Changing a diesel engine in a sailboat is different than getting a new outboard. With an outboard all manufactures have a standard way to attach the engine to the boat. With a diesel every engine sits different in the boat. Getting the old engine out was easy; to put the new engine in required making a new bed in the boat to put the new engine mounts on. This required grinding away some of the old so the new would fit. The new engine has a bigger exhaust hose so we used a sawsall to cut bigger holes threw the galley and aft cabin so the hose would fit. Then Becky and I spent two hours pulling the larger hose threw the new and larger holes. We both grunted and grown as the hose moved inch by inch. (Becky is not much for grunting so she was not happy) then we cut the hose to size. I was most concerned about drilling a bigger hole threw the outside of the transom as if something went wrong everyone would see it but all my worrying was for not. The hole saw cut right threw. Twice we did fiberglass work once in the engine room and today I fiber glassed the new exhaust hole into the hull. Fun if you like being upside down with one hand holding a jar of resin and the other a paint brush. Sometimes I would hold the brush with my teeth so I could lay some more fiberglass cloth. So far all the cutting sawing and drilling has worked out just fine as Kokomo is starting to come back together.

Fiberglass, acetone and a beer make a good cocktail.

Life is good on Kokomo!

Denny