110 Cookson Lane | Whitefield, ME 04353 | 207-232-7600 | tim@lackeysailing.com
Before beginning any of the work list, my first task was to remove various items that had been stored inside the boat since she arrived here a year ago, including the sails, boom (with stack-pack still attached), dodger, interior cushions, and other equipment that would be in the way and/or risk being damaged during the weeks of work ahead.
The most significant item on the work list was to replace the aging Yanmar 1GM single-cylinder diesel engine (6.5 continuous horsepower rating) with a new engine. The owner had reported problems with power delivery with the old engine, coupled with excessive black smoke (which was well in evidence on the boats transom and elsewhere). In the months leading up to this project, the decision was made to proceed with a repower, which would have the added benefit of increasing horsepower significantly.
The first order of business was to remove the old propeller while the shaft was still firmly affixed to the engine. This process went smoothly and quickly.
The engine was shoehorned into the typically tight space found on modern production boats, with designed access limited to two removable panels set into the fully molded interior liner. These access panels might be barely adequate for routine inspection and maintenance, but I knew I'd need additional access for the job ahead, so I removed the galley sink, which was immediately adjacent to the top access panel in the molded countertop assembly. The sink came out with relative ease, fortunately, and I set it aside for the duration. This greatly improved access, though overall it still left something to be desired.
To remove the propeller shaft coupling from the transmission, I had to find a way to reach the aft end of the engine. The only true access appeared to be through the port cockpit locker, so I removed the locker's contents and a plywood panel sealing off the locker from the engine space beyond. The locker opening was tight, and with a large block supporting the autopilot pin affixed to its top, it wouldn't open all the way, so I removed the locker lid for better access, and to prevent the spring-loaded latches from automatically catching if the lid were to close on its own. I also removed the ship's batteries from a shelf within the locker, as I thought the space they occupied might be necessary for maneuverability once within the locker.
Despite this, I knew it'd be extremely tight getting into, and working within, this locker: this was one of those times I wished I was a pipsqueak. It soon became evident that attempting to squeeze into the depths of this locker was fruitless: I wasn't going to fit. This posed a bit of a problem since I didn't know how else to access the aft end of the engine, specifically (for now) the coupling bolts.
Eventually, with the extra access provided by the galley sink removal, I found I could just barely remove the coupling bolts from the interior access, though this was at the limits of my reach given the existing access. Fortunately, there was a shallow drip pan beneath the engine, so all the tools I continually dropped fell only to this pan, where I could easily fish them out from the forward side. After some effort, I removed all four coupling bolts--fortunately they weren't corroded in place--and slid the shaft back to release it from the transmission.
Over the next couple hours, I methodically worked my way through the remaining connections to the engine, removing various electrical connections (including three separate ground wire attachments), fuel supply and return lines, raw water cooling line, control and stop cables, and the exhaust outlet. I disturbed as little as possible the other hoses and installations located in the engine room.
Finally, I removed the nuts securing the mounting flanges to the flex mounts; the starboard after mount also served as the attachment point for a metal bracket to which the waterlift muffler was attached, and I removed that at this time as well. Then, I attached a chainfall and lifted the engine off the mounts, and, in two stages since I had to reset the hoist through the second engine room opening partway through--lifted the engine out of its space and then over the side to the shop floor.
Total Time on This Job Today: 7.5 hours
