Water, waste and gas are the systems the whole crew uses, so they are the ones that go wrong. Check each at the pontoon with the technician, then give the crew a few firm rules for the week.
How do I make the fresh water on a charter yacht last a week?
Do the sum on day one: 600 litres for 8 crew over 7 days is under 11 litres each a day. So fill at every marina, switch the heads to sea water, wash up in sea water and drink bottled.
The gauge reads only the tank the selector points at, so check every tank: at the panel and by looking into the filler. Deck caps for water, diesel and waste look alike: have each identified and marked before a hose goes anywhere.
Do the sum on day one. A transom shower runs litres a minute, and heads set to flush with fresh water empty a tank quietly: switch them to sea water. Wash up in sea water, drink bottled water and keep the tank for washing and boiling. A watermaker runs only offshore in clean water, never in harbour.
Why does the water pump on my charter boat keep running with all the taps closed?
A leak: a pressure pump that runs with every tap closed is losing water somewhere, so switch it off and let the base find it. If it runs on and the taps spit air, the tank is empty.
| Sign | Meaning and answer |
|---|---|
| Pump runs on, taps spit air | Tank empty: pump off, change tank, prime with one tap open |
| Pump runs with every tap closed | A leak: pump off, the base finds it |
| Cold shower at anchor | The 230 V element needs shore power: run the engine half an hour |
| Relief valve runs steadily | A fault for the form; never plug it |
| Shower tray will not drain | Its pump breaker, then the hair filter |
Sink and shower water is grey water: on most charter boats it goes straight over the side, so use little soap in a bay. Before you leave the base, see the cockpit drains and the anchor-locker drain run free: a cockpit that cannot empty itself is dangerous in a sea.
What can I put down a marine toilet on a charter yacht?
Only what has been eaten, and a little paper: that is the rule for the heads. Wipes block the pump, and the crew pays for the unblocking.
The rule for the heads: only what has been eaten, and a little paper. Wipes block the pump, and the crew pays for the unblocking. Try every toilet yourself at check-in, and have a weak flush written on the form.
How far offshore you may empty the tank is in the base's briefing. In some waters, Turkey among them, nothing goes over the side and each pump-out is recorded on a card. With a big crew a tank fills in about a day, so plan the emptying like a fuel stop.
| Trouble | Answer |
|---|---|
| Bowl fills again from the outlet | Worn joker valve: the base changes it |
| Handle stiff, will not pump | Stop; close its seacocks, use the other heads, call the base |
| Electric heads hum, nothing moves | Jammed: stop pressing, breaker off |
Under way, pump the bowl dry and leave the lever on 'dry': a full bowl can siphon when the boat heels.
How do I tell whether a seacock on a boat is open or closed?
A ball-valve seacock is open with the lever along the pipe and closed with it across, a quarter turn. One that will not move is never forced: it can snap off below the waterline, so the base frees it.
A seacock is a valve on a hole in the hull. A ball valve is open with the lever along the pipe and closed with it across: a quarter turn. Have each one shown to you and turn it yourself. One that will not move is never forced with a lever: it can snap off below the waterline. The base frees it.
Leaving the boat empty: heads seacocks closed, gas off at the bottle, pressure pump off. Before a hard beat close the heads and sink seacocks, or a low outlet floods back when she heels. A water-cooled fridge has its own seacock: open it again when you come back, or the fridge warms up.
What do I do if I smell gas on a yacht?
Close the valve at the bottle, then no flames and no switches, open the hatches to ventilate, and only then test the joints with soapy water. Bottled gas sinks: a leak runs down into the bilge and waits for a spark.
Bottled gas sinks. A leak runs down into the bilge and waits for a spark, so the gas locker must drain overboard and its drain must be clear. Every bottle, the spare too, stands upright in such a locker.
After cooking, close the valve at the bottle, let the flame burn the pipe empty, then close the knob. If no gas reaches the burner, look for the solenoid switch. Hold an oven knob in for 10–15 seconds after lighting, until the flame-failure sensor is hot. Lock the stove's gimbals in harbour and free them at sea. A bottle of another make is never adapted to fit: call the base.
My bilge pump keeps running: how do I find where the water comes from?
Taste it. Salt water that keeps coming points to the seacocks, hoses, stern gland or rudder seal; fresh water only with the pressure pump on is a leak on the pressure side. A dry bilge at check-in makes any water news.
Take over a dry bilge: it is your baseline for the week. Lift the float until the electric pump runs, then find the handle and work the manual pump. On a catamaran ask to see every compartment of both hulls.
| The water is | Look at |
|---|---|
| Fresh, only with the pressure pump on | A leak on the pressure side |
| Fresh, pump off | The fridge drain, the water heater, a tank |
| Salt, and it keeps coming | Seacocks, hoses, stern gland, rudder seal |
Questions from this topic, as the app asks them. Open one to see the answer.
The technician says both water tanks are full. The panel shows this. What do you do before you sign?
C. Switch the selector to tank 2 and look into both fillers yourself
A gauge reads the selected tank; a quarter-full tank 1 is the first thing to see — check both tanks at the filler before signing.
Every tap is closed, yet the pressure pump keeps running. The technician says it is just priming. What do you do?
B. Switch the pump off and ask the base to find the leak before you leave
A pump that runs with the taps closed is pumping into a leak or from an empty tank — on a full tank, that water is going into the bilge.
A crew member reads the sign over the heads and asks whether the wipes she bought can go in. What do you answer?
A. No — only what has been eaten and a little paper; wipes go in the bin
Wipes do not break up; they block the pump and the holding tank, and the contract charges you for the unblocking.
Sunday afternoon in a bay. The crew are going ashore for lunch and the boat will be empty for three hours. This is how you leave it. What do you change?
B. Close the heads seacocks and the gas valve, and switch the pump off
An empty boat is left with seacocks shut, gas off at the bottle and the pressure pump off: nothing can flood or leak while nobody is aboard.
The technician opens the gas locker and shows you this. What do you ask for before you sign?
A. A full spare bottle and the locker drain cleared
Gas is heavier than air: the locker must drain overboard, not into the boat; and a half bottle with no spare runs out mid-week.
You lift the sole boards and find this. The technician says it is the fridge drain. What do you do?
C. Have it dried out and the fridge drain shown to you, then check it stays dry
A dry bilge at check-in is your baseline: any water later is news; a fridge that drains to the bilge is a known source, but it is checked first.
All 50 questions of this topic are in the app: practice by topic with the reason after every answer, your mistakes brought back, and a timed mock exam. Free, no sign-up, in the browser or in Telegram.