110 Cookson Lane | Whitefield, ME 04353 | 207-232-7600 | tim@lackeysailing.com
Summer Song | Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Five bolts were all that stood between the engine and the floor, and despite challenges in access to the nuts beneath, it didn't take too long to remove all the bolts and render the engine ready for removal. Space within the fiberglass engine foundations was tight, with sharp shards of fiberglass, but I managed to get wrenches on where needed.
After setting up my chain hoist and gantry crane, and preparing lots of rags and blankets to protect the boat from spills and the engine itself, I pulled the engine out of its bay with little fanfare. Once I had it out and more accessible, I removed the two remaining control cables from the top, and also removed the starboard forward mounting flange, which featured a large accessory plate that had held the fresh water cooling pump, but was now protruding too far to allow the engine to pass through the companionway.
With the old engine out of the way, the engine room appeared roomy, and would provide lots of room around the new, much smaller, engine. However, the engine bay was filthy and would require substantial efforts to clean.
Wasting no time, I hoisted the engine up over the cockpit coamings and down over the rail to the floor, where I rested it on a mobile platform for now.
The exhaust elbow featured a large split that appeared to have been there for at least a little while.
Back inside, I bailed out the mess of spilled oil and antifreeze, and, over several separate cleanings with various detergents and other implements, made some progress in cleaning up the engine room. Once I had the space free of liquid and at least partially cleaned, I removed the remaining unneeded wires, control cables, and other obsolete equipment. I also removed the cockpit scupper hoses, which were old and worn and required renewal.
By the end of the day, after repeated soakings with degreaser and vigorous cleaning, the space was finally becoming relatively clean, though more work was ahead.
I hoped to reuse the existing engine foundations, which were sturdy and sound, but before I went too crazy cleaning things up I'd need to prepare and fit a template to see how the new engine's mounts would adapt to the existing situation. I'd ordered the new engine with mounting centers that were a compatible width, but there was a difference in height between the forward and after foundations in the boat, and I didn't yet know how the new mounts would fit. The old engine had blocked access to a point that it had not been possible to determine till now.
With clear access from within, I removed the shaft, coupling, and stuffing box.
Total Time Billed on This Job Today: 6.75 hours
