Pulling and Replacing the Engines While in the Water

[thinwater]

Yup, both of them in one longish day. Really, days aren't that long these days. I suppose we worked from ~ 9am to 3pm and then just goofed around the boat. Laura had brought a sumptuous and much-appreciated dinner.

I have a post few a few pictures on my blog. If you are ever contemplating this act of torture, you may want to give it a look. It didn't go badly, at all. I'm just hoping by the time they fail I will be old enough to justify getting someone else to do it!

If you are thinking of doing this and need a few more tips, just pose the questions. I'm pretty sure I did it the easiest way possible, since my back was bothering me terribly before I started and I had to be very careful. No bull work was involved. Just lots of small steps.

http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2009/ ... n-pdq.html

[mikeandrebecca]

Excellent detail!

[Marc Gershel]

Hi, I just pulled one engine, and pretty much the way you did it. I 'm on land now, so I hoisted it out of the well, then switched the hoist to the main sheet tackle off the end of the boom, and lowered off the transom to the ground. I've also had trouble with the mounting screws, but I discovered a tool that really works well. It's a 3/4"? socket that's filled with spring loaded pins. When it's pushed over the end of the screw it assumes the correct shape and size. Then with the socket wrench it's fairly easy to loosen. The hard part for me is getting my fat, old body down that far in the well.
I have to search out a severe oil leak in that engine also. Wish I could get lucky like you and find a good used engine to replace it with. This one has about 1600 hours on it.
Marc

[thinwater]

With your permission, I am going to add that one to my blog entry.

How did you get it to grab around the plastic handles? Did you remove them first? Though I have seen those wrenches somwhere, do you know where yours came from?

I suspose the engine manufacturers use the little plastic handles instead of hex heads because a ham-handed owner could over tighten them with a wrench and break the bracket. Still.... I distinclty rememmeber having to remove the bolts on another motor by sawing through them with a hacksaw blade. Given the access on the PDQ, that would not be possible.

Knee pads help a lot too. Every sailor should keep them onboard.

Future strugling mechanics will thank you.

[Marc Gershel]

Hi, The plastic handles broke off years ago after several removal attempts. I bought the socket at a boat show a long time ago(I love gadgets) and it's really been handy.


http://www.gemplers.com/product/134214/ ... Socket-Kit
Marc

[amytom]

Great write up!

Me and My daughter did the same job with a little help from an unknown dockmate who looked a lot like Jimmy Buffett.

We did a couple of things differently though:

1. We used the main halyard directly through the open sunroof. It was very easy to just hold the line at the correct angle by hand.
2. Our engines had the standard plastic peice of #$%^ handles but also had through bolts on the lower part of the brackets. A bit of a stretch to get to without loosing hardware to Posiedon.
3. Our battery boxes were modified by a PO to not only allow a total of 4 batteries mounted tranversely but also with a glassed in wall to prevent water from migrating up to the batteries. This was a major frustration factor while wiggling the motors in and out.

All in all I was very impressed with my daughter's efforts and also the help of the Jimmy look a like getting the heavy beasts down the dock.

BTW Happy Vets day to everyone out there holding a DD214

[thinwater]

* I had a bad back a the time. My doc wanted me to lift nothing heavier than a toothbrush.
* My wife has vertigo and cannot stand on the boat or walk on a dock without assistance. Strangely, she does not suffer from sea sickness, which is a blessing. I accept blessings where I get them. She also had knee surgery to replace an arthritic knee.
* My daughter had a sprained wrist in a brace. She took the dingy around the harbor once we got the new engines on-deck. I didn't mind - didn't need the help. She had fun.

I got the engines out on my own. I got them back in with a little help on the winch. But the point is we used the no heavy lifting method for good reasons. That is also why I explained it at length.

We used a big-wheel moving dolly down the dock - just the ticket. I don't think I ever lifted anything more than 40 pounds, not more than a few inches, and seldom that. Oh, to have a younger back.

Now, if Jimmy Buffet had dropped by, well, we probably would not have finished at all....