Of couplings and "cotton reels"

The Repowering Project: Day 15 (Wednesday)

No blogs for the last two days because the mate has been attending a radio operators course, so spent the time usually allocated to blogging studying, attending lectures or sitting the exam. Hopefully she has succeeded in obtaining her Marine Radio Operator Certificate of Proficiency.

Weather continues wet, windy and freezing. However the project inched forward. Keith and Jason arrived at around 0830 this morning. Keith had the "cotton reel" made up by Scotty, which goes between the prop shaft and the engine. Keith, Jason and Peter shifted the engine around so that they could check that all the bits would fit together as planned, and so that Jason could get precise measurements for the wedge-shaped struts that will sit on the old engine beds. In the process they discovered that the flexible coupling they were planning to use couldn't be placed where they wanted it, and so it will be exchanged for a different one which will fit between cotton reel and shaft, instead of between engine and cotton reel. At the end of these proceedings the engine was left in the cabin at the bottom of the companionway, so that we can start lining the engine compartment with soundproofing material.

Meanwhile, in the area of general maintenance the mate managed to get one coat of paint on the Danbuoy in a break between rain squalls. Mate and captain went out for some lunch, and to look for the key parts of the exhaust system: a water trap (aka muffler or pongbox), exhaust hose and a stainless steel through hull fitting for the hose to go through to the open air. We have just about decided what to use and where to get it, but flinching at the costs. (We are reminded that BOAT stands for Bring Out Another Thousand.)

Earlier this week, on Monday, Keith provided a "puller" to get the prop off the shaft, and we packed it and sent it Express Post to Autostream in Melbourne. They received it Tuesday, swapped the blades for bigger ones, and it came back via Express Post this morning. We've fitted it back on to the shaft and to our relief our calculations were all OK - the blades clear the skeg comfortably in all positions. This upgrades the prop size from 18" to 20".

In the last couple of days we've also cleared out one side of the lazarette where the exhaust pipe goes from engine compartment through the lazarette and out through a hole in the transom. The engineer pulled out the old exhaust pipe, and with considerable effort removed a large John valve which allowed the exhaust to be shut off, but which we've been advised is unnecessary. This is all part of clearing the way for installation of a larger diameter exhaust hose and the cutting of an appropriately larger hole in the transom.

Now for the real work

The Repowering Project: Day 8 (Wednesday)

Although it is the most dramatic part and visible part of the project, getting the old engine out and the new one in the boat is only the beginning. After that come the skilled exercises of lining up engine and prop shaft, then refitting all the pipes: fuel lines, cooling system, exhaust; the electrical wiring to and from batteries and to the instruments; connection of control cables for the throttle; and so on.

The existing engine beds slope down toward the stern, as the Perkins was lined up directly with the prop shaft, attached with a scatra coupling. The new Yanmar engine has an 8 degree down angle in the gearbox, so that the engine has to be level rather than sloping backward. Keith and Jason returned today to work out how to fix the engine in place at the right angle. They discovered that they couldn't lift the back of the engine up as required using slings, so Jason went off to make up lifting lugs to go on the back of the engine.

Getting ready...

The Repowering Project: Days 4&5 (Weekend)

Weather on Saturday not as wet as Friday, but still inclement, so after a shopping trip for supplies and an early lunch, we spent the afternoon below decks. The engine compartment is now clean enough to eat off, and the Aquadrive, the last piece of our old power system, has been removed. We've begun packing it and all the engine bits ready for despatch to their new owners. We measured up the now empty engine compartment and emailed an order for Vybar soundproofing material from Australian company Acoustica.

Sunday was almost rain-free, so the mate could get on with sanding the wind generator, which is being refurbished. The engineer meanwhile did more work on tidying up the old wiring and plumbing around the engine, and repainted the engine compartment floor. At the end of the day we ran out of things to do and went to the pictures.

Meanwhile we're anxiously watching the weather forecasts. The mate, who is an optimist, thinks the engine swap will happen Monday, but the captain thinks it will be too windy and we'll have to wait until Tuesday. Watch this blog to find out who's right.

Success squared! (The gods still live in Tasmania)

The Repowering Project: Day 3 (Friday)

Awoke to bright sunshine, up early and ready for Keith by 8:30am. Keith tied rope slings round the engine, which were then attached to three chain blocks (really "come-alongs") rigged from the hatch over the companionway, and we slowly started to lift the Perkins from its bed. The engineer supplied most of the muscle (so he can now say he personally lifted the engine out of his boat) while Keith gave directions and adjusted the lifting tackle from time to time. First the engine came up, then forward out of the engine compartment, then up again until it was clear of the board at the top of the companionway. Keith then inserted a plank under it, sloping back into the cockpit, moved some of the lifting tackle back to the back of the doghouse roof, and gradually edged the motor back until it was over the cockpit. Remove the plank, lower slowly and hey presto! the motor is sitting comfortably on a board on the cockpit floor, ready for final removal. All by 11am. The engineer was delighted, as he has been anxious about the removal for weeks. But we shifted all 300kg out without any damage to the boat - just some minor disturbance of the non-skid stuck along the edge of the doghouse roof. We are very impressed with Keith's skill and patient work.

After a celebratory coffee at the yacht club, the engineer spent a couple of hours cleaning the engine compartment and starting preparations for the new engine. We stopped for lunch at 1:30pm, enjoyed a meal in the sun, and just as we decided to make a quick trip into town the heavens opened and from then on it poured all afternoon. We felt so relieved that the engine was already out.

Just to round off a perfect day, we had a call from Vic Belbin later in the afternoon to say that he wanted to buy the old motor and gearbox. We had a beer with Rolf and Deborah from Northern Light to celebrate.

So faithful Kieren (as Steve and Chrisy nicknamed the Perkins) is off to a new home on Monday. Weather permitting, we will tow Nahani across to the wharfside crane, lift Keiren out, put the Yanmar in, then return to the pen under tow (which will be challenging). The forecast is for showers clearing Monday morning, so we may have to defer that operation until Tuesday. Meanwhile there is plenty to do: measuring up for the sound-deadening that we are going to install, more cleaning, relocating some items while the engineer has free access to the inside of the engine compartment, all of which can be done even if the present soggy weather continues all weekend.

Rain stopped play

The Repowering Project: Day 2 (Thursday)

We awoke to steady rain which continued all day. Bother! Keith contacted us to say he didn't work in the wet and to ring him if it let up, but it didn't.

The rain finally paused at about 5:30 and we managed to get the old instruments (tachometer, oil pressure and temperature gauges) disconnected and demounted before it started up again. The engineer is pleased to find that the new instrument panel will probably fit neatly over all the holes left after removal of the old instruments. We'll find out tomorrow or Saturday if he is right.

More showers forecast for tomorrow, but hopefully they'll hold off for long enough for us to make some real progress on engine removal.

The Repowering Project begins...

Day 1 (Wednesday)

We sat in the RYCT for 3 weeks waiting patiently for someone to come and look at the Perkins (see the previous post), but it wasn't until we returned to Melbourne that we received a call from someone who was interested enough to want to do so. After a very hectic week in Melbourne and a late flight to Hobart, we were still in our PJs this morning when first Keith Smith, who is going to do the changeover, then Vic Belbin, hopefully a prospective buyer, came knocking at Nahani.

Keith and colleague Jason spent some time looking over the engine compartment and discussing how best to manage the changeover while the captain talked to Vic about Perkins engines. Vic has one of his own, and is principally interested because he would like to swap our gearbox for his current one, as it rotates the drive shaft the other way. He may also consider taking the engine as well, as it gives him a complete collection of spare parts, or even a complete spare engine, should his fail or need a major rework. We're hopeful.

Vic and Peter then talked about Perkins engines and boats in general over coffee until it was close to lunchtime. The cook went ashore for provisions, the engineer started on the interesting, and at times challenging, task of disconnecting everything attached to the engine. On a marine engine, this is no simple task. Not only are there obvious things like exhaust systems and cooling systems, but there are heat exchangers to heat the hot water, connections to and from the battery banks that provide the boat with power when not on 240v, etc. The cooling system itself is more complex than a non-marine engine as the salt water used to cool the engine doesn't actually circulate through it, but cools a sealed freshwater system via a heat exchanger. So there are many, many pipes, wires, pumps and fittings to be unscrewed and unbolted and cleared out of the way. The mate had the less glamorous jobs of cleaning up the residual oil in the drip tray, emptying buckets of water drained from the cooling systems, etc.

By 7pm the companionway steps which sit in front of the engine compartment were back in place, and the cook was able to get the dinner. Somehow the engineer has found some more things to undo since then, and is back in the shed with spanners and screwdrivers. But we've already contacted Keith to tell him all is going well with the first phase, and so tomorrow morning the delicate exercise of hoisting the Perkins out will begin. Watch this blog to find out how it goes!