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Monday

With a late start to the day after a morning meeting,  a light sanding of the hull patches, which I’d begun fairing in last time, prepared them for a second round of epoxy fairing filler, mainly to fill small voids in the initial coat.

Back in the engine room, I returned to the bulkhead modification required on the port side, where the fresh water pump hoses led.  To release the hoses from their slotted passage through the bulkhead, I cut an opening from the side, allowing me to slide the hoses and pump out of the way without disconnecting anything.  While this system might end up being reconfigured later, for now the prudent action was to leave it as is pending further decisions.

With the hoses and pump now clear of the bulkhead, I marked a cut line, just over 3″ in from the existing edge (this matched the distance from centerline of the vertical edge of the companion starboard bulkhead), and cut away the excess bulkhead to improve clearance for the new engine foundation.  I’d clean up the remnants of tabbing a little later.

With ample room now in the engine compartment, I set up the molded engine foundation and leveled it from side to side and longitudinally (according to the cabin sole, which position I marked on the level with some tape for easy replication).  After some minor fine-tuning of the fore-and-aft position of the foundation and centering it on the boat, I determined that the highest point was about 5″ above the hull, so to trim the foundation I marked 5″ from the hull at various points around the foundation’s perimeter.  Space was too tight or awkward in most areas to effectively use a scribe, but the 5″ markings would give me enough information for the initial cut.

I removed the foundation down to the workbench and connected the various marks with a straightedge and marker, forming a cut line.  At the oval molding for the drive leg, where I’d made my reference marks on the inside (white side). I transferred the marks to the outer (laminate) side since there was no way to get a saw inside the opening, and roughed in the contour of the cut line.

With a jigsaw and carbide blade, I cut to the lines all around.

With the foundation back in the boat, I set it up again in the engine room, aligning it as before with several levels.  This highlighted a few areas requiring some additional trimming, as I couldn’t get the aft end of the foundation down far enough.  The contact points seemed to be at the aft corners of the leg molding, as well as a spot on the after starboard side of the foundation.  A couple rounds of trimming, and I could get the foundation positioned properly according to the levels.  I made some marks on the hull to allow me to easily reposition the foundation, as there’d be a few more rounds of in-and-out ahead.

This trimming was enough to allow the foundation to fit more or less closely with the contours of the hull, but a critical measurement remained:  final depth of the drive leg for proper propeller clearance beneath the hull.  The propeller was 14″ diameter, and I wanted to end up with around 1-1/2″ clearance between the blade tip and hull as a minimum.  So after consulting the drive leg itself for a visual reference and for a good measuring point (which turned out to be the base of the transmission mounting flange, which equated to the top of the foundation), I measured down to the hull at a couple points to determine the highest point of the foundation as currently positioned, which was around 7-5/8″.

I measured from the mounting flange down this amount on the drive leg, and made a small reference mark.  Then, from the center of the prop shaft, I measured up 7″, the radius of the propeller, and made a second mark.   This gave me just about 2″ of clearance, not accounting yet for the hull thickness, which I did not yet know, but for now I allowed about an inch for hull thickness at the centerline, giving me perhaps an inch of blade clearance as currently configured, and guessing at the thickness of the hull.

There was room to easily bring down the foundation by at least an inch, which would improve blade clearance accordingly, and this would also allow me to fine-tune and (hopefully) properly scribe the foundation to the hull, so that would be my next task, but for now I’d reached the end of the day.

Total time billed on this job today:  4.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
32°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  sunny, around 60.

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Friday

The new fiberglass had cured overnight, so I began with the usual wash and sand, bringing the new patches flush as needed and approximating the contours of the adjacent hull.  Inside the hull, where I’d patched over the old stern tube, I just lightly scuffed the new fiberglass to remove any sharp edges.

The new laminate was close enough to the final shape required , so to begin to finish off the exterior patches, I applied a coat of epoxy fairing compound over both areas, using a wide  trowel to shape the compound into the curves of the boat.

In the engine room, a few loose ends remained.  I needed to clear the space as completely as possible, and the old bilge pump hoses–which were old and in poor condition anyway–were in the way, so I made cuts and removed the hoses into the lazarette for the moment pending further work towards their replacement.   I also removed a bonding wire that ran through the engine room; this wire led to the backstay chainplate, and though I didn’t fit in the small lazarette opening, I could reach the bolt to undo it and remove the wire.  Then, I pulled it through and secured it out of the way with a couple other bonding wires I’d removed from the original engine installation.  This left the way clear in the engine room for better access to the aftermost portions, and to allow me to begin the process of fitting the molded fiberglass base that the Saildrive mount required.

Meanwhile, I removed an old gauge cluster from above the engine room and at the forward end of the cockpit.  The project scope called for me to patch these holes and repaint that portion of the cockpit well to match.

The boat was nearly level as placed, but there was room for improvement side-to side, so I adjusted the stands slightly to correct the slight list.

The longitudinal attitude of the boat was slightly off-level, at least according to the cabin sole, but there was no way to easily adjust this, and I’d simply align the new engine mounting to the same orientation when the time came.

Now I lugged the molded fiberglass base up into the boat and placed it in the engine room for a reality check and to see how much fitting and modification would ultimately be required.  I’d already warily eyed the bulkhead opening at the aft end of the space, thinking it looked too narrow, and while the width was actually OK for all that, the opening was not centered, so the new foundation base ran into interference with the port bulkhead–and with the electric water pressure pump just behind it.  Not only did this prohibit good access to the area, but it also forced the forward end of the foundation off-center by a bit, so clearly modifying the bulkhead and pump installation would be the first priority.  While I had the base in place, I eyeballed the overall position to guess how much material I’d end up removing off the base itself to fit it to the shape of the hull, then removed it for access into the engine room once more.

With the time remaining in the day, I made a cozy nest in the empty engine room and crawled back to remove the water pump from its base, and to remove the clamps securing the multitude of hoses to the bulkhead.  I decided to leave the cutting for a new day, as it was growing late.

Total time billed on this job today:  4.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
60°, clouds and a shower.  Forecast for the day:  showers, then clearing and growing cooler.

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Thursday

To get started, I washed and lightly sanded the epoxy filler I’d applied in the engine room and stern tube, bringing these areas smooth and flush with their surrounds as required.  Afterwards, with the heavy grinding work behind me, I spent some time cleaning up the work area to prepare for moving forward with new work.

Outside the boat, I completed some final preparations on the old strut location, digging out the fastener holes to remove old sealant, and then preparing the holes for filling.   After masking over the holes from inside, I filled them with a thickened epoxy mixture before installing several layers of fiberglass over the entire area, along with the stern tube location.

Later, I added several additional layers of fiberglass in the recessed portion of the strut location, bringing the area more or less flush with its surrounds, then covered the area with one additional layer over the whole thing.  Inside the boat, I filled the exposed end of the old stern tube with thickened epoxy, then applied two layers of fiberglass set in epoxy over the top to seal the inside of the old opening.

Meanwhile, I made various measurements as I prepared for some of the new work ahead.

Total time billed on this job today:  5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
50°, mostly clear.  Forecast for the day:  mostly sunny, around 80

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Wednesday

The propeller shaft support strut was now obsolete and no longer required, so I turned to its removal.  From inside the boat, there was a narrow slot providing marginal access to the fixing bolts and nuts.  My initial efforts to remove the nuts and free the strut proved fruitless, as the bolts spun on the outside when I attempted to wrench off the nuts within.

Back outside the boat, I used a grinder to remove the paint and fairing compound that covered the base of the strut where it was secured to the hull, exposing the flathead screw heads and the edges of the strut base itself.  This confirmed for me that the strut used standard bolts, not integral studs.  While I had the grinder going, I ground a beveled area around the nearby stern tube opening, which I’d also be filling and patching.

Back inside the boat, I used a reciprocating saw and long blade to cut off the nuts and bolt ends securing the strut.  Access was limited, and I had to remove a nearby cleat on the bulkhead so the saw body had enough room to reach all four bolts.  Since the bolts were bronze, cutting was fairly easy, and with the nuts and excess bolt length removed, I could easily spin out the bolts from outside–they seemed to be threaded through the hull–and remove the strut itself.  Afterwards, I prepared the hull around the old strut location (which was recessed into the original laminate) by grinding a beveled area about the location.

The original engine foundations were in excellent condition and were strongly installed, but the new installation required their removal, so I spent some time preparing tools and equipment for the job.  Because cutting and grinding away the old fiberglassed engine beds would make a mess, I installed plastic curtains to help prevent dust from entering the saloon and forward parts of the boat, and also covered over the galley and nav station cabinets with plastic.

The engine foundations were indeed very strong, and removing them proved to be a lengthy and arduous process.  As ever, access was tighter than one might like, so fitting in grinding wheels and saw blades required various positions and care to prevent damaging any of the nearby installations and critical parts of the tool operator.  The foundations were built from laminated plywood heavily encapsulated with multiple layers of fiberglass, and heavily fiberglassed to the hull.  It was a nice installation that had held up well over nearly 40 years, and the engine beds fought removal to the end.  I cut through the fiberglass as much as possible using a grinder and cutoff wheel, then used the saw (with fewer good blades on hand than I’d hoped and planned to have) to cut through the wood and, as needed, additional fiberglass to the point that I could finally pry off the heavy foundations.

This left behind remnants of wood in the now-recessed areas inside of the old tabbing, and I pried out the wood and rough-cleaned the area before proceeding.  Then, to smooth out the cut edges of the old fiberglass and prepare the area for new work, I ground away the remains of the tabbing to the extent possible, leaving the edges of the old foundation locations flush with the surrounding hull.   There was no hope of removing the old foundation tabbing left on the hull–nor was there a need–so I strove for as flat and flush a result as possible, other than the recesses where the wood had been glued to the hull during original construction.  I also cut and ground away the inside portion of the stern tube, electing to leave the heavily-glassed bump at the aft end where the builders had done a nice job fairing and glassing in the original tube.

This chore made a mess and took quite a bit of time, but after cleaning up the area thoroughly, I solvent-washed the now-flush engine bed locations and applied some thickened epoxy filling material into the grooves left behind by the old plywood, bringing these areas up level with the surrounding hull so I’d have a relatively consistent and smooth substrate from which to work going forward.  I also masked over from inside and filled the old stern tube opening through the hull, the first step in patching this area permanently.

Total time billed on this job today:  7.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
50°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, 80s

 

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Wednesday

Before beginning on the engine removal, I took some time to thoroughly document the original condition of the engine and engine room.  These photos show the general state of things, but I took many more for posterity and to help later in reassembling some of the existing systems (mainly wiring runs, since most of these would end up remaining intact).

To begin, I had to remove the front panel, as well as a side panel–basically everything I could remove to improve access for disassembly and, later, removal.  To remove these panels, I also had to remove various wiring and plumbing runs that were in the way.  For now, I draped the wires over the engine for later attention.

Now, I systematically went through the space, documenting as necessary, to remove all the connections to the engine itself to release it for removal.  This included various plumbing, raw water bypass for a defunct water heater; raw water cooling hose; exhaust hose and riser (which unbolted easily from the engine, making removal of the bulky riser possible), and fuel line (supply only; no return on this old engine).  I also removed the wiring harness to the nearby gauge cluster, positive battery supply and grounds, and anything else directly connected to the engine.

With most of the ancillary clutter out of the way, I could lean over the top of the engine (made possible thanks to the easily-removed exhaust riser) and remove the coupling bolts.  I was briefly vexed when it seemed the rusted nuts were rounded over, but quickly I determined they were Allen head bolts, so with the correct wrench and a breaker bar, I could remove the four bolts relatively easily, releasing the engine from the shaft.

Finally, I unbolted the engine mounts–two machine screws and/or lags at each corner, or eight total–which released the engine for removal.

Next, I hooked up the gantry crane and carefully lifted the engine from its beds, out of the cabin, and finally over the side to the shop floor, leaving an empty and filthy engine room behind.

I spent the remainder of the day working to remove whatever else I could, including unnecessary wiring (i.e. old gauge wires), the old fuel filter, waterlift chamber, propeller shaft and stuffing box, and disassembling the rest of the engine room to make room for the work ahead, as well as to remove some old sound insulation on one side.  To make it easier to get the old wiring out of the way, since the existing wire bundles were a mishmash of old and new additions that criss-crossed in unfortunate ways, I removed the battery switch and redirected some other wiring as needed so I could finally drape the wires out of the way on both sides of the engine room, leaving the main part of the space clear for the work ahead.  Any wires I could get rid of at this point went in the trash bin, but there’d likely be more thinning out later as I determined whether other wires were obsolete.   I also cleaned out the worst of the oily/rusty/dirty debris from beneath the engine as a starting point.

Total time billed on this job  today:  7.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
52°, mostly clear.  Forecast for the day:  sun and increasing wind and humidity, showers and thundershowers in the afternoon.  High in the 80s

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Tuesday

Late in the morning, Acadia, a 1979 Sabre 34, arrived at the shop.  I had the hauler put her right indoors, as I was ready to begin the project at once,

The boat was in very good condition overall, as her owner had had a lot of work done over the years, so for now the scope of work was limited to replacing her aging green monster Volvo diesel with a new engine and, in an interesting twist, a Saildrive unit, which would replace the traditional shaft arrangement which, on this boat, exited the hull offset to starboard.

The new engine and propulsion unit were already on hand, as the owner had ordered them well in advance.

Late in the day, after familiarizing myself with the boat a bit, I started work by removing the two-blade feathering prop, a relatively simple process once I’d looked up some details about the propeller, as I’d not had opportunity to remove one of these before.  The unique patterns on the propeller and shaft come from the bottom paint that had been applied over all surfaces.

The body of the propeller was secured together with six set screws locked in place by tiny cotter pins.  After scraping away paint buildup and accessing the cotter pins, the screws came out easily, releasing the two blades and gear arrangement within.  Then it was a simple matter to remove the prop nut hidden inside and, with minimal use of a prop puller, remove the inner works of the prop from the shaft.  I also removed the two shaft zincs, leaving the shaft clean and free for removal later.

Inside the boat, I took a moment to set up some lighting and power to prepare for the work in the engine room.

Total time billed on this job today:  1.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
46°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  sunny, 80