Servicing Beta 14

[Andy Denmark]

One of the principal reasons I repowered Rhiannon was to gain better access for servicing the engine. The Westerbeke 13 was a wonderful powerplant but getting to the service points for an old fart like me was getting to be impossible. I had to check the oil dipstick by braille from day one in 1983. The Beta 14 seemed to be, at least in theory, to be a much easier design for these necessary tasks.

Tonight proved this correct: I did the complete engine servicing in less than an hour, start to finish. This included: change oil filter, change the oil, replace the water pump impeller, adjust alternator belt tension, change the fuel filter (on the engine) change the engine zinc, and change the air filter. Counting the engine warmup (15 mins) and post service runnup (5 minutes), the total time I spent on this was less than 60 minutes. As an added bonus, I spilled only a few drops of oil and these were because I hadn't figured out the best way to reach some of the new (to me) points to place the container. Next time I won't spill a drop. The hand pump for evacuating the crankcase oil is a wonderfully simple arrangement that works well. The remote oil filter is worth its weight in gold.

The real reward came after I was finished the maintenance stuff and running the engine to check for leaks and drips. A friend came by while I was in the cockpit watching the sunset, engine running at 3,000 rpm, and enjoying a glass of Cabernet with a chunk of homemade bread and some aged hard cheese. He was amazed that we could conduct a civil conversation in normal tones while the engine was purring away (in gear, to blow some of the silt out of the slip). Smooth, quiet, vibration free -- I mean, what more can one ask?

I'm going to take off next week -- where, I don't know but I'm definitely outa' here for an indeterminate number of days to shake off the cobwebs of the last few months of winter. This trip is long overdue .................. Nice to have a reliable powerplant for when the wind doesn't blow like I'd like ( the 45-50 kts of the last few days are a bit much!). Springtime is definitely here ..........

[Warren S]

Let us know where you go, I'm always looking for new short-cruise ideas for this area.

Pam and I wend on a 4-day outing last weekend. As you recall the wind was up pretty constant day and night - made for interesting nights on the hook(s).