Guess it depends on the boat and who owned it.* On a 44/46 OA, there are hatches in the*salon sole*that provide excellent access*to the outboard side of the engines.* No crawling around the front or back of the engine..just open the hatch, set a small step ladder on the flat surface next to the engine and step right down.* Easy Peasy.**At least*three feet between the engine and hull for a V8 and close to four*for a six.**However,*a Cummins equipped boat*places*the front end of the six cylinder engine about a foot behind the crosswise*genset...so access to the genset and the front of the starboard engine sux.**I recently looked at a 46 Grand*Banks with 3208s...every aspect of the engine room and engines were immaculate...both sides.* Again, it depends.*
I agree completely that different owners maintain their boats to different standards.* Adequate access simply makes it easier and less expensive to do.* Hatches providing access to the outboard side of the engines is an excellent idea, but there were none on the boats I looked at, and even if there were, the space between the engine and the fuel tanks was so limited it would not have helped (much).* The 46 G/B with the immaculate engine room would rate highly in my search if I were in the market.*
Still, all things being equal, adequate access will always make maintenance and troubleshooting easier and cheaper. By way of another example, the yacht I run has a generator placed such that even inspecting the outboard side is impossible.* Last summer it developed a serious oil leak.* The flywheel was throwing oil around the bell housing, and then it was leaking out the bottom.* Sounds a lot like a rear main seal doesn't it?* Sadly, after I replaced* said seal, the oil leak remained.* It turned out that the oil pressure sending unit located under the manifold and against the side of hull was leaking oil onto the starter, and then running into the bellhousing.* The only way to find this was to unbolt the entire generator and move it away from the side of the boat.* Only then did the leak become visible.* A painful lesson it was. .........
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