Out comes the Engine!!

In the last post I had gotten the shaft coupling separated from the transmission. Since then I had disconnected everything from the engine and had it pulled out yesterday. It was pretty exhilarating to get it out and begin the engine room project.

The following was done to prepare for the engine pull:

-Remove refrigerator compressor and its mount

-Disconnect all hoses - water feed, fuel feed, fuel return, exhaust

-Disconnect wiring harnesses, starter battery wire, grounding wires

-Remove alternator (want to replace it, and it gave some extra room to get to wiring and mounts)

-Disconnect coolant water expansion tank and hose

-Remove belt

-Remove air silencer/intake (needs to be replaced, flimsy and always falls off anyways)

-Separate shaft coupings

-Remove engine room side insulation (for a little more room to work with)

-Remove motor mount nuts. The rear motor mount nuts were so rusted and frozen, I needed to use a combo of drilling through them and a dremel cutoff wheel to get them off. They were easily the biggest pain of this whole process.

-Disconnect the transmission control wire

-Disconnect throttle control wire

-Disconnect tachometer wire

Picture time!

Engine and Engine room before anything was removed:

Removing the coolant water expansion tank hose:

Side panel insulation before removal. In poor shape

Front stbd mount. This one was easy

Front port mount. Needed to remove the fuel tank hoses to get to it. Post alternator removal as well.

Mostly disassembled

Engine room

Things that have come off

View from above after removing companionway stairs

Up comes the engine!

Will it fit!?

Piece of cake

Beautiful!

Engine room post removal. Cleaning this place up is one of the big reasons I wanted it out of there.

Notice the piece of motor mount lying there. The aft, port mount rusted in half!

The Abyss (aka, the bilge). Cant wait to clean that out

The shaft

Packing nut with loose flax packing. This is what allowed water to spray all over the engine room. Can't blame it for failing after seeing the poor condition of the mounts.

Engine all cosy on the ground, ready for work.

Cant wait to clean and paint the beast.

Now the work begins!

On to the Engine Room

Momentum is a funny thing. When doing a major boat refit/rebuild like this, momentum counts for a whole lot. More often than not, each project reveals 10 more problems than you expected. Each time these problems come up, momentum takes a hit and motivation goes down hard. Recently I've found myself half finished with many of my projects by hitting roadblocks, and a little lost on where to spend my time on the boat. Whenever I find myself lost, I revert to taking things apart inside the cabin. It is relatively easy work, and I feel like I am getting things done. However, these are mostly cosmetic issues that won't get the boat back in the water anytime soon.

So with the weather cooling down, I decided it is time to focus my efforts on the monolith that is the Yanmar 4JH2E - my diesel engine. Not just the engine, but the entire engine room needs work before we splash. The primary issue in there is the need to replace the stuffing box. I could probably refurbish it, but will most likely go with a PSS shaft seal as a replacement. If you go back to the posts when I hauled out, you would see the broken propeller shim that caused a lot of vibration of the shaft and engine. This caused the shaft seal to leak, which in turn sprayed water all over the engine room. Unfortunately, to replace the stuffing box the shaft must be removed. In order to do so, one of 3 things needs to happen: remove the rudder, remove the transmission, or remove the engine all-together.

My plan for the engine is to completely clean it off of old paint and rust, replace all hoses and clamps, replace the rusted and busted air intake, and do some general maintenance on the engine. I might go as far to replace the seals/gaskets, refurbish the heat exchanger, have the injectors inspected, and who knows what else. With all of that in mind, I decided it would be easier to just pull the engine so I can have easy access to all of the engine itself, and the entire engine room for cleaning (room and bilge), rearranging, and painting.

So with the idea that the engine is coming out of the boat, I began to have some mental momentum of things that need to get done. First step is to prepare the engine for removal by disconnecting all hoses, wiring and the shaft from the engine. I started by attempting to separate the shaft coupling from the transmission and then the shaft from the coupling. This job is notoriously difficult, and with my coupling being a ball of rust...it was a tough task.

Here is the coupling, stuffing box and shaft before any disassembly. Note all of the rust, especially at the set screws.

I started by applying penetrating oil to the coupling bolts, set screws and the shaft itself every day for about a week. I then needed to start removing the exhaust hose and muffler to gain access for wrenches to fit down there.

Here is the exhaust and muffler above the shaft:

With some brute force, the coupling bolts came off eventually. The set screws took a lot more effort, blood, and sweat to get out. One of them was easier than the other, both took vice grips to get them to budge. Here is the coupling after separation, and vice grips on the set screws.

Below the muffler was a plywood panel that capped the space where the stern tube is located. This wood was pretty much disintegrated thanks to the stuffing box leak. I'm pretty sure the exhaust leaked down there as well.

I then set out to remove the coupling from the shaft. The recommended trick is to set a spacer (I used a socket) set between the couplings against the shaft, and then crank down on bolts connecting the coupling halves. Cranking down on the bolts evenly would then push the shaft out. Unfortunately, I found that I have very little clearance between the transmission and transmission coupling to allow any bolts to be screwed down. I might be able to get it done by cutting some bolts to a precise size. I then realized that it was silly for me to be trying this hanging upside down in the engine room when I plan on pulling the engine out anyways. I'll attempt to remove the shaft coupling once the engine is out and I can do it in a more comfortable setting.

So with the couplings separated, I then turned my attention to wiring, hoses and the motor mounts. The front motor mounts are fine and I was able to crack loose the bolts, but the back mounts are horribly rusted. One of them is cracked, probably adding to the vibration I experienced when motoring. It now looks like I will have to cut the nut off the mount, and then replace the back mounts once the motor is out. Like I said...once you start a project, 10 more show up.

I plan on getting the engine fully prepped for removal this week. I go out of town next week for Thanksgiving, then when I get back its time for the pull. I am pretty excited about the pull and to begin the engine refurbish. Momentum is growing, and my enthusiasm with it.

The Journey, Final leg: Merritt Island to St. Augustine

The final leg of The Journey was to take Windsong from Harbortown Marina in Merritt Island up to Oasis Boat Yard in St. Augustine to be hauled out. I had convinced a few friends to crew for me and to entice them I arranged the final leg to be when one of the last shuttle launches was happening.

I wanted to have a good view of the shuttle launch, and I also wanted the final leg to be easy going so I got a head start by sailing up the ICW about 17 nm to Titusville Municipal Marina. Jenny and I did the sail on a Saturday after my month in Harbortown was done. The weather was great, with Southeast winds at 15 knots. The ride was relatively uneventful but definitely a fun day. It was my first time under full sail in the ICW, something different since steering between the markers under sail was a bit more difficult than steering offshore.

I kept Windsong in Titusville for a couple of weeks until May 14th when the shuttle was set to launch. We all met up on Friday morning before the launch to load up the boat and get ready for the weekend cruise. The crew was Jenny, Jeff (from the first leg) and our friend Brian who flew down from Connecticut. The traffic was getting crazy pretty for the shuttle launch, so we were glad to get an early start. The launch was at 2:20 p.m., but we were ready to go by noon.

We got some fuel from the marina and then decided to wait out the remaining time at anchor in the ICW. The marina is very spacious, but my slip was near the basin wall and I had 15-20knot winds pushing me forward into my slip. I knew when I backed out, we would face some problems due to the wind and the lack of control going in reverse on my boat. Sure enough, when we backed out the boat wanted to turn sideways and slide back into the slip pilings. Thankfully my crew was strong enough to fend us off the posts, and I was able to maneuver well enough to avoid crashing into the wall. It was one of the more nerve wracking times I've pulled out of a dock thus far, but we made it safe to the fuel dock eventually. After fueling we left the marina to start our journey.

Windsong at the slip in Titusville:

I found a spot outside of the channel with a good view of the launch pads and dropped the hook for a few hours. After waiting patiently, we were eventually rewarded with a killer view of the launch. I had not seen a live launch this close since my early childhood and I was glad to see the final flight of Atlantis. About a minute after the launch the sound finally hit us with a massive roar that shook the entire boat.

After the launch we began the 27 nm run to New Smyrna Beach. After only an hour or so of motoring we arrived at the Hallover Canal bridge, a draw bridge which was said to be one of the quickest to open on call. Unfortunately due to the shuttle launch traffic, they weren't able to open for another hour and a half. While I didn't mind pacing around to waste time (there wasn't an adequate area to anchor in the narrow channel), we were already cutting the trip close to make New Smyrna before nightfall. I quickly did the math and figured that we would make it just in time with the delay.

So we paced up and down the ICW at about 2 knots for the remaining time until it was time for the bridge to open. Once we were finally through, the ICW switches from the Indian River to the Mosquito Lagoon. The first part of the lagoon was all park land protected from development in the Canaveral National Seashore so it was a natural beauty. This eventually led to the outskirts of New Smyrna Beach with many mobile home parks right on the water. The channel became very narrow with homes on the port and barrier islands to starboard. Tons of dolphins and fish were seen everywhere giving us a lot of things to look at.

The Hallover Canal:

We arrived at the New Smyrna Beach City Marina with about an hour of light to spare. Our slip was easily accessed so docking wasn't an issue at all. Shortly after tying up we all walked down the road to find some grub and then called it a night. Unfortunately sometime in the night Jenny started feeling ill and had a long night battling a stomach bug. The plan was to go off-shore the next day and sail from Ponce Inlet to St. Augustine. I worried about how her stomach would cope with the seas, and with the rest of my crew enjoying many beers all day I knew the sail might be in jeopardy with a sick crew.

We woke up and quickly set out of the marina and up the river to the inlet. I read on the web that Ponce Inlet was tricky and should only be attempted with local knowledge. I've seen enough large boats go out of the inlet while surfing to know it is possible, and they also say the same about St. Augustine inlet (of which I consider a pretty easy inlet). I studied the inlet as much as I could and felt prepared to make the run out of it. Although a little bumpy due to the swells raising near the inlet, the run out wasn't difficult.

Morning at the marina

Last draw bridge before inlet

NSB lighthouse

Once out of the channel we hoisted sails, turned North and began the 60 nm run to St. Augustine. Raising the sails became quite the rodeo ride with the short period swells lurching high near the inlet. Both Jeff and I almost fell out of the boat trying to raise the main, and Brian was struggling to steer and control our overturned cooler with beer and ice flying around the cockpit. Jenny was still feeling pretty ill from the night before and resting in the cabin, I felt bad for her as the motion was not fun at the start.

If we averaged 5 knots it would take us 12 hours, anything less would be cutting it close to a nighttime entrance - something I wanted to avoid once again. The winds were very light out of the Southeast and we were only making 3.5 knots sailing. In order to assure our arrival on time, I figured we would motorsail until the winds picked up as expected in the afternoon. I started the engine and we began to make speed averaging 7 knots. Eventually we figured out how to steer with the waves more to our stern quarter rather than beam on, and the motion became easier to cope with.

Soon after we were motoring I went downstairs to get some breakfast., and while gathering food I noticed smoke coming out of the engine room. I opened the room and what I thought was smoke or steam was rising out in a cloud. I yelled for Jeff to cut the engine and I started to search for the source of the smoke. I soon realized that it was exhaust, not a fire thank goodness. The entire engine room was covered in water with exhaust smoke billowing out. I went to the cockpit to let the room clear of exhaust and for the engine to cool some. We were barely sailing at 3 knots, and I feared if something was serious we were definitely in for a long day if the winds never picked up.

Dejected and worried, I knew I had to try to figure out what was wrong and fix it if I could. So after a breather I went below and had a look. I diagnosed the issue to be a loose hose clamp on a section of the large exhaust piping. After tightening the clamp, we cranked the engine and it was evident the issue was resolved. We were motoring comfortably once again at 7 knots and making great time. With the engine and schedule back to normal, my spirits returned and I was finally able to enjoy the morning.

The rest of the crew, however, weren't feeling the same. Jenny spent the majority of the day sleeping away her sickness either in the cockpit or in the cabin while Jeff and Brian both sent their breakfast back to the sea after getting motion sickness shortly after the engine was fixed. Over the next few hours all three of them caught up on rest, and luckily Jeff and Brian both came around and were feeling better. I steered for a couple of hours and then Brian took the wheel and stayed there for the majority of the day.

It was exciting sailing up this part of the coast, since I was very familiar with every patch of beach and was able to identify where we were based on landmarks I knew. The majority of the day was spent finding these landmarks and just chilling in the cockpit. Once we passed Matanzas Inlet, I celebrated with a beer (and sacrificed one to Poseidon for thanks) and began to feel the sense of accomplishment that we were close to the end.

Matanzas Inlet

My family's old condo in Crescent Beach:

Nice boat

Jeff had found information about a spring off of Crescent Beach that we were aiming to pass and check out: click hereto learn about it. The coordinates on the website did not match the charted location of the spring, so we followed the chart. Unfortunately we didn't see it, but we did see two huge sea turtles we wouldn't have otherwise.

The winds finally picked up in the afternoon, and shortly before reaching the spring we cut the engine to sail the final 2-3 hours of the trip. Motor-sailing all day ensured we were going to make landfall in daytime, so the final hours of sailing were extremely enjoyable with no worries whatsoever. We arrived at the channel entrance around 5:30 and navigated our way inside. Once in protected waters, we lowered all sails and found a good spot to anchor right in front of the fort in downtown St. Augustine.

Ecstatic of our accomplishment, finally home after this long journey, we took some shots of good rum and jumped into the water for a rinse. The remainder of the night was spent drinking and celebrating the end of the journey. The view of St. Augustine at night is beautiful, and was better than any TV show I could have been staring at back at home. If I could have changed anything it would be to have had Jenny feeling better to join in the celebration. Unfortunately her stomach was still giving her problems and she had to rest the evening out.

St. Augustine Lighthouse

Bouy marking the entrance to St. Augustine inlet

Breakers on both sides of the channel

Pirate ship tour

Sunset at anchor

We raised the hook and crossed under the historic Bridge of Lions at 8:00 a.m. the next morning. We only had to go about 2 nm to Oasis Boat Yard, where I was scheduled to be hauled out the following morning. We motored to the yard and tied up to the dock shortly thereafter, and my parents met up with us to deliver my car. We didn't linger long, loaded the car and were off back to Titusville to drop everyone off and retrieve their cars. I came back to the boat after dropping them off to give Windsong an oil change before her long sit on land.

Sunrise

Heading through the Bridge of Lions.

Note: the shoe is our friend Shoe. We stole it from a buddy many years ago and sent him ransom pictures of Shoe in random places. It eventually started travelling with us so we could take pictures of it all over the place, even international. Think of it like the roaming gnome. Shoe now resides on Windsong and will travel with us.

Yours truly. Haggard from a long weekend.

Brian and Shoe

On Monday morning, after a long days rest, I went back to the boat yard with my Dad to watch them haul out Windsong and get a first view of the bottom. It was extremely wet that morning, and I was all dressed to go to work after the haul. Bad decision on my part, since they expected me to drive the boat into the lift. So we got drenched, but seeing her get hauled out was a joyous occasion for me. Though we couldn't get much of a good view of the bottom as they were still pressure washing it before we had to leave, it didn't look too bad! Not many barnacles had begun to grow with only a couple of months in salt water, but a lot of slime had to be blasted off.We left after one side was almost done being washed as I needed to go to work.