MARINE SERVICES FOR BOATYARDS AND THE INDUSTRY
• Air Conditioning
• Navigation & Communications
• Acoustics
• Electrical Systems
• Marinised Engines
Let Stream Marine provide the technical resource and problem solving you need.
Our strength is in finding innovative and cost saving solutions for new or existing boats.
Examples of recent challenges:
- We recently serviced the a/c on a 32 metre trawler style yacht, which had 8 a/c units fitted, all crusair/marineair units, but of varying vintages, with minor problems. We spent half a day on board and;
— established that we could make a wiring harness to allow the owner to upgrade to modern digital thermostats, (said not to be possible),
— found that one of the seawater pumps was wired for 230 volts (it was a 120 volt boat), and reconnected the windings and capacitor (without manufacturers data) for 120 volts,
— found that since installation, one a/c unit had been miswired so that it didn’t bring the seawater pump on as required, but that the seawater pump brought the unit on instead (they had complained that it got too cold sometimes !)
- 28 metre Dutch Barge on which we fitted a/c and an acoustics package. One example of the challenges we faced was a 16kVa generator which gave rated output when tested but wouldn’t start the a/c ! After several visits and conversation between the owner/generator manufacturers/alternator manufacturers/importers we gave up on them and worked through it ourselves. From an oscilloscope screen plot we proved it was two partially failed diodes on the rotor, such that the excitation voltage ran far too high but did just cope and achieve the spec, but crucially it couldn’t do the short term over-current needed to start a large load (until we changed the diodes).
- On this project we also had to design the air conditioning vent outlets to be made in granite slabs and maple slats, to suit the interior decor, and everything technical for the a/c, including temperature sensors had to be totally hidden from view.
- At present we are working on an ex-military fast patrol boat conversion, where we have saved approximately £10k in the installation of the electrical system by lateral thinking in the design and integrating the charging system with the inverters (the total system cost is around £35k).
- A generator was noisy and causing disturbance — it was found to have been fitted next to the hull the wrong way round, with the service bits inaccessible on the far side. Noise levels in the adjacent cabin were measured at 86 dBA (horrendous, although the fit-out would have reduced it by 15dB or so). After re-installation of the set in a very serious (and heavy) enclosure and laying a special rubber barrier under the cabin floor the noise levels were down to 35 dBA, and the client was delighted.
- How often do you see an engineer checking the VSWR on a VHF radio installation ? Or using an oscilloscope to check the modulation ? True, 9 times in 10 a new aerial and set work well with minimal losses, but when the loading coil has got knocked out of tune ?? Attention to technical details like this can make the difference between the Mayday getting through or not…
We feel we have a service to be proud of, and we want to give you the confidence to resolve technical problems, and give your clients a better service, rather than say — «I’m sorry, I don’t think we can help you with that…» sort of situation.
Advice is normally available within 24 hours, and often immediately if required. For issues that require on-site work or inspection we cover southern England without serious travel/subsistence costs. Outside of that we have support facilities and/or cooperation agreements with companies in France and Italy
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