Blackdragon Repower

[Andrew Harvey]

OK , I get it now, you made a new panel, must be Monday!

[waterdog]

Some other pics.  You will be a quarter inch too tall and an inch and a bit too narrow.   You can fabricate new or find a way to fit the factory panel in the space.

[waterdog]

New panel is installed.    Power is connected.  Plumbing is connected.  Fuel is connected.   Engine is mounted and aligned.   Shift & throttle cables installed and adjusted.    It fires up and shifts into forward and reverse.   Engine is very quiet and smooth.   It will idle at 700 rpm and not shake the boat.   Actually have to look at the prop shaft turning to see that it has shifted.   There is no clunking or labouring.   Very smooth transmission.   

So it appears that amateurs can complete a re-power in a couple of days.   Of course there is the advantage of having a pure focus and no other jobs or customers competing for attention.   

Just a couple of gauges to complete the wiring on and a little bit of wood sculpting to recess a spot in the stairs for a rigid  tube and we are off tomorrow.   It's like having a baby without getting pregnant.   Ordered the engine on Friday and ready to go on Tuesday with a custom engine panel.   

I cut off the old T handle with a hacksaw and pulled the cable.    Now it is just sitting in there with a 2" stub plugging the hole.   I think I will holler up to Tracey from down below, "Stop the engine!"   and watch her reaction when the handle comes off in her hand. 

Off to Desolation. I promise I'll take some pictures.

Here is a shot of the new panel showing 1500 rpm, 0 hours, and a green light...

[waterdog]

A few observations on the differences from the old M25XP:

Very very smooth operation - no shaking at low RPM
Much quieter.
Very smooth transmission.
Crankcase ventilates directly from valve cover into intake - no mess.
Solenoid for shutoff.
Solenoids for glow plugs.
Oil change pump mounted on engine.
Drain spout with shutoff for coolant.
Fuel lift pump mounted on engine.
Heat exchanger integrated into coolant tank/exhaust manifold with easy access for service / zinc changes.
Dipstick up high and in front.
Transmission dip stick and fill access from above.  
And one other trivial thing, but it makes all the difference.   Turn the key back for ten seconds of glowplugs, forward to start, and then release and the engine is purring.   Very smooth tactile feel.  Like starting a fine car except fine cars don't have keys any more. 

Overall, somebody has put a lot of thought into these engines.  They have come a long way in the last few decades.   Can't wait to see how it does in sea trials.

[Craig Illman]

Steve - You're amazing! I think you could have a second career repowering C34's. Gallery Marine in Seattle estimated about $7K in labor for a repower. You could do two or three a month and spend the other three weeks sailing! 

Craig

[Ron Hill]

Steve : Besides Amazing you are also Tenacious!!

An old picture of my younger self!! (smile)

Great job!!

[waterdog]

Thanks guys!   We are on the hook in an anchorage now enjoying some chardonnay. The mess is all cleaned up.  Engine performs nicely.  Runs a little hotter than the old one - 180 on the guage compared to 160 on the M25.  Very smooth and quiet.   Idles very nicely at 700 rpm and will go to 3500 rpm.   Seems to have plenty of power and really decent manners.  No smoke.  So a repower seems to have fixed the little problem I was having. 

I don't know about the second career though.   I think going forward I would have to pay my helper more than cheeseburgers.   And I am not sure customers appreciate having their valves done and then being told they need to repower.  Though I think we probably will do the full rebuild on the old one.  It would be a good winter project and a rebuilt engine is probably worth a good deal more than a parts donor.

I guess overall we worked for about 30 hours to do the repower.  A lot of work, but glad it is done.  A little adjustment on the stuffing box tomorrow and we should be done completely. 

[Stu Jackson]

Congratulations to the whole family! 

Did you pull the stop handle trick with Tracy?   

Different operating temperatures:  could be different thermostats (I've used both 160s and 180s).

Happy cruising.

[waterdog]

OK.  I will confess.  I may have now gone just one step too far.   But really, cruising is all about doing boat maintenance in exotic locations.   

The new engine is great.   No digging in the dark for the dipstick, but I still wanted to be able to see everything without having to hold a flashlight or wear headlight.   So...

Waterproof LED lights.     Two strips on the engine bed and one strip overhead with a handy switch.

Now I just stand there and admire it in all it's glory.   

Tracey thinks I should install a cup holder.   She says I love the engine more than her.   I tell her it's not true.  I just haven't installed LEDs on her yet. 

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

Steve,  I think you also need an overhead spotlight from the cabin top.

Also you could connect the stop handle to a loud claxon horn to scare the daylights out of the assigned engine stopper.

I know.....I'm just a trouble maker

[John Langford]

And, BTW, with the 180 degree thermostat you get really hot water as a bonus!

A friend just installed a 30HP Beta in a Pacific Seacraft 34 and he loves it.

[Andrew Harvey]

I am green with envy.
Still waiting for my 30 to be delivered. Expedited 2 weeks is now into week 5.
On the bright side, a lot of projects have been completed at the dock.. even got to reorganize my tool box.

[Kirk Garner]

Hi Steve,

Just want to say thanks for sharing this with us, really encourages me to to press on and take care of the bigger, 'scarier' stuff on my own instead of owing my soul to the company store! Seems like every time I do I end up learning such amazing things about my little ship and about myself and I really think that in the end I do a better job than the 'pro's' because mine is truly a labor or love.

The pride you take in your work is evident and very inspiring to us all.

Thanks again!

Kirk

[waterdog]

Thanks Kirk.   The more things I try, the more I learn, and the more cool tools I get to buy.    I find that the do-overs and mistakes are more than offset by the time and money I save by doing it myself.   The big limitation for anything we do is knowledge.    With guys like Ron, Stu, Mainesail and others on sites like this and other places who give generously of their time and knowledge, most anything becomes within reach of ordinary skills.  The trick is knowing what you don't know so that you don't burn your boat to the waterline, kill your family with carbon monoxide, lose your rig in a chop, hydraulically lock your engine, and rupture the hull to deck joint by means of rapid oxidation of propane gas.   The rest is easy.

And then there are days like this when you wonder why you have an engine at all...

[Hawk]

Steve,

What a job you just completed. I see your slip is empty and we are heading into one of the longest stretches of sunny weather in BC coast history. I just finished two and half weeks in Desolation Sound...magic.
You'll no doubt enjoy it up there even more this trip!

Hawk