Save-A-Boat - The Forum for Plastic Classic Rebuilds!

In the interest of giving something back to the folks here who have provided so much good info, I offer a photo summary of the shoestring rehab of the engine installation on my east coast boat Sophia. I put this together last year for family and friends, so it wasn't intended for the mechanic, but, I think it provides enough to give you a good idea of what I did.



To view my Picasa Web Album for this project, click here.

Enjoy with my thanks!

-- Eric

Triton #635 Sophia

Thanks Eric! Great photos. I'm midway through installing a new Yanmar so I really appreciate seeing other setups. I'm sitting out day 2 of a blizzard that is likely to last another day or two so looking at boats is all I'll be doing for a while.
Cheers, David

Your very welcome, David. I spent a good part of my weekend shoveling the walk to my shop. Let me know if you have any questions about my choices.

-- Eric

Eric,
The pictures are very helpful. I like your idea of moving the fuel tank forward. I have the same old arrangement and nothing much fits in the starboard locker except the companionway washboards.

Did you run into any snags removing the engine?

Thanks. David

Hulukupu wrote: Did you run into any snags removing the engine?

Nope--this went quite well. I used a single floor jack and a pair of jack stands during removal and I had to move the jack back and forth several times. I had acquired a second floor jack by the time I reinstalled, and this made it much easier. There isn't much room under the bridge deck so you'll need to find a crossbeam of the right length (about 5') that is not too thick. I got away with using an iron pry bar (visible in one of the photos) that was just stiff enough. A heavy piece of 1" channel iron would have been a better choice.

I had to split a frozen nut on one of the rear mounts and chowdered it up past reuse, but, this is to be expected, I think. Unless they are fairly new, you probably want to plan on replacing these anyway.

-- E

Edited to add that moving the tank forward was not originally my idea. Also to note that the captions on the photos in the album tell the story of the project for those inclined to wade through it. I won't be insulted if you chose not to, though.

I'm wondering if people are missing the link to the album, just below the picture above. I thought you gals liked pictures--why so quiet?

Here it is again. To view my Picasa Web Album for this project, click here.

Take a look and then bring on the questions and comments--I welcome a friendly debate.

I enjoyed your photos from the original post. Thanks for taking the time to post them.

Beautiful work!

Nice work!

I, too, rebuilt casework for easier engine access on our previous boat. Certainly makes all the difference!

I wonder if there should be discussion about maintaining the location of the bussbars? Seems to me that ABYC frowns upon that location near an engine.

Needless to say, I have an agenda: my LeComte's bussbars are in the same place and probably a huge job to move since all the plastic conduits this boat has end there.

Quetzalsailor wrote:I wonder if there should be discussion about maintaining the location of the bussbars? Seems to me that ABYC frowns upon that location near an engine.

Needless to say, I have an agenda: my LeComte's bussbars are in the same place and probably a huge job to move since all the plastic conduits this boat has end there.

I'd welcome the discussion, though I predict it will be only an academic interest for me. As the owner operator and amateur mechanic, I try to consider all of the risks I can think of when making an "improvement" to the boat, but, I've never attempted to read the ABYC guidelines. Locating these connections where I can quickly and safely troubleshoot and repair a problem, minimize the length of wire runs, afford to build, and build in a reasonable amount of time all get rolled into my fuzzy gray calculator along with survive a fire or prevent an explosion. If the engine were fueled with gasoline instead of diesel, I might be more concerned about this.

Here are before and after photos of the installation. The engine was originally installed at a large yard down state (that will remain nameless) for a PO two owners and maybe 10 years ago.



When I install insulation (this winter, I think), I will block airflow between the panel and the engine, further reducing the risk perhaps. I hope that my work has made the boat safer. I do much of my sailing solo. I go offshore with small craft advisories flying. I don't believe I'm self destructive, but, I accept that I'm exposing myself to many risks in the process. I choose not to wear a helmet.

I'd probably benefit from learning more about the ABYC guidance. Are they freely available? Is there a consumer grade version that doesn't require a law or engineering degree to penetrate? Does Tim offer an Adult Ed class?

Thanks for your kind comments!

-- E

[Edited to add the after view.]

Quetzalsailor wrote:Seems to me that ABYC frowns upon that location near an engine.

Not really.

There are numerous specific situations detailed in applicable ABYC standards in which electrical wiring runs or connections are required to be certain distances from other installations or in certain positions because of spark potential or heat concerns (specifically gasoline fuel system components and certain exhaust system components), but in general there's not a limitation on buss bar installation or other wiring in engine spaces, particularly when diesel-powered (as seen here), which eliminates most of the fuel system proximity concerns associated with electrical wiring.

Thanks for the photos! I was wondering if you have any images of the way you mounted your engine to the engine mounts. I noticed that in this image: http://tinyurl.com/yemrb3x ... you used an angle iron to mount the engine to. Can you give more details how you secured this to the existing engine mounts?

avd155 wrote: Can you give more details how you secured this to the existing engine mounts?

I reused the adaptation provided by the installer after cleaning it up and painting it. I would have preferred to build a new mount following Tim's technique (for example see Circe), but, my time was limited and I could detect no weakness with what I had. Here is a photo that shows it pretty clearly.



-- Eric