Technical Marine Consulting for Self-Reliant Sailors
Self-reliance is the hallmark of every successful ocean voyager. Our consulting services give you the exact technical blueprints, tolerances, and confidence needed to execute maintenance and upgrades yourself.
Beta Marine Self-Repair & Maintenance
Comprehensive step-by-step guidance on keeping your Beta Marine diesel running reliably offshore. Learn how to service raw water pumps, adjust valve lash,Pop-test injectors, bleed fuel circuits, and inspect heat exchangers without expensive boatyard bills.
- Valve clearance adjustments and decompressor setup
- Heat exchanger tube bundle descaling and anode replacement
- Raw water pump seals, bearings, and cam plate overhaul
- Secondary fuel filtration and air bleed procedures
Precision Shaft & Coupling Alignment
Misalignment causes severe cutless bearing wear, transmission seal failure, and intolerable cockpit vibrations. We consult on proper dial caliper alignment methods, flexible mount leveling, and flange clearance checks.
- Measuring face and radial runout with 0.01mm dial indicators
- Equalizing flexible mount loading across all 4 engine corners
- Dial caliper clearance check within 0.004" (0.10mm) tolerance
- R&D and Drivesaver flexible coupling installation advice
Alternator Regulators & LiFePO4 Charging
Drop-in lithium batteries can easily overheat standard marine alternators. We guide you through programming external multi-stage voltage regulators (Balmar MC-618, Wakespeed WS500, Alpha Pro) with alternator stator temperature regulation.
- Balmar & Wakespeed target voltage and current limit curves
- Alternator temperature sensor placement and de-rate thresholds
- High-amp serpentine belt conversions and pulley ratio matching
- Protection circuits against sudden BMS disconnect voltage spikes
Lithium (LiFePO4) Battery Bank Engineering
Safely transitioning your cruising boat to Lithium Iron Phosphate. Consulting covers battery cell compression, BMS integration, Class-T fusing, busbar sizing, and multi-source charge coordination (solar, wind, alternator, inverter/charger).
- BMS high/low voltage cut-off signaling and latching relays
- Class-T fuse placement and AIC short-circuit rating calculations
- DC distribution busbar sizing for heavy inverter loads
- Victron Cerbo GX, SmartShunt, and DVCC system coordination
Marine Linux & OpenCPN Navigation Suites
Empower your navigation with dedicated low-power marine Linux systems running OpenCPN, GPSD, AIS transponder integration, and GRIB weather overlays for French Polynesia and South Pacific passages.
- Rugged mini-PC and Raspberry Pi marine Linux installations
- OpenCPN vector & satellite raster chart layering for FP atolls
- NMEA 0183 & N2K GPS / AIS USB multiplexer integration
- Offline weather routing with GRIB files via Iridium / Starlink
Remote Video Consulting & Flight Supervision
Whether you are anchored in the Marquesas, navigating the Tuamotus, or hauling out in Raiatea, Adrian offers remote video troubleshooting from his yacht. For major projects, he is available to fly directly to your location.
- Scheduled video calls directly from Adrian's boat in FP
- Detailed inspection of photos, schematics, and measurements
- Inter-island flight supervision for critical repower milestones
- Expediting emergency parts air freight from Tahiti
Need On-Site Engineering in the Islands?
If you have a complex repower, seized running gear, or major electrical retrofit in Raiatea, Bora Bora, Nuku Hiva, or Rangiroa, Adrian is able to fly directly to your boat upon request to oversee the installation and guarantee seaworthiness.