossing oceans under power or with a high power draw requiring almost constant operation of a genset? Many comments and posts on the forums will explain that one can deplete lithium-ion batteries completely without killing them, whereas one may not go below 50% with gel batteries. So what? A power boat is not a sailboat drawing power for the autopilot and radar under sail while depleting the batteries… When a power yachts is underway, it charges its batteries at the same time with the alternator! In other words, there is always plenty of current to charge the house bank and at anchor the genset takes over, not to mention the fact that underloading a generator can damage it…

The simple solution on a trawler…

After all, it makes little sense to design the specifications of a power yacht as if it was a light catamaran or racing sailboat. And taking into account the “life expectancy” of batteries in general, including lithium-ion, good old gel batteries will probably be the best option in all cases. Gel is the cheapest, and the most reliable, simple solution for a house bank. Especially taking into account that most marine batteries chargers “know” how to handle the “bulk-absorbtion-float” cycle, but cannot charge properly lithium-ion batteries unless the batteries are equipped with a dedicated BMS (battery management system), whether it’s built in the batteries like some expensive cells designed in the Netherlands, or if it’s a standalone unit installed and calibrated properly. LFP batteries are not lead acid batteries and they are not designed nor intended to be “float charged“. As a conclusion, what is the purpose of a BMS? It will prevent overcharging, which is fatal to lithium-ion batteries. It’s as simple as that. Competent engineers have concluded that LFP batteries are not just batteries; they must be treated as a “system.” And they are right. Do we really want another new high tech “system” on our boat while good old chargers and batteries will give us years of happy and trouble-free operations? 

Complexity and price

Some very interesting posts written by engineers on the Internet are very clear about it; LFP batteries can be “quickly compromised, and have their capacity diminished, or even destroyed, if over-charged.” Lithium ion batteries without a BMS will not last and could be dead six months after installation. It is as simple as that. Is it worth to save one or two hundred kilos on a displacement vessel? Probably not, unless the owner is a competent electrician or a technology geek. Is it worthwhile to install rocket science technology initially designed for streetlights or GSM antennas on a boat? Probably not if the boat is bound for remote destinations where a faulty BMS will be impossible to replace while gel batteries will be available on any street corner, even in New Guinea Papuasia or Patagonia… 

What is the conclusion? As a live aboard captain with a couple of miles and ocean passages on my logbook, I would always prefer a system that I understand and master with a multimeter and a screwdriver… I am not an electrician or an engineer, and I am not planning to become one. I like to enjoy sailing, cook at anchor, entertain my friends and family, and I don’t want to spend my time fixing and fine-tuning systems or end-up with a dashboard looking like an Airbus cockpit… Some owners like messing with their yacht at pontoon for months and very seldom go to sea. This is not my vision. 

The KISS philosophy, “Keep It Stupid Simple…”

Selecting a LFP house bank is only an option, and it may become easier, or even a standard feature in the future like hybrid propulsion, but there are still constraints; mainly in the form of the complexity of a standalone BMS or the high price tag of a fully integrated system. And for what benefit? Less weight and faster charging… Both are useless in most cases. And the replacement of a gel batteries bank will only cost a fraction of the price of a LFP bank after five or six years… Why bother? A yacht must remain a dream machine, not a technology exhibition or workbench…

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For two years already, all our masts and booms are built by the famous Australian sail-maker and rigger. For over 50 years Rolly Tasker’s Mast and Rigging Division has used its expertise in several thousand mast sections, service spars and rigging delivered all over the world.

A bit of History…

The factory was created by Mr Rolly Tasker (1926 – 2012) who dominated ocean racing in Australia from 1969 to 1985. In 1956, this master skipper won the first ever Olympic medal in sailing and was one of the pioneers in modern yacht racing. 70 years ago, he founded “Rolly Tasker Sails” with a capital of 500 Australian dollars! A company which now is among the world’s largest sailmakers. After the beginnings in Australia, Captain Rolly Tasker opened a Hong Kong branch in 1961. In 1992, he began his first sail-loft in Thailand and was always passionately at the heart of his company.

The world’s largest sail loft

Since 1992 Rolly Tasker’s team in Phuket covers all marine and architectural rigging requirements. The latest addition to their workshop is a plasma cutting machine. With a floor area of 100.000 square feet it is the world’s largest sail-loft! Today, 130 highly motivated staff work here, of which the large majority have worked for the firm for twenty years: sailmakers, riggers, spar and rope makers and engineers. And production conforms to ISO standards.

Our Selene Voyager and Selene Classic Explorer up to 54′ are usually built with a mast and boom which also doubles as a crane for the dinghy. Some yachts even come with a pretty stabilizing sail! At Selene Yachts we never compromise with quality and safety…

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A Selene engine room is the result of days of work at the drawing board, going so far as to make mock-up engine rooms to make sure that everything falls perfectly into place, and that any concern will be immediately visible! Ten years later, if the yacht has been properly maintained, a Selene engine room will still retain that “new” look.

The heart of the yacht

Being the heart of the vessel — with the galley as a close second, as some sailors will say — the engine room is worth spending so much time designing. Whether it’s the service and technical areas, the lazarette, or the bilge compartments, we always make sure that everything remains easily accessible, visible, and with clear identification tags. Moreover, our new yachts are delivered with all the “as built” drawings in a folder.

The Selene e-manual

Safety and reliability at sea comes with in-depth knowledge and understanding of the boat systems. For that reason, our IT team recently developed a unique Selene e-manual which concentrates all the necessary information on a tablet, including documentation, specifications, drawings, and user manuals for the various technical hardware in the vessel. With a user-friendly interface and a QR code capture, the “Mercury Vision Selene E-manual” will become a Selene owner’s best friend.

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