< Back to Acadia

Wednesday

Awaiting new taps to finish up the engine mount bolt holes, I worked on various final connections to the engine, beginning with the throttle and gear control cables.  There’d likely be final adjustments to the cables later when I connected the pedestal end to the controls there.

When I pre-arranged some of the fuel lines, for reasons unknown I’d been envisioning the fuel connections on the engine’s port side–I knew better, but perhaps the configuration of the old engine, which had the fuel connections in the aft port corner,  was was stuck in my mind.  In any event, the fuel supply and return connections  were actually to starboard, so I needed to change things around.  Fortunately, this was easy, and there was ample hose to make the change.  To begin, I led the fuel return line across the aft part of the engine foundation, just forward of the transmission, then up to its connection at the engine, near the aft starboard side.  I secured it with cushioned clamps and, on the engine itself, with some chafe gear where I secured it to the nearby control bracket.

I’d temporarily removed the fuel filter during engine installation to increase space, and now I reinstalled it.  I moved it a little higher than I’d originally placed it since I found that the bowl ended up close to the top of the foundation, and access to the drain in that original location would have been awkward.  Moving the filter up improved access and kept the filter unit well out of the way of any engine interference.  I also spun the filter 180° to reverse the position of inlet and outlet ports to better fit the reality of the eventual hose leads.

Now I test-fit the engine exhaust elbow, which had been shipped separately from the engine, and I’d left it off during installation.  I found that the raw water inlet at the top of the elbow ended up directly in way of the engine room after bulkhead (natch), so I had to mark and cut away the bulkhead in this area to allow the elbow and its hose to fit.  This also required me to move up the pre-existing wire and hose bundle that I’d led across the bulkhead earlier, but other than resecuring the clamps this didn’t require any other substantial changes to the bundle.  Afterwards, I permanently installed the elbow with its four bolts, and attached the supplied injection hose.

I led the engine wiring harness across the aft end of the engine, securing it as necessary, and made the connection at the engine plug.

In the afternoon, with my new tap on hand, I worked on the remaining bolt holes to secure the engine mounts.  Despite the fresh tool, this was still slow going.  Progress was incremental, but eventually I finished the forward hole  on the port side, and moved on to the port after hole.  Access here was awkward, with various obstructions limiting the torque I could put on the tap handle, and completing the threads in this hole was an exercise in frustration, though ultimately successful.  As I felt I was getting close to finally threading the hole all the way through, the bad angles conspired against me and I broke off the tap–the very thing I’d tried so hard to avoid all along.  To my great relief, I found that not only did the tap break with enough exposed above the hole to grab easily, but the tap was also loose and not bound, so I was able to remove the broken part without difficulty and then finish the hole with another tap–I was right, the first tap was just breaking through the bottom when it broke, so although I knew I was pressing my luck at this point, I finished the third of the four holes, but knew better than to approach the final hole on the other side till next time, as I’d clearly used up the good Karma for the day.

Total time billed on this job today:  4.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
34°, Clear.  Forecast for the day:  becoming cloudy, chance of a shower, high 44

< Back to Acadia

Tuesday

Thinking it would help me make the final minor adjustments needed to engage the transmission shaft and engine housing, I tried blocking the transmission into the proper orientation from the top side, where I could (I hoped) reach it conveniently and make adjustments as needed.  Without the engine in place, the rubber gaskets of the leg allowed the transmission (and therefore the shaft) to sag forward a bit, and earlier I’d blocked the leg vertical from beneath the boat, but this meant various trips up and down the ladder to make an adjustment if needed.  As it turned out, in practice I was unable to adjust the transmission position as I’d hoped, and eventually I removed the shims and reblocked the leg from the bottom of the hull as before.

 

It took another hour or so to finally dial in the engine position and get the transmission shaft started in the engine receptacle.  To make this happen, I had to block the engine from beneath the oil pan, supporting the aft end so I could remove the chain hoist; the hoist was preventing me from getting the engine into the right position.  Then, with some incremental adjustments to the engine blocking and the drive leg blocking, as well as the angle of the engine and so forth, I finally clicked the shaft into position–a happy time.  The job was made more complicated by the fact that I couldn’t actually see the point of required engagement, but once the two parts were mated none of the rest mattered any longer.  For the edification of others and future reference, I found that the adjustable engine mounts at the forward end needed to be adjusted all the way down in order to align the engine and transmission.

With the transmission engaged, it was quick work to bring the flanges properly together and install the fixing bolts.

After a mid-day appointment, I returned to finish up securing the engine with the two flexible engine mounts at the forward end.  These each required two bolts to secure them to the foundation.  I planned to drill and tap the foundation to accept hex head bolts–nothing new there.  As I drilled the first hole, I thought I saw metal chips, but initially wrote it off as shavings from the bit or perhaps the edge of the mount’s bolt hole.  But it shortly became apparent that there was a metal plate embedded in the fiberglass foundation–stainless steel, no less.  This was a fun surprise.  No wonder the foundation had seemed heavier than it should.

I managed to drill and tap one of the four holes, but my tap–normally pressed into service in fiberglass only–was hardly up to the task of threading what seemed to be a 3/8″ or so thick stainless plate inside the fiberglass (it seemed to be the same thickness as the metal ring I’d installed for the transmission).  I ordered new and better taps to arrive the next day, and this effectively ended my hopes of finishing up what had seemed a quick and simple task, as I elected to await my new tools before proceeding further with the bolts.  Meanwhile, I took care of some preparations for the final installations I’d be wrapping up soon, now that the engine was finally in place.

Total time billed on this job today:  3.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
38°, partly cloudy.  Forecast for the day:  sun and increasing clouds, maybe 50.

< Back to Acadia

Monday

Now that the engine room paint had cured over the weekend, I removed the masking tape, leaving the space ready for final installations.

I led several new hoses from the lazarette into the engine room:  two hoses to connect to the existing bilge pump lines, and two lengths of vent hose for the blower output and a fresh air intake, both of which would eventually connect to a pair of clamshell vents on the aft cockpit coamings.  I led all these hoses in now while I still had access to the aft bulkhead and beneath the fuel tank.  I left the excess hose in the lazarette for later connection; for the moment, I just wanted them led into the engine room so I could move forward there.

With that complete, I made up the final connections for the bilge pump hoses, connecting them to the existing lengths in the engine room, and led over the final length of new hose from the reconfiguration of the fresh water system, which I secured along the forward edge of the foundation and connected to the tee before the water pump.  Meanwhile, I resecured the water hose bundle on the port side, which I’d moved temporarily while I glassed and painted the foundation.

I kept the blower/vent hoses out of the way for now, and installed the waterlift muffler on its platform before connecting the existing length of exhaust hose with a short splice of new hose to reach the muffler outlet.

With these final preparatory installations out of the way, I could install the transmission and drive leg permanently.  I cleaned the top of the foundation as needed to ensure a good sealing surface for the rubber gasket on the unit, then installed the transmission without difficulty, twisting it into place in the correct orientation.    I’d been apprehensive about installing the studs, worried about whether they’d truly line up properly and as intended with the factory pre-tapped holes in the ring I’d glassed beneath the foundation and how well the transmission bolting pattern truly lined up with the ring;  I’d seen too many instances in the past where similar things designed to fit together in a specific way simply didn’t work out properly in the  dynamics of the real world.  But I was pleasantly surprised now that I could thread in all the studs without any problem once I’d aligned the transmission as needed.

There was only one minor snag in the studs’ installation:  the starboard aftermost stud wouldn’t fit past the bolt securing the hinge mechanism at the aft end of the transmission.  I suppose if this were being installed as suggested by the directions (but impossible in this specific case), where the studs were pre-installed in the foundation and the transmission dropped straight down over the top afterwards, this would not have posed a problem, but now I had to remove the nut from that bolt and push the bolt through till the end was almost flush with the housing before I could insert and thread in the stud.

After ensuring that the leg was where it was supposed to be, and that the gasket looked good from the opening beneath, I secured the transmission with washers and nuts over the studs.   This also went swimmingly till the final two nuts, one on each side, where for whatever reason the nuts cross-threaded on the studs before reaching their termination.  Fortunately, this happened at a point where I could still unwind the nut and stud without particular issue, and there happened to be two or three extra studs and nuts in the package, so this was a minor–if still irritating–setback.

I wasn’t sure whether the forward pair of studs (the studs were quite long and stuck up a couple inches from the transmission flange) would interfere with the engine during installation on the transmission, so I cut off the excess bolt length in these locations now, just to be sure.

I hooked up the engine to my overhead crane and lifted it up and into the boat, then down into the engine room.  I spent some time jockeying the engine around and trying to align the transmission shaft with the corresponding socket on the engine’s aft end, but ultimately didn’t succeed:  there were many variables, from the precise position of the notched shaft to the height and various angles involved between engine and transmission, all complicated by the fact that the chain hoist ended up pressing tightly against the companionway when I really needed some extra wiggle room, plus the fact that the socket on the engine housing was recessed and impossible to see to help guide in–or even determine how to move for better alignment–the transmission shaft.  Obviously I would eventually prevail in this connection, but for now, at the end of the day, I parked the engine on a cushion forward of the engine room and left it to be dealt with next time.

Total time billed on this job today:  4.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
32°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  sun, 50

< Back to Acadia

Friday

The final aspects of the engine installation now required that the engine room be painted, so I made that my priority.  After final preparations, I painted the engine room and starboard cockpit lockers with a coat of Bilgekote paint mixed half and half (white and gray).  The new paint would have plenty of cure time over the weekend, and the space would be ready for final installations next time.

Total time billed on this job today:  1 hour

0600 Weather Observation:
58°, light rain.  Forecast for the day:  showers and drizzle, then heavier rain overnight

< Back to Acadia

Thursday

I started the day with the next steps on the engine foundation:  water wash and lightly sand by hand the new tabbing, removing sharp edges and any material that extended above the top of the foundation.

Getting the engine room painted out was fast becoming a priority so I could advance the engine installation, but there was more I could do before essentially making the space off limits for the day.    The owner provided a blower to install in order to evacuate excess heat from the space, and now I worked to find a place to install it.  To begin, I installed a new pull switch in the engine panel, finding an open space next to the stop switch that could accommodate the blower switch.  Then, because I found that the blower required larger wire than I’d run earlier, I led in a new, larger wire pair to the switch and made up the connections.

At the other end of the wire harness, I installed a 15A fuse near the terminal block from which the blower was powered, and, having chosen the blower location in the engine room, led the power and negative wires to the appropriate spot at the aft starboard corner.  There were various specifics and complications and space restrictions in the blower configuration and applicable spaces in the boat that eventually led me to this location; during the process I considered, and rejected, several other possibilities and even other blower types, eventually settling on a workable plan that fit the needs of the situation.  Because occasional removal might be handy for increasing access to the after part of the engine room, I chose to make the wiring connections to the blower motor with removable spade connectors.

To secure the blower, I cut a plywood bracket to fit as needed; this had the added benefit of spanning a cutout in the original bulkhead where I’d removed some hoses earlier.  I bolted the bracket to the bulkhead (temporarily for now), then secured the blower with additional bolts, testing the fit for now.  During the selection of this space, I’d reviewed photos of the engine room with the transmission in place to ensure that there was ample clearance for the blower to hang down in this way.  With the basic part of the installation complete, I removed the bracket and blower so I could secure a mounting flange for the outlet hose to the aft side of the bracket; I’d ordered this piece and expected its arrival presently.

With work in the engine room complete for now, I masked off the foundation as necessary for the new paint in the engine room, then applied a light coat of epoxy-based primer to the new fiberglass to prepare it for the final paint next time.

Total time billed on this job today:  6 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
37°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sun to clouds, 60.

< Back to Acadia

Wednesday

Now that the foundation was locked in place, I removed the temporary glue blocks and cleaned up the area, then cut several layers of fiberglass tabbing to fit the various areas.  Afterwards,  I installed an epoxy fillet all the way around the foundation.  This would add strength and ease the transition of tabbing all around the molded piece.

A little later, when the fillets had partially cured, I installed three layers of heavy tabbing set in epoxy resin.

At the leg opening in the bottom of the hull, I smoothed out the transition at the hull with additional thickened epoxy, preparing ahead for installing the final fiberglass, which I”d do once the leg was installed since I didn’t want to risk making the opening smaller till I’d rotated the drive leg for installation.

Total time billed on this job today:  5.25 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
55°, light rain.  Forecast for the day:  Becoming sunny, mid 70s

< Back to Acadia

Tuesday

One more light sanding brought the cockpit gauge patch to its final contours.  A little later, I’d prepare the nearby area and prime and paint the patch to match.

The owner was on hand to help out, and I set him to work on the pedestal control cables.  During the course of the morning and early afternoon, he (and I, to some extent) worked to secure the cables in the new internal clamp  and then, with difficulty, get the clamp down into position within the pedestal.  This required substantial slackening of the steering cables and removal of the cables from the sheaves beneath the pedestal in order to pull the chain off the sprocket and make room within.  Afterwards, it took some adjustments to return the quadrant and helm to the proper relationship with the rudder and ensure that straight was straight.  Sorry, few photos of this process.

Eventually, the cable clamp was secure, the helm was straight, and we could begin to reassemble the top of the pedestal.  For the moment, we left the cables detached, and installed only the control module and drink holder (along with the pedestal guard bracket).  For better access to the tops of the cables later, since they still needed to be secured to the control arms, we chose to leave off the compass and binnacle bracket.  It was a relief to have the cables’ replacement in the record books.

During this time, as possible, I worked on some of the final electrical installations in the engine room and nearby.  I led the wiring for the new engine room blower through the cockpit room and into the engine room, where I’d make final connections later, and cleaned up the other remaining wiring in the engine room, releading some of the existing wiring that I’d pulled aside early in the project and making up and securing final connections to the battery switch and batteries.  I added a negative distribution buss and positive terminal block to accept some of the excess wires that had originally connected directly to the batteries or switch.  I was glad to clean up the final wiring through the space, as this was the final preliminary step required before I could continue work on the engine foundation and actual engine installation.

To that end, at the end of the afternoon I made final preparations to tack the foundation in place.  After a final dry fit to ensure that everything still looked good, I cleaned the bonding surfaces as needed and prepared a small batch of thickened epoxy adhesive, which I spread around in a few areas where the foundation would contact the hull.  To avoid interfering with the wooden alignment blocks, I only used a little adhesive at this point:  enough to hold the foundation securely, once cured, so that I could press on with final fillets and glassing.  I cleaned up any excess that squeezed out and left the foundation alone while the epoxy cured overnight.

Total time billed on this job today:  6.75 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
50°, clouds.  Forecast for the day:  clouds, drizzle.

< Back to Acadia

Thursday

After some quick and easy sanding, the old instrument patch was fairly smooth and ready for a minor second coat to take care of a couple low spots.

Though I’d await final installation till the engine foundation was in place, now that the platform was painted, I installed the after screws to hold the waterlift muffler in place, and dry-fit the forward pair of screws.  This would make final installation a cinch as the space became tighter to access.

Meanwhile, I went ahead and installed the suction side of the raw water intake hose.  Once the engine was in place, I’d complete the run from the filter to the water pump.

After collecting some materials from stock, and ordering various other things I’d need in the near future to complete some final installations (blower hose, exhaust fittings, etc.), I prepared the new fuel gauge for installation in the now-empty engine ignition panel inside the lazarette.  After drilling the required hole, I led in new wiring and made the connections before securing the gauge in place.  Afterwards, I made up the new wiring at the fuel tank sender, replacing the original wires to the source, and attached the power/ignition wire to the appropriate terminal on the engine key switch; this would energize and light the gauge whenever the engine was running.

Total time billed on this job today:  5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
52°, cloudy.  Forecast for the day:  clouds, fog, drizzle, rain showers late.

< Back to Acadia

Wednesday

The fiberglass patch over the old instrument gauge holes was ready for sanding, which was my next step before applying a coat of fairing compound over the new laminate on the exterior, and adding a layer of fiberglass over the inside section of the old holes.  (I forgot to take a picture of the freshly sanded exterior..)

Earlier, I’d removed a hose barb from the integral raw water intake valve on the drive leg.  The leg featured a built-in cooling intake system, much like that of an outboard engine, but anecdotal evidence suggested that the little intake ports on the leg could become clogged with debris or marine growth, and would be difficult to clear should this happen.  Consultation with Beta Marine indicated that there was no  requirement to use the built-in intake versus using a separate intake (already fitted on this boat), and the owner and I decided on this course.  I elected to leave the pre-installed shutoff valve in place, but added a bronze plug in place of the old hose barb as a more secure means of keeping this inlet shut off.

Continuing work on my diminishing list of pre-engine installation tasks,  I worked on the fuel system.  With the proper adapter for the original flare nut on the annealed copper fuel line now on hand, I connected an elbow and hose barb to direct the fuel supply line forward to the fuel filter inlet.  I kept the original copper fuel line intact because it was in good condition, was carefully plumbed into a nice flush shutoff valve in the quarterberth, and there was no reason to make more work than necessary.

Next, I ran 5/16″ fuel hose from the new barb to the fuel filter, securing it along the way.  I also ran a length from the filter outlet back towards where it would eventually connect to the engine, leaving some excess awaiting the final connection once the engine was installed.  I also led aft an additional hose for the fuel return line, which I led into the after compartment through an existing hole lined with chafe guard.

In the locker aft of the engine room, I secured the new return line (the old Volvo didn’t have a return fuel line leading to the tank) with rubber-lined clamps up the bulkhead, then alongside the copper supply line to the top of the tank.  I replaced a blank plug on the tank with a 5/16″ elbow and hose barb to accept the new hose connection.

Earlier, while removing some obsolete wiring, I’d removed sundry failed wire tie mounts securing a wiring harness through the cockpit locker, leaving a mess behind.  Now, I installed new wire tie mounts here and elsewhere in the immediate vicinity to  allow me to resecure these wires, along with the new engine panel’s wiring harness (which I led aft to the panel and then forward into the engine room pending final connection).    Getting them out of the way, I also led the new engine control cables forward beneath the fuel tank, securing them for hte mom ent to leave the hull space clear for imminent painting.

 

I also took the opportunity to separate an old taped-up wiring harness so I could pull free the wires leading to the fuel tank sender, which the owner reported had not been working.  I had a new fuel gauge on hand, and hoped that new wires and the new gauge would take care of the problem.  I wasn’t sure if removing the sending unit was possible with the tank in place, but I’d only go there if other efforts failed to succeed.

To round out the day, after final preparations I painted the section of the engine room beneath the fuel tank with a 50/50 blend of Bilgekote white and gray, stopping at the new muffler platform.  Later, I’d paint the rest of the engine room, but not until the new foundation was tabbed in place.

Total time billed on this job today:  7 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
Mostly clear, 40°.   Forecast for the day:  sunny, 60s

 

< Back to Acadia

Tuesday

Next on the agenda was to deal with the holes left over from the old engine gauges, located at the forward end of the cockpit.  I prepared the area for patching by grinding away the paint and gelcoat from around the old openings, creating an area of raw laminate ready to accept new fiberglass.   After cleaning up the area, I masked over the holes from inside.

I filled the holes with a thickened epoxy mixture, keeping it flush with the adjacent fiberglass, and later, when the fill was setting up, I applied two layers of fiberglass over the whole area.

The owner wanted the new gauge panel mounted to starboard of the helm, at the aft end of the cockpit, where there already existed an opening leftover from an autopilot installation.  Starting with this hole, I laid out the opening for the new panel, using a template I made years before, and cut out  the new opening.  This cutout was complicated somewhat by a glassed-in stiffener inside the cockpit coaming, which I had to remove as best as possible to allow clearance for the gauge package.  Eventually I had enough clearance, and dry-fit the panel so I could drill and tap for the fasteners.  I’d wait on final installation for the moment.

Total time billed on this job today:  3.5 hours

0600 Weather Observation:
32°, clear.  Forecast for the day:  Sunny, low 60s