Vendee race engine starting solution

[Snowpetrel]

https://youtu.be/wGocCZ4rLqw

D30 : Sébastien Destremau shows us his new starter / Vendée Globe

Cool video of a vendee racer starting his engine, yanmar? With a rope wrapped around what looks like the v belt pully.

Any ideas if it would work with smaller sails and bigger engines, and what is he doing with the spanner? Some sort of decompression system using the injectors or glow plugs?

It would be a handy backup technique but it sounds like it has taken a few days to get a viable system running so I am sure its not easy.

Any thoughts?

[donradcliffe]

The original rope starter was developed years ago by one of the Vendee guys when he had to get his engine going. His rope was wrapped around the pully and out to the boom through a series of blocks. He then did a crash gybe and viola! Pure genius. With the right rigging it work on smaller boats too.

[JPA Cate]

Easier to say than do, I imagine, but WOW!

Ann

[Panope]

That is a cool idea Snow. Instead of a sheet, how about a BUNCH of bungie cords ganged onto the line. Would not depend on there being any wind.

Steve

[Snowpetrel]

It was Michel Desjoyeaux in the 2001 vendee who got the main boom system working, here is a description of the method he used, which sebastion copied.

"When everything is ready to start (injector slightly unscrewed to minimize the compression, pre-heating doneŠ) he trims the boom in the axis as he sails beam wind. When all the system is stiff enough, he eases, in just one go, the main sheet"

http://www.yachtsandyachting.com/news/2667

Interesting that he unscrewed the injector, I am assuming he only unscrewed only one or two of the injectors and started it on just one or two cylinders, then screwed in the loose injectors to start the other cylinders?

I like the bungy idea, though it would be hard, and prehaps dangerous to get enough tension? A freind tried starting a big gardner once with an anchor hoisted up the mast. It didn't work and he was a resourceful guy in a tight spot.

Another possibility would be a drogue thrown over the stern while sailing fast, and I have heard reports of bump starting an engine with the gearbox and prop.

I guess I am most intrigued by the methods of decompressing a modern engine since most new engines dont have decompressors, and a lot of pistons these days don't have safe valve clearances at TDC, so the old spoons under the rockers trick could result in bent valves?

Also the practicalities of these pull cord systems eg how do you wrap it around the pulley? It's not like you can remove the belt on all engines these days since it often runs the water pump. In the old days you could wrap it around the flywheel, but on modern engines the flywheel (such as it is) is encased inside the bell housing...

[Snowpetrel]

https://youtu.be/6yMqXVCHFVc

38 mins and 50 seconds has Michel Desjoyeaux starting his engine. It looks nanni blue! Interesting that it has the spare flat pulley on the front. Edit, apparently its a yanmar 37hp. Do they have decompressors?

http://cruising.sailboatowners.com/c...read/id/159741

Sent from my SM-G930F using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[01kiwijohn]

I'm with you. I'd be more inclined to use the decomp. levers, on my Yanmar, and start it on one, or two cylinders at first.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

The original rope starter was developed years ago by one of the Vendee guys when he had to get his engine going. His rope was wrapped around the pully and out to the boom through a series of blocks. He then did a crash gybe and viola! Pure genius. With the right rigging it work on smaller boats too.

That was Michel Desjoyeaux who pulled that off (or on) in the Vendee Globe 2001. Yves Parlier in the same race "cooked" a mast repair on a sub-Antarctic island in the same race: Vendee Globe - DIY in the Southern Ocean

[UNCIVILIZED]

Cool video!

I've read about a few instances of starting the engine via several water jugs hoisted up the mast together. But I reckon it's more than a little bit tricky, to say the least.

One other method I've heard of a few guys using, is to plumb a scuba bottle to the engine, & use the pressure to get the engine turning over. Which, this is essentially how some larger diesels are started on ships. Though their compressed air starters are purpose designed.

And once when asking similar questions about alternative starting methods, it was suggested to attach a small gasoline engine to the diesel, & start the small engine with a hand crank or pull rope, much like on a lawn mower. With the gasoline engine then providing the torque to start the diesel.

Though, given the complexity of some of these DIY setups, I imagine that one of those emergency, wind up starters would be easier to fit or carry.

[SV DestinyAscen]

Very very cool.

Although this seems to contradict someone's Vendee Globe primer that they don't get help once they start. Seems like it is limited to physical help - intelligence/weather route/repair suggestions are okay.

[kryg]

A preventive starter solution by miners: the mining industry had mechanical starters on all their engines, These are spring loaded hand mechanical starters, they use on mining equipment like pumps and what not, as an electric starter presented a risk of sparks in a possibly gas-filled mine, as a safety requirement.

A friend of mine in the seventy's sailed around the world over a few years in a boat he had built called Llowana. He replaced his normal starter with a mechanical one. He never had to worry about battery power or failed burned out starter motor. To start his engine, all he did was pull the starter spring to load it till it was fully wound, he then triggered it which in turn engaged the mechanical starter to start his engine. His engine started every time which was twice a day to charge his fridge and batteries.

Originally Posted by Snowpetrel

https://youtu.be/wGocCZ4rLqw

D30 : Sébastien Destremau shows us his new starter / Vendée Globe

Cool video of a vendee racer starting his engine, yanmar? With a rope wrapped around what looks like the v belt pully.

Any ideas if it would work with smaller sails and bigger engines, and what is he doing with the spanner? Some sort of decompression system using the injectors or glow plugs?

It would be a handy backup technique but it sounds like it has taken a few days to get a viable system running so I am sure its not easy.

Any thoughts?

[Steve Bean]

Spring starters are available. Google search. I have a WWII -era aircraft inertial starter that uses a flywheel that you crank up by hand. I haven't installed it yet. The guy I got it from used one on his 75-foot schooner and it worked well. Find videos on YouTube also.

[Snowpetrel]

These spring starters sound great, though I kind of like the versatility of the sail starter, as in it could be adapted to any motor and any boat. And it doesnt rely on expensive parts that may become rusty or also fail.

Spare parts are great in theory, but they take up space, weigh something, and often (on yachts) seem to deteriorate while stored in the bottom of a locker, and sods law ensures its always the spare you dont have that is the one you need!

I see one option to start the engine this way being a bolt on drum that attaches to the crankshaft pulley. So you can easily wrap the starting line around it. This could be made from plywood if need be?

The biggest headache is trying to rig some sort of user friendly decompression system on a modern diesel.