T&T: about mechanical surveys

[Garrett Lambert]

More often than not, and particularly in smaller communities, there is only 
a single dealer per brand of diesel, and my preference has always been to go 
with the people who know that engine best. Of course, there aren't that many 
brands, and diesels are in large measure 'generic',  but they do have their 
peculiarities, and someone who works on them every day knows what to look 
for and can often just 'tell' when something isn't right.

Your generator is unlikely to be the same make, but it's a simpler beast, 
and the same mechanic could probably check it over, too. Ditto the 
transmission. But ask first.

You will wonder and/or be asked if you want an oil analysis. If you choose 
to do one, there will actually be three: engine, generator, and 
transmission. If the oil has been changed recently, they will tell you very 
little, and even if it hasn't, they won't add much to what a good mechanic 
will find, because you won't have a series of prior analyses for comparison. 
They also add a week or more to the survey process, and cost a hundred 
dollars or so. (At this stage, you shouldn't skimp on any costs associated 
with survey. Consider them truly as an investment.)

Cheers, Garrett
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Janice Marois" <janice@janice142.com>
To: <trawlers-and-trawlering@lists.samurai.com>
Sent: Monday, September 04, 2006 9:12 AM
Subject: T&T: about mechanical surveys


> I'm thinking: should we bring/hire from out of the area/ a mechanic? You
> see, when in south Florida Son's surgeon was "the one who wrote the
> book" on procedures. I didn't believe we could have gotten a decent
> second opinion because of the renown said surgeon had. So, we'd come up
> to Gainesville to see "the" speech pathologist for Cleft palate
> children. That doctor had a lot of opinions regarding the surgery, and
> not always flowery. In any event, because of the duo, we were better
> informed.
>
> So (too late to make a long story short, eh?) should we look for a
> mechanic out of the area, or go with one "in town"
>
> Boat is in Maine. We are in FL.
> No "local" mechanic either and the local Pensacola Yanmar can kiss my...
> well, failing to respond/follow-up on phone calls is not smart.
>
> Yes survey too -- but the mechanics, i.e. engine, generator, etc. That
> needs checking. How does it work with the boat up north? When do folks
> winterize theirs? She's for sale and in a barn so presuming has not yet
> been "put away" for the cold season.
>
> J (and Frank) Southerners and I am real naive about cold stuff.
>
> Confession time: Got here after decades in the south. First time ice on
> windshield Frank got out and scraped ice. It wasn't "clean enough" for
> me, so I sprayed the windshield washer gizmo thingy. You know, that did
> a real bad job of clearing the stuff Frank had missed. His sense of
> humor was tested that morning. Mine was fully intact.
> P.S. to Admirals: Laughing is not a good idea.
> P.S.S. to Captains: You know you love us. (Smile)
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