RogB Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 Does anybody on here use Seastart outside of the solent? It seems a reasonable option for newbies for a bit of peace of mind and apparently covers the south Devon coast including Teignmouth. Although our little boat is only a couple of years old and should be reliable I am not sure if anything did go wrong we would be able to fix anything more complicated than a loose battery connection, and I think the chances of collecting debris around the prop or water intakes pretty high round our way. The 3 mile limit would be reasonable for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintly Fish Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 I only use them In The solent where they are first class. It's something I'll never stop having. RogB 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy135 Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 I used to be a member as a perk of being a marina member. Didn't need to use them but it's comforting knowing they are there. That said, I quickly got bored of staying within 3 miles so you may find that as your confidence grows you'll spend more and more time outside of the 3 mile limit. And as a point of principle they're no substitute for maintaining your engine well and being self-sufficient. daio web and mick 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPSguru Posted June 5 Share Posted June 5 (edited) If I break down, then it will be dropping the pick and waiting for the orange and blue tug to tow me in, and yes, I have already had the conversation with the local crew, and they are fine about it. I am rarely within the 3 mile zone, usually a minimum of 6 and often 30 -40 In the last 4 years, I have towed 9 boats back to Teignmouth, and most of these were unnecessary breakdowns, that is one of the drawbacks of AIS, the CG can see you and if you are close by, then you get a call via DSC followed by a voice call. I have only ever refused twice, both times I had kids on board. I think the most genuine I towed in was from a wreck 12 miles out and the guy's timing belt had snapped, that was a 25ft boat, but the RIB coped Ok. using a bridle from the A Frame to tow. I put him back on his mooring and the guy was insistent that he paid me, which I refused. To my pleasure, he found out where I lived and dropped off a crate of Red, which was appreciated, but unnecessary Edited June 5 by GPSguru Saintly Fish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saintly Fish Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 8 hours ago, GPSguru said: If I break down, then it will be dropping the pick and waiting for the orange and blue tug to tow me in, and yes, I have already had the conversation with the local crew, and they are fine about it. I am rarely within the 3 mile zone, usually a minimum of 6 and often 30 -40 In the last 4 years, I have towed 9 boats back to Teignmouth, and most of these were unnecessary breakdowns, that is one of the drawbacks of AIS, the CG can see you and if you are close by, then you get a call via DSC followed by a voice call. I have only ever refused twice, both times I had kids on board. I think the most genuine I towed in was from a wreck 12 miles out and the guy's timing belt had snapped, that was a 25ft boat, but the RIB coped Ok. using a bridle from the A Frame to tow. I put him back on his mooring and the guy was insistent that he paid me, which I refused. To my pleasure, he found out where I lived and dropped off a crate of Red, which was appreciated, but unnecessary Towing somebody back in does kinda ruin your day. But, it's a totally necessary and selfless thing to do. Because one day it may be you in need, and we all know karma goes around. I've only ever done it once thankfully! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 8 hours ago, GPSguru said: If I break down, then it will be dropping the pick and waiting for the orange and blue tug to tow me in, and yes, I have already had the conversation with the local crew, and they are fine about it. I am rarely within the 3 mile zone, usually a minimum of 6 and often 30 -40 In the last 4 years, I have towed 9 boats back to Teignmouth, and most of these were unnecessary breakdowns, that is one of the drawbacks of AIS, the CG can see you and if you are close by, then you get a call via DSC followed by a voice call. I have only ever refused twice, both times I had kids on board. I think the most genuine I towed in was from a wreck 12 miles out and the guy's timing belt had snapped, that was a 25ft boat, but the RIB coped Ok. using a bridle from the A Frame to tow. I put him back on his mooring and the guy was insistent that he paid me, which I refused. To my pleasure, he found out where I lived and dropped off a crate of Red, which was appreciated, but unnecessary I did 3 tows last year…. One was a nightmare. I towed him to Milford haven marina (where I berth) to a safe landing stage. However he wanted to be towed another 7 miles up the haven…. I offeree him a lift to get his car and trailer but he just complained that’d he’s have to pay £7 to retrieve his boat as there is a cost to use that slipway…. all because he had run out of fuel! The others were due to a broken starter cable, crimp had snapped the other was a rope round the prop so no fault of their own but super apologetic but stuff happens just need ti look out for each other 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogB Posted June 6 Author Share Posted June 6 OK - thanks everybody. It very much sounds like a worthwhile policy to take out if you are in the area they operate in. The engine is still under warranty so gets a main dealer service and us owners are pretty good at problem solving and fixing things - but just don't yet have the experience on the water with boats, and our craft is a little small to be hauling a full toolbox around (we do have a basic kit). In previous years while beach fishing i've watched the RNLI tow numerous boats back to Teignmouth on bank holiday weekends in May as people hit the water for the first time of the season and conk out for some reason. We should definately pick up some extra anchor rope as we only have 30m currently. One thing I would like to do is have some better engine diagnostics as a rev counter and warning lights aren't likely to flag anything until its too late. Probably start a new thread on that topic later. Cheers Roger Saintly Fish 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GPSguru Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 When at sea, fixing an outboard issue is pretty limited, as hanging off the stern is not a wise move, and dropping stuff in the ogin is a given. My tool kit focuses mainly on the boat and electrics. My Mercury outboard is 5 years old this year, and main dealer serviced. Only twice has it given me cause for concern whilst at sea, the first time was a water over pressure alarm, but it had a healthy pee stream and the engine temp was correct, so I ignored it until I got back, and the issue was a faulty water pressure sensor. The second time was when I noticed the batteries were not charging, and we were down on the skerries banks. After, some quick mental arithmetic with regard to estimated current draw, and the actual indicated battery voltage (which tells you the state of charge capacity), I decided it would be 15 hours at least, before the batteries went flat, so I didn't even bother with battery management and we carried on as normal. On this occasion the alternator had given up and was replaced under warranty. Generally, the modern 4 stokes are pretty reliable, especially when compared to older 2 strokes and later 2 stroke injected engines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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