#6/ The engine. Special Refitting. Time for change. Ten questions in ten episodes.

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maxresdefaultWhen you shelve the idea of changing boats, of buying on the new or used market, waiting for better times, the impulse is to technically upgrade the one you have. In general, rather than interior or design improvements, it is on the engine that “restyling” attentions are focused, with a look toward more advanced technologies, often leaning toward increased power or, to save money.

saildrive-16.What do I do if I have to change engines?

Despite the fact that some people claim that it is used marginally, the engine of a sailboat is actually used between 80 and 150 hours per season to peaks of 200 hours for heavier boats that rarely sail or for the boats of those owners who take particularly long cruises. When an engine gets to have between 2500 and 3500 hours on it., if it has not had good, consistent maintenance over time, it will begin to show some signs of fatigue: some difficulty in starting, which often indicates poor compression; a bluish smoke, which indicates combustion of the lubrication oil; or worse, excessive noise or vibration while underway, which may indicate moving parts ready to break. Oil leaks or a transfer of engine pressure into the fresh cooling water circuit should also alert us. These are all signs that tell us the engine has overworked or underworked and are a prelude to damage that can be serious. An engine with 20 years and 3500 hours of service may not only have problems, but it no longer has the efficiency of its younger years. If one were to measure the compression of a machine of this age that has done these hours of work, it would fluctuate between 50 percent and 70 percent of the original compression, which means that as much as the engine normally still has some power, in practice the power it is capable of expressing is much lower, so the boat is slower and consumes more fuel.

If you have realized that it is no longer economically viable to repair your old engine, due to lack of spare parts, severe corrosion or irreparable failure, it is time to replace it. The advice is to switch from the shaft line to a sail drive motor, that is, one with a drive foot and propeller integrated with the motor. Installation is not low cost, because it is necessary to work on the hull by making new laminations. However, significant component savings will be achieved in addition to improved performance and efficiency. A second-hand engine is often a risk. A new engine definitely pays off in terms of reliability, operating costs, and noise pollution. The engine change is then an opportunity to access the engine compartment and renew all systems. Fuel boxes are often removed to clean them with a pressure washer after previously degreasing the sludge with dedicated products or gasoline. Thus, access to the engine compartment is a good opportunity to upgrade all systems to the new engine and a good investment of future reliability.

 

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