RYA Diesel Engine Course

Machinery failure is the most common reason for a lifeboat attending a leisure vessel at sea. Yet modern marine engines are fairly undemanding machines so why do they fail so often?

It's a fact that marine diesel engines in leisure craft rarely wear out, they get wrecked from misuse, under-use and ignorance.

The most common problem areas are the fuel system and raw water pump failure, all easy to maintain and easily fixed, even at sea.

The RYA Diesel Engine Maintenance course aims to teach boat owners the basic principles of the marine diesel engine, it's operation and maintenance.

In true Mustang Sailing style we deliver more than the basic RYA Diesel Engine course syllabus, and do so in a highly accessible way. We don't use a projector in a classroom. We use marine diesel engines in our training workshop.

This is a hands-on course in preventative maintenance and problem solving. We teach students the skills necessary to restart a stopped engine at sea and the routine diesel engine maintenance tasks that keep your engine in top condition and save money on servicing charges.

We have a number of marine diesel engines and component parts to illustrate the course syllabus, which is:

Principles of the diesel engine
Naturally aspirated and turbocharged diesel engines
The fuel system
The cooling system
The air system
Diesel engine electrical systems
Fault finding.

An operational Volvo 2003 marine diesel engine is set up on a rig. Students replace fuel filters, belts and raw water pump impellers. When these tasks have been completed the engine can be run up and checked.

Failed and corroded components are on display to illustrate the consequences of poor maintenance.

The course was excellent, the cutaway engines were great!
William. Age 12

Very good, and having a running engine set up was invaluable for problem solving and explaining
Pete T.

Very enjoyable day. I felt relaxed and learnt a lot, easy to ask questions
Jay T.

Very practical and down to earth. Flexible tutor - friendly and helpful.
Bob B.

Why choose Mustang Sailing for your RYA Diesel Engine course?

The course takes place in a training workshop - not a classroom
Live diesel engines to work on - you change pump impellers - fuel filters.


Although beyond the RYA Diesel engine syllabus we also take a look at bilge pumps, lifejacket maintenance and marine toilets. No one should tackle a blocked marine toilet without at least some idea of what to expect.

Diesel course dates below or click calendar.

June 22
July 10
July 24
August 14
September 4
September 19
October 2
October 17
October 25 (Monday, Bank Holiday)
November 14
November 20
December 12
December 22 (Wednesday)