Thursday evening brought the first day this week where we have not had plans with others. I took this opportunity to tackle the chore of replacing our engine's raw water pump, while Sheryl did a little bit of work on the teak with a new order of Semco (which arrived by mail this week).

The removal and replacement of the water pump was fairly straightforward. It is really just a bolt-on item, located on the front of the engine. Once the old one was removed and compared to our replacement, it was obvious (from the corrosion seen on the back of the pump) that it had been leaking for a while. Sheryl dug through the boat's maintenance log and learned that the pump had been installed in 1997. I guess 10 years is all we should expect from this engine part. Because it doesn't look like the old one can be coaxed back into reliable service, we will order another to carry as a spare (with the hope that we don't have to use it).

The most amazing thing about the entire process was that after installing the new water pump and starting the engine, it worked! Water was pushed through the heat exchanger, injected into the exhaust stream and flowed out the tailpipe with all the gusto we have grown accustomed to. In addition, nothing leaked! Although I hesitate to say it without running the engine under load for a few hours in order to give the pump a true test, it appears as though I have finally done something right the first time.

Of course, the story is not a 100% happy one. When Sheryl went to start the engine, pushing the ignition button did nothing at all. Several tries of working the button finally engaged the starter. It appears that the contacts on the starter button may be showing signs of wear or corrosion. We sprayed the button with Lanacote, in hopes that the latter may be the problem and we can halt any further corrosion. I just hope we don't have to resort to hotwiring our own boat.