Demelza`s engine was 1986 vintage, rusty, dirty, well used and most of all used a lot of oil. She was also cranky to start so I decided to drop in a new engine. The beauty of marine repowers is that everything from front to back,alternator to transmission is brand new. I had spent little money on her engine and did not want to start pouring money into the pieces. Can`t be a big deal lift out he old and drop in the new. There where also some economic considerations with time limits as well as my planned trip north this summer where motoring is a big component. Home port of Canoe Cove turned out to be the logical choice as I wanted to get to know the crew there. Hugh and Christine had so graciously offered a place to stay which would be as handy as it could possibly be. Haul out was scheduled for Wed Feb 8. To save shipping fees I picked up the engine Tues 7 in Vancouver which meant I had to leave home by 4 in the morning. No problem, I caught the 5 oclock ferry with new engine in the back and checked into the Richards hotel. If they had only known what they were getting into! Ripping and tearing was the easy part to get the old engine out. Some engine bed firming up followed as well as cleaning, painting,and most of all improving access to the engine and hell hole area. The new beauty was already to set in. By this time Hugh and Christine had already cleaned and painted her bottom. I have been asked: how do you get the previous owners to keep working on our Baby? Pretty sweet. With the new engine in place the more technical part started. How hard could it be to align the engine, the footprint of the new was the same as the old. Next came many hours of filing, cutting and most of all lifting the engine partially out and setting in again. Many times. What i did not realize untill later is that the old engine was setting down as far as it could go on it`s motor mounts. Hugh and Christine would meet me every night with a beer eager to hear of the days accomplishments. Some days it was meger. Eventually she was ready to splash and sea trial. Yanmar Inc is like the boat engine Nazi if you want their warranty, which of course I do. Sea trials yielded exhaust back pressure issues. Out she comes again and we redo the exhaust system right through to the exhaust thru hull with epoxy and rebedding. It is all done right. In the water she goes again. Now we are into day 16 and that is every day approx 9-5:30. There were always some very nice times such as lunch at the lovely Canoe Cove Cafe and dinner at Marys. Elizabeth would ask if Hugh and Christine were ready to throw me out and I would reply there were still lots of laughs at breakfast and supper so I guess things are alright. In Demelza goes again and more sea trail with gauges and redouts on wires and tubes connected. Exhaust pressure is good but my top rpm under load is not up to snuff. My prop is the culprit so out she comes again to put on my spare prop; maybe it is different although the specs are the same. Aha, we are within 50 rpm of specs, which is rated at 3750. She humms, she is a sweet little engine. By this time I have calves coming at home and enough is enough. I had become a fixture around Canoe Cove after 3 weeks there on the hard. Simon and the boys where wonderful with expertise when needed: I had learned a lot. To top off the adventure I hauled home a O`Day 25 sailboat belonging to Mark and Heather, friends and neighbors of Hugh and Christine as they were moving to Alberta with work. I had the unit to haul it as well as some place to store it here in Alberta until they get settled.
As always it all became a bigger adventure than expected, after all she is a Boat. It will feel so good to head north with a new engine purring away. Support and encouragement from Christine and Hugh is priceless.