Can someone please please help me

[StoneCrab]

As I read your post, my gut reaction is that you are at danger of having a fire onboard and losing your "home" altogether. Between the buzzing outlets and a failing diesel heater many risky conditions exist.

I'd address the electrical problem first as it poses the greatest threat. If the problem is not strictly at the outlets, but at the distribution level, your diesel heater wont run for long because it requires electricity too.

Buzzing outlets can be a loose wiring connection at the outlet. The buzzing is arcing from the wire to the screw. If you unplug whatever is plugged in and the buzzing stops, this is your problem. The appliance which is plugged in completes the circuit allowing the current to flow. Unplugged, there is no circuit and no current flow.

You mentioned that the outlets now no longer work. The first thing I would try to address this problem is to disconnect the boat from any electrical supply and then remove the outlet to check the wiring to the backside of the outlet. Check for any black soot, arcing damage or loose screws.

It doesn't sound like you have a multimeter, but if you did, you could check for the presence of voltage at the outlet and trace it back to find out where the supply stops.

An inexpensive outlet tester will verify the outlet. For $6 you can have a basic model. An $11 one will also test the GCFI if you have them. These are available from Home Depot https://www.homedepot.com/p/Commerci...102R/206029151

I like Ann's recommendations for learning how to dress for the weather. It is practical and can result in greater satisfaction and safety than dealing with systems you don't yet understand. This is something that you can control. It is a good first step toward your becoming the master of your domain. It will also boost your confidence making you feel less overwhelmed.

My other suggestion is to become familiar with your local library. The library is heated and staffed by individuals who can help you on many levels. They can provide job search advice, help with resume's, connect you to local resources and direct your searches for books and videos which will provide the education that you need to understand the systems that you are dealing with. All of this for free, in a heated environment with friendly people. It would be another step toward your taking control of your situation and finding the solutions you need toward a warm boat, better life and employment.

I am going to assume that you are at a marina in a slip. You undoubtedly have neighbors or marina employees in the immediate area. I can understand that you don't have the money to hire out services but most people will offer advice for free or take a look. If you are respectful and not looking for a handout, this usually leads to a network of people. One person knows another etc, and pretty soon, you have access to the problem solver that you really need. Offer an exchange of services in return. Even if it means that you are sweeping floors or cleaning a bathroom, if you do it in good faith and with full effort, you may find that this in itself generates referrals, job offers and friendships.

The key to not remaining overwhelmed by circumstance is to take baby steps toward solutions. Focus on being the creator of your future.

Do what you can each day and eventually things will work out. It is my belief that many health problems can be generated by chronic stress. Life is always going to throw hurdles our way. The only thing we really have control over is our attitude and perceptions of the circumstances.

Every problem has a solution and we learn more from problems than anything else. So embrace the problems, appreciate the learning opportunity, which lowers your anxiety, leaves you with more energy, and get creative. You'll be unstuck, warm and feeling healthier for it.

This forum can be a good source of information and problem solving advice, so you took a good first step. Now go get dressed for success with warmer clothes, and try to get at the bottom of the ships electrical problems.

In the meantime, you could bypass the ship's electrical system and just use an extension cord to run an electric heater from the dock side electric. Extension cords can present their own dangers but if you used an adapter off the 50amp cord, and kept the extension cord as short as possible, you should be fine in the short term while you get the ship's systems sorted.

Good luck

[Giro]

Not wishing to insult your intelligence but be very, very careful! Desperately uncomfortably cold people often times do risky, dangerous things. Don’t attempt to gain warmth by resorting to the use of faulty electrical equipment or cooking devices. If necessary, get off the boat and seek shelter on land.

[SailingPNW]

It's unlikely they will be able to afford the monthly fees, or pay the back due rent. For a marina to chain a boat and put a red letter on it means that the slip probably hasn't been paid for in over a year, so the owner probably owes over 10k in slip fees and utility costs. The owners are also probably not working with the marina and it's unlikely they have kept up with insurance so that's an additional issue that would prevent them from staying on the boat at the dock even if they were a legal live-aboard.

Best advice avoid spending any money on the boat. Put all your effort and resources into both finding even part time work and a new place to stay, even if it's just a room you can rent it will both be safer as well as less stressful. Look at the letter on the boat it should give you the time window in which you need to vacate.

[David Mathis]

The primary concerns would be the noise in the electrical panel and the dead outlets. Energy is being used to produce the noise which will also create heat. Start checking connections starting at the tower. Is the plug dirty, burnt, or corroded? This will provide resistance resulting in low voltage when a load is applied. If so, clean the terminals then grease them. Now do the same for the power cord to boat connection.



Now disconnect shore power, remove the cover to the electrical panel, then check all the connections for tightness, not just at the breakers but also check the neutrals and grounds. If you find a loose one, remove the wire, clean it, then replace it. Be sure to tighten it but resist the temptation to make it s tight as you can; the parts are small and can be broken by too much screwdriver torque. A worthwhile investment may be a replacement breaker to control the dead outlets. Breakers have been known to occasionally fail.



As to the heater, several replies have been made so I won't provide duplicate information.

[Cpt Mark]

Originally Posted by chris mac

It's hard to give advice with limited info, but I'll . It might be easiest to buy a Chinese unit off Amazon. They cost a couple hundred bucks and you should be able to swap it for the unit that exists.

Buying a Chinese diesel truck heater can be around 120 bucks. However, the mecessary upgrade parts will push the total much higher. If she has a hydronic system it is not a simple swap.

You say you are in the PNW. It's effing cold here now. I'm in PDX. For someone who knows what they are doing these are probably not difficult items. For a newbie, very challenging. The electrical things scare me. A fire on a boat is not a good thing. Have you made friends with your neighbors? Boaters tend to help each other out as part of the community. I'd ask around for some hands on help.

[Lightwave99]

One important point re caring for the boat you love: be sure to start the engine regularly! If not, it will seize up and will not start when the owners want to take it out. I am surprised they did not give you a manual of systems, which is what any responsible boat owner creates for her/his boat. You have had a lot of good advice here, so I am sure it will help.

Best of luck. Glad you love that beautiful classic boat!
Carllie
Time For a Catamaran Adventure – Isn't Time For Yours?

[GrowleyMonster]

If you can disconnect shore power from your electrical system and run a couple of drop lights from an extension cord connected to shore power through an adapter and your shore power cable, you can investigate your AC breaker panel. First, one by one, jiggle and gently tug each and every wire from each connection. If you find a loose one, tighten it and keep looking. When you have checked every single connection, restore power and see if your outlet works. No real skill or knowledge required for that. While you are at it, look for any corrosion, bare or chafed wire, etc.

I am assuming you do have SOME live outlets. That's good. Whatever you do, don't run skinny little drugstore extension cords to power serious loads like a space heater while your electrical system is ailing.

So, let's say the wiggle and jiggle and tuggle-wuggle approach gives no results. Now, you need a multimeter and a book on AC electricity and wiring in general, and also a book on boat wiring in particular. Read, study. This isn't money down the drain. Even living on the hard, it can be helpful to have some knowledge of electricity and wiring.

After your homework assignment, which will take you a couple of weeks, you can try to establish that you have a good breaker, power available at the breaker, and continuity between the breaker and the load, which is the outlet in question and whatever you plug into it. It's got to be power not getting to the breaker, or power getting through the breaker, or power getting from the breaker to the outlet. Or else, the dreaded SHORT CIRCUIT somewhere. Your multimeter and your newly acquired knowledge of electrical wiring should help you to gitter done. There is no fault that you cannot diagnose with a multimeter and a bit of knowledge. It is all about isolating parts of the system and knowing what to measure and what measurements to expect, and what unexpected measurements are telling you. From there, it is simply correcting the discrepency which usually means tightening a connection or replacing a component. Definitely NOT rocket science.

Your books should begin with a section on safety rules and safe working practices. Learn that stuff first and learn it well. Don't just read it... LIVE it. Get in the habit of never touching metal or wet stuff with both hands at once, or working on stuff barefoot or in shoes full of seawater, stuff like that. Remember also you can get a shock even when only touching one leg of a circuit with only one hand, and not grounding yourself at all. Usually this sort of shock is highly survivable but it will scare the living **** out of you and probably discourage you from ever even touching a light switch. Be safe. Insulate screwdrivers from handle down to right above the tip, with electrical tape or better yet, heat shrink tubing. Be in the habit of disconnecting power, and using a tag-out procedure that works for you, so nobody comes behind you and says, "hey, so-and-so's power is disconnected. Let me help her out." BZZZZZZZZZTTTT!!!! Anyway I don't want to write a book here, they are already written far better than I can manage. Just stressing the point. YOU CAN DO THIS, but only if you educate yourself and strictly obey safety rules absolutely without fail. You need to find that bad connection, (open circuit or actually partial open) or short circuit, whichever the case may be, even more than you need the dead outlet to work. It is indeed a fire hazard.

Some folks will shout me down for this, but on an unheated boat, I really like an electric blanket and a couple of unzipped rectangle type sleeping bags. That will keep you warm and toasty when you are trying to sleep. Ventilate the boat while you don't absolutely need the heat, so it doesn't get clammy and mildewy. A poorly insulated boat in cold weather with warm blooded air breathing organisms such as people onboard, is like a cold glass of iced tea, on a hot summer day, except turned inside out. Cold dry air is your friend, if you don't have a dependable, safe, affordable source of nice dry heat. Dress warm and use the lectrick blankie. Cooking should be minimized, but if you do cook, use electric. Instapot is good because it doesn't give off hardly any water vapor until you open the lid. Hot plate is okay for a quick bit of cookery, ditto microwave, but any flame type cooking heater is bad news, not only because of potential death due to carbon monoxide, but one result of burning almost anything in the confined space of a boat is the burning process also gives off water. Yeah. Fire makes water. Who would have figured? Water vapor is your enemy. You can't help breathing, but you don't need to be running a propane cookstove. Now if your diesel heater gets hot enough on top for say a coffee pot or something, sure, use that, just remember your steam will condense down there so keep it minimized and ventilate when you can.

See if you can find out how far i arrears the owner is on the slip rent. Could be useful information. And insurance. Most marinas will evict if the insurance coverage lapses. Or registration or documentation.

Do the engines run? I ask, because there are thousands of old gasoline powered chris crafts with one or both engines dead and maybe unsalvageable. The good news is it is cheaper to rebuild a gasoline engine than diesel. The bad news is, well, gasoline engines aren't necessarily good candidates for a rebuild. And who knows how many hours are on the engines. See if you can find an hour meter. It COULD be that you might want to do something that is usually a bad idea, taking over a boat that the owner can't afford to keep or doesn't have time to mess with. Possibly you could take it over and even get the marina to forgive some of the arrears since you are the new owner. It is actually cheaper than having the wreck removed, if there is no insurance. DO NOT take over the boat, even if it is "free", if both engines do not run good! Those boats are difficult for a beginner to handle with only one working engine. Just sayin, in case you have to move the boat. I realize you are just using it as shelter, but you REALLY want any boat you are responsible for, to be mobile under her own power, and not readily classifiable as a derelict.

The good news is the marina does not want to own the boat or be stuck with it. It's not as if it was a $150k Bennytoe or something like that, that they could recover their expenses by selling.

It is often said that the most expensive boat you can have, is a free one. Keep it in mind.

A lot of folks these days live the boat life because they can't afford to live on the hard any more. In many places, home prices or even apartment rents are higher than many people's earnings. Plus most marinas are just nice places to live, with mostly decent neighbors and if gated, fairly low crime. It is kind of peaceful, too, apart from the incessant slapping of halyards on masts and ignoramuses rocking you with their wake while you are trying to sleep, or the weather bumping you against the pier or waves slap slap slapping against the hull. I lived aboard for about 8 years following Katrina, not because I couldn't afford an apartment, I just liked being a liveaboard, and my boat was paid for and my slip was cheap. If I had not remarried I would still be a liveaboard and even retired, I can still afford to live on the hard. The secret is you HAVE to do all your own work, and keep everything maintained. Saving money by living aboard cannot work if you do not master all skills and crafts associated with small yachts, and cheerfully dive in up to your elbows when your head doesn't work or your bilge pump quits on you or your batteries are nearing end of life or the hull needs cleaning, hatches are leaking, deck core is waterlogged and rotting, so on and so forth. And you NEVER get your money back if you find someone stupid enough to buy your boat!

Keep studying. Read old threads here and on other forums, wealth of information from folks suffering from exactly the same problems. Someone mentioned library... lots of boat books there, as well as general mechanical and electrical books. Lots of good stuff on reddit and youtube. Read the comments... commentators will shout down the idiots who post bad stuff.

Good luck, hang in there, things are more likely to get better than worse, if you are doing your best to learn stuff and do what's gotta be done, and trying to address all the various issues.

[Leighpilot]

Yeah too late. You’re being snarky. You don’t know their circumstances.

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by Leighpilot

Yeah too late. You’re being snarky. You don’t know their circumstances.

I am? I certainly wasn't trying to be snarky.

[svfinlandia]

Originally Posted by GrowleyMonster

I am? I certainly wasn't trying to be snarky.

Growley
I thought it was a very good post!

Al, S/V Finlandia

[requiem]

Originally Posted by svfinlandia

Growley
I thought it was a very good post!

Same!

[Bobby1664]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I'm not trying to be snarky, but also think about this: The country is 100% employed for those who want to work. Most businesses out there are looking for people.
You should be able to get work quickly with little experience.
Avoid sitting around depressed, get out there!

Mate, thanks for those constructive comments, they’re sure to help get the heater working! Or perhaps she can just warm the boat on your petty judgments….

Merry Christmas

[donregan]

The response from Shrew is accurate, the flame sensor shuts off fuel supply if ignition has failed. Very important protection. So troubleshoot fuel and possibly the flame sensor.


Good luck, DR

[moseriw]

Originally Posted by requiem

OP added some images to the Reddit thread:

electrical panel pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/gQiWyDS

engine room pics: https://imgur.com/gallery/XDS2xEt

Heater control: https://imgur.com/f7RsdzH

----------------
AIRTRONIC D2/D4 DIAGNOSTIC AND REPAIR MANUAL


Well, the boat was well maintained - ONCE. The 12VDC installation is from the 80-ies but your problem with the outlets seem to be a 110VAC Problem. As said you should learn to use the VA-Meter and check all wires beginning from shore. If you do not have any 110VAC current the most frequent problem is corrosion at the connectors. Check the whole cord. If the copper is black cut it until it is copper again!


Your 12VDC plug beyond the panel are the cheapest one could buy and most of them are corroded. Replace them (take your time for this - the first thing would be WD40) and check all connectors to every unit.

I wrote a small HowTo wire the yachts DC system:
https://net.co.at/12V_Wiring_for_Yachts.pdf


This is not a repair manual but there are hints how to to lay out the wiring and to mount the connectors properly.


Next: I believe that someone who lives on a boat has to be able to repair that thing elsewhere on the planet by himself. So check the net and learn, learn, learn.
Start and Read The **..ing Manual (RTFM)

[seasilk]

First step in diagnosing heater problems is to find out if there is fuel getting to the unit. Actually, first step would be to check and see if you have diesel in the fuel tank(s). Then determine if the tank with fuel is connected to the heater. There is probably a distribution valve panel somewhere that allows the fuel to flow to the engine/heater/both and return to the tank from each. (Note that unlike gasoline engines, diesel engines/heaters flow fuel through the unit and return a portion to the fuel tank.)

Somewhere near the distribution valves you will most likely find a fuel filter and maybe a water separator. Fuel filters get clogged over time. Even when the unit is not being used it can clog with algae and bacteria residue. Consider cleaning out the filter to restore fuel flow.