"Roger Long" wrote in message
...
I went back down to the boat for something I forgot and decided I
wanted to play around a little more.



I've been telling myself since I got the boat that I should try hand
starting the diesel. Better to climb the learning curve at the dock
than while drifting down towards a steep lee shore after some
electrical system disaster. I also have the hand start ability
factored into my battery management strategy. Thanks to this
newsgroup, I know that hand starting a 20 hp, twin cylinder, diesel is
near the edge of feasibility but doable.



I pulled the big forged or cast iron starting handle out of its handy
brackets next to the engine and put it in place. HUH!? The fiberglass
structure of the engine compartment enclosure makes it impossible to
turn the handle more than a quarter turn. Since hand starting
requires getting it spinning rapidly with the cylinders decompressed
and then using the inertia of the flywheel and engine to (hopefully)
kick it into life as you continue to assist with the crank, there is
no way this could begin to work.

You've got to spin it up with the decompression cable pulled. Then when
you get it turning as fast as you can you release the decompression
cable or lever at the same time. The handle pinion should be spring
loaded to kick the shaft out and release it as soon as the engine fires
up. But you can't do any of this with structure in the way.

My advice, get a sawzall and cut away the structure that's in the way
and hinge it there or pin it in place so the whole thing can be set
aside. What you got there is an example of retards building your boat.
Use a couple of teak battens to cover the cut.

Wilbur Hubbard