How often do you change oil.

[Nicholson58]

Install a bypass oil polisher on your crankcase or better yet, a centrifugal oil cleaner and never change oil Or filters again. This tech is used on class 8 trucks and reveals close to zero measurable wear after 150,000 miles. They have been doing this for years. In the Caribbean, oil is crazy expensive and disposal is difficult. My big Westerbeke takes 3.5 gallons. I have a 1 micron bypass filter and do not worry about it any more.

I added a similar filter as a fuel polisher @1 micron. Zero injector or HP pump problems. I haven’t changed a Racor or main engine filter in 8 years.

[MSgt]

Originally Posted by Paul Carey

If your boat diesel were a car (auto) engine , you would service @ circa 6,000 Miles , .

Unless you use Mobil 1 like I do, then you can safely exceed 10k miles on your car.

[carstendenmark]

This thread could actually be a push for the not-so-much engine users to switch to electric propulsion !

It's a mess to change oil and filters, EVERY time ! Don't deny it.

Doing "boat-yoga" (thanks, Dan), the smell, and the dirty oil (both Diesel and black old engine oil) to clean up.
Yikes !

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by carstendenmark

This thread could actually be a push for the not-so-much engine users to switch to electric propulsion !

It's a mess to change oil and filters, EVERY time ! Don't deny it.

Doing "boat-yoga" (thanks, Dan), the smell, and the dirty oil (both Diesel and black old engine oil) to clean up.
Yikes !

I agree- if you only put 20-30 hours per year on your engine then why have one?



And while we could all benefit from cool oil polishers, most do not have thge space for that. For me, I can change my oil in 45 minutes and that includes the engine oil warmup time. In fact, the hardest part is likely getting rid of my used oil.

[shibumi25]

IMHO as a Chief Engineer you will extend your engines reliability and life, recommend you change your oil and filter annually, has served me well, regardless of hours, being they 30 or 300 per year.
Costs for new oil/filter, disposing of dirty oil & filter responsibly are wonderful for peace of mind for the next 12 months of engine running....... JS.

[apirate]

This thread makes me sad. So many boats with so little use. Less than 100 hours in a year? In the last week alone we’ve put over 22 hours on the motor while headed to the Bahamas.

Further proof how few here actually cruise full time. Which should be kept in mind when looking for answers to real cruising issues.

[dfelsent]

Originally Posted by apirate

This thread makes me sad. So many boats with so little use. Less than 100 hours in a year? In the last week alone we’ve put over 22 hours on the motor while headed to the Bahamas.

Further proof how few here actually cruise full time. Which should be kept in mind when looking for answers to real cruising issues.

I suspect there are some on this forum who sail more than motor.

Me? I make no judgement. For myself depending on the year many hours sailing or many motoring. Or both or neither.

[apirate]

Originally Posted by dfelsent

I suspect there are some on this forum who sail more than motor.

Me? I make no judgement. For myself depending on the year many hours sailing or many motoring. Or both or neither.

No doubt that’s true, we also fall under that scenario.

I’ve no judgement for those that motor a lot or a little, but motoring only 100 hours a year is a sign of someone that doesn’t cruise full time.

[carstendenmark]

apirate, what boat do you have, and where do you use your boat ?

I use my engine for escaping the marina and getting back (we have a channel out), and when anchoring to position myself good. For the rest - I'm sailing.
Many has the same pattern as me, even world cruisers.
That's why the "less than 100 hr a year".

I still think that a good synthetic oil can last much longer than stated in the manuals (which must assume, that you use non- or half synthetic), same as for car engines.
The change of oil should be related to the use of the oil - do you use the engine frequently, so the water evaporates completely, or just like me, and out of the safe, and do you store your boat in cold and humid conditions on the hard.
For the majority of sailors, it makes good sense to change every year before hauling the boat to the hard, no matter what hours of use.

It can be discussed if the filter needs a change with so low "nautical mileage" on the clock, but that is a belief of the individual.

I will discard my old Volvo Penta 10HP MD6A engine soon, and go electric.
Makes sense for me. No more oil worries.

[arsenelupiga]

Originally Posted by carstendenmark

apirate, what boat do you have, and where do you use your boat ?

I use my engine for escaping the marina and getting back (we have a channel out), and when anchoring to position myself good. For the rest - I'm sailing.
Many has the same pattern as me, even world cruisers.
That's why the "less than 100 hr a year".

I still think that a good synthetic oil can last much longer than stated in the manuals (which must assume, that you use non- or half synthetic), same as for car engines.
The change of oil should be related to the use of the oil - do you use the engine frequently, so the water evaporates completely, or just like me, and out of the safe, and do you store your boat in cold and humid conditions on the hard.
For the majority of sailors, it makes good sense to change every year before hauling the boat to the hard, no matter what hours of use.

It can be discussed if the filter needs a change with so low "nautical mileage" on the clock, but that is a belief of the individual.

I will discard my old Volvo Penta 10HP MD6A engine soon, and go electric.
Makes sense for me. No more oil worries.

i have done this with my outboard. And is worth it. No petrol, no services. However it is 3hp only and one needs to be careful planning trip. Electric outboard does feel similar to sailing, petrol outboard like motoring.

Pushed into it after escaped propeller tragedy by tiny margin with petrol outboard and then outboard 9.9 hp died on me in 30kn headwinds. hate carburetors

[apirate]

Originally Posted by carstendenmark

apirate, what boat do you have, and where do you use your boat ?

I use my engine for escaping the marina and getting back (we have a channel out), and when anchoring to position myself good. For the rest - I'm sailing.
Many has the same pattern as me, even world cruisers.
That's why the "less than 100 hr a year".

We’re on a Hunter 410. Currently in the Bahamas, headed toward Granada for Hurricane season. It’s rare we are in a marina as we live on the hook and cruise full-time.

We prefer to sail but any cruiser will tell you the motor is needed much more than was expected prior to casting the lines. Sometimes it’s the only efficient way to get where you need to go.

Now, when we lived on land our scenario was much like others have stated. We would motor out of the marina and sail wherever the wind allowed then fire the motor to renter the marina. Putting hardly any time on it.

My main point is that this is meant to be a cruisers forum, not a day sailors forum. When day sailors masquerade as cruisers and give answers to cruiser questions, the information is not generally correct. For years I trusted what I saw here only to find out how wrong much of it was once I had real cruising experience for myself. Perspective is everything.

In regards to oil changes we do them at 250 hours and use a bypass filter to keep the oil cleaner between changes.

[rslifkin]

Keep in mind, not all who cruise do it full time due to life constraints. Some get to cruise for a month or 2 at a time, or just for part of the year, then have to return to a land based life (either leaving the boat somewhere, or getting it back home and just boating locally).

[carstendenmark]

well, apirate, you may start a poll here on CF on that one !

Please define "cruising".

Did I say that I am a daysailor ?
I'm just using the engine in and out of my home marina (because it has a channel) and for convenience when anchoring.
Under sails I can get anywhere and - be there as long as I want.

The problem you may have is, that you seems to be in a hurry sometimes.
And you will always need a reliable engine, with lots of juice in the tanks, in case the wind is too strong, the wind is too weak, or the wind is a headwind.
(Answers : Reefing, Tacking, Heaving to, Spinnaker)

Going electric and mainly rely on sails for propulsion is not for you then.
If, one fine day, you're no more in a hurry, please read what these folks has to say : https://sailingmagazine.net/article-...an-engine.html

Let's go back to the OP's topic, please...

[stavok]

Amazed at the number of responses "100 hours or once per year". A "cruising" motor boat (not real sailors) traveling 8 hours a day, 5 days a week reaches 100 hours in 2-1/2 weeks! Imagine the waste and toil if that were adhered to. The answer is an OIL BYPASS FILTER.

[Linesledaft]

Originally Posted by stavok

Amazed at the number of responses "100 hours or once per year". A "cruising" motor boat (not real sailors) traveling 8 hours a day, 5 days a week reaches 100 hours in 2-1/2 weeks! Imagine the waste and toil if that were adhered to. The answer is an OIL BYPASS FILTER.

Unfortunately if you do the ICW on a "bigger" boat you will be motoring pretty often.

Going offshore you could definitely go a year on one oil change.