The 10 parts that cause boaters the most grief
In 2023, River Canal Rescue (RCR) responded to 3335 call-outs to help with issues such as electrical, fuel and engine problems, flat batteries, over-heating and gear box failures.
Despite RCR’s best endeavours, parts do break down. So what are the top 10 parts that cause boaters the most grief, why do they fail and how much do they cost to replace?
Times replaced |
Part |
Reason for failure |
Cost (dependent upon type) |
188 |
Fuel filters |
Contamination. |
£5 - £35 |
186 |
Cables |
Wear and tear, routed incorrectly. |
£20 - £140 |
166 |
Batteries |
Misunderstanding around what battery to use, its electrical capacity, charging levels and lack of attention to electrical connections. |
£100 - £280 |
131 |
Alternators |
Misalignment, fan belt too tight, electrical faults, damp. |
£70 - £270 |
109 |
Starter motors |
Over-use, damp, electrical faults, over-tightening of parts. |
£140 - £600 (£1200 for Vetus) |
100 |
Gearboxes |
Lack of servicing and being heavy-handed. |
£650 - £2600 |
81 |
Fan belts |
Wear and tear |
£15-45 |
78 |
Drive plates |
Hitting underwater obstacles, stern gland too tight, misaligned engine, excessive vibration due to worn engine mounts, engine revs too high. |
£90 - £190 |
73 |
Fuel pumps & injection pumps |
Blockages, contamination and fuel pipe degrading. |
£50 - £850 |
43 |
Couplings |
Hitting underwater obstacles, snapped bolts, stern gland to tight, misalignment. |
£100 - £600 |
Others
Just outside the top 10 are water pumps (caused by seal failures, wear and tear, impeller break up and sheared components), morse controllers (wear and tear) and engine mounts (hitting underwater obstacles, wear and tear, age, rubber degrading, misalignment and bolts shearing).
The majority of replacement part call-outs are due to damp getting into electrical components, excessive or harsh use, vibration, accidental damage, wear and tear, the effect of pollutants such as diesel, oil or anti-freeze, old-age and misalignment of parts.
Ninety per cent of RCR’s jobs are sorted the same day as engineers carry spares such as gear boxes, injection pumps, starters, alternators, morse controllers, couplings and fuel pumps. However, it can take up to 48 hours if parts specific to the boat, like drive plates and engine mounts, have to be ordered.
RCR says the list demonstrates why its Replacement Parts Cover is important. An excess of £50 covers items that have a higher value.