And the refit goes on
07 June 2014
by Nice in the early morning, too hot to be on the sailboat by 8:00 a.m.
It's been a busy few weeks down at the boat yard adjacent to my in-laws house. I finally decided to replace the 28 year old outboard engine with a new one. That meant also replacing the motor mount, which was designed for lighter 2 stroke engines. Since the sailboat's main and dinghy engines are now both modern four stroke machines, I've removed all of the two stroke oil from the sailboat. Good riddance. Try mixing 2-stroke oil into a fuel tank on a pitching sailboat in the middle of the night, while not feeling that well. I managed to get the old engine mount off the boat by myself, but had a little trouble with the new one. I left the first morning frustrated, but by the next morning I had it figured out and was able to bolt the new four spring engine mount on tight. The old engine is off the boat, clean, and in my garage waiting to be sold on Craigslist. The new engine is in the back of my truck waiting to be installed on Boker Tov. I still have fill it with oil, clean the 6 gallon tank on the boat of 2-stroke oil mixed gas, replace a fitting on the tank to accept the new fuel line, and wire the new engine into the sailboat. My next adventure involves an 80 mile cruise on the way there against the prevailing wind and current. It will be nice to have the new high thrust engine. And for continued family cruising, I hope it will bring greater peace of mind and enjoyment.
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