The Repowering Project Day 8

Fort Pierce

Another day with a lot accomplished but a lot left to do.

I picked up Bud Taplin at the West Palm Beach Airport around 10:30. We returned to Fort Pierce just in time for lunch. By 13:15 we were back in the boat yard ready to work. Bud is a lot of fun. He has good stories to tell. He just returned from a cruise from Chili to Argentina through the Straights of Magellan.

Then we got some bad news. Despite the fact that I agreed with the boat yard a week ago to have helpers available today and tomorrow, all their guys were busy. More bad news, the fork lift truck that lifted out our old engine was broken down and waiting for parts.

Still there were things to do. Bud measured for the motor mounts. Together we removed the shaft log and the cutlass bearing and the old motor mounts.

The boatyard shop guys punched out the old cutlass bearing and put in the new one. They also let us borrow tools and they cut an aluminum adapter plate for us with their hack saw.

I fired up our Honda generator to power the electric drill, but it wouldn't run. Murphy's law struck, the on/off switch lever had become decoupled from the motor. I'll have to take the generator apart and re-attach it. In the meantime I got out my 200 foot extension cord and I managed to find a plug outlet less than 200 feet away.

By the end of the day we were nearly finished installing the new motor mounts. Bud said that wasn't too far off target for the first half-day's work. The stainless bolts that Bud brought with him have shoulders a little too long. We'll have to find a real hardware store (not Home Depot) tomorrow to find the right ones.

If they get the fork lift working tomorrow, we have a shot at being on schedule by tomorrow night. That means getting the engine in, bolted down, the new shaft in, and the engine and shaft aligned. Then Bud leaves. The remaining work, hooking up electric, fuel, coolant and exhaust is for me to do next week.

Repowering day 9