Finally we have removed the heavy-duty metal gantry that helped us to lift out the old engine and drop in the new engine into its engine compartment. That means the new Beta 38 engine is now permanently installed. Everything is brand spanking new down there and looking good. There was some more painting involved and of course all the connecting tasks etc.
A before photo of the old engine and a photo of the new engine in the compartment will speak volumes, I think.
For all of the non-boater readers out there that are not familiar with boatbuilding, you must be wondering why it took so long to come to this point. There are a lot of little pieces to complete this puzzle. There are numerous brass hose barb fittings, and nipples, street elbows, lag screws, electrical wires, various screws and so many more items needed to hook up and connect the pumps, tanks, batteries, new muffler system and more. And, none of these things are at our fingertips which means they have to be ordered, shipped or picked up in Windsor, or surrounding towns.
The pre cut, drilled and deburred metal brackets, flat bar, angle pieces and other items were powder coated by Chris from County Coating in Merlin, Ont. and we were really pleased with the job. The last bunch we had powder coated had 28 pieces. I counted them to make sure we had all of them back in the bin. I’m sure it was a joy for Benno to install them one by one as the compartment all of a sudden looked so much more finished.
There are more wires to run throughout the rebuilding process and the channels located on top of the engine compartment will hold them neatly. When all wires are in, the holes will be covered with small powder coated plates as well.
So Benno is moving on to other tasks on the boat and I will post more photos of the coming jobs.
And in case you are asking, yes, the fence was fixed. However, the work was a little more than just replacing what was broken. By hand Benno dug out and around the broken posts. They were quite deep, so a big hole. We purchased new 4x4 posts and some fence boards. The new posts were surrounded with concrete post mix and for good measure we added some quick concrete to the old still standing ones as well.
It was decided to lower the replacement fence and also the other two end sections to 4-1/2 feet for more stability should we get another storm blowing through. The new fence also is built a little different with the fence boards offset to both sides. It looks good now, don’t you think?
Today I noticed some critters in my garden and before they could move on I took some photos. Those will be in my next post.
Thanks for dropping in again.
I cannot even begin to imagine everything that goes into an engine replacement like that! It is truly beautiful and clean work.
ReplyDeleteIs that new engine quite a bit smaller in size or is that my imagination?
You are quite right; the engine is smaller than the older Perkins 4-154 with 62hp. On our previous trawler, “Diesel Duck” we had the 80hp Perkins M80T engine, which was smaller as well in comparison to the 4-154 of older design. Metal advances and newer engineering technology reduced the size dramatically. The 62hp was overkill for this 5-1/2 ton boat. The designer was calling for a 25hp engine. We chose the 38hp Kubota engine to do the job and this is more than enough to move the boat to hull speed. Consider this, the “Diesel Duck” was a 16 ton boat and the 80hp Perkins had plenty of spare power to move the boat in stormy conditions (Cape Horn etc.) safely over the water.
DeleteNice attention to detail on the engine compartment refit, it looks great. I like the way the fence came out too. We always used the offset style as it felt less confining. Got a departure date picked out yet (or destination in mind - of course we'd love to influence your vote, lol)?
ReplyDeleteThanks, we are happy too with the outcome. I hope you don’t mean the departure date for the boat, as it is still far off. Benno stripped her pretty good so many things have to be replaced. As to winter travel, don’t know yet, but it will probably happen.
DeleteI'm just in awe of the amazing job you guys did putting that new engine in. What a difference!!! That takes a lot of skill. I bet you are anxious to get it in the water. The fence looks great too ... it's not fun digging out those posts!!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Actually, I'm not that eager to go boating. (Been there, done that) but of course it would and will be fun when the day comes. Benno looked for something worthwhile to do and this is it. The icing on the cake is when she gets to be put in the water for a little trip.
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