How much do you think I saved in yard/mechanic fees?

[Bill Goldsmith]

Gonesail's question on the Westerbeke 21A raw water pump reminded me to post about a DIY repair I did last fall.

In late September last year I noticed my exhaust water had trickled down to almost nothing, although there was no overheating (yet).

I suspected a thrown impeller vane, so I pulled the raw water pump and the hose to the heat exchanger. Nothing clogging it. Then I pulled the heat exchanger (took about an hour to remove), brought it home and opened the ends. Yes, there were remnants of some old impeller vanes, but the real culprit was years of zinc pencil remnants clogging the entrances to the cooling tubes. I flushed it out with water and used a welding rod to carefully push out any pieces still in the tubes. Then I soaked the exchanger in Barnacle Buster (see this video https://youtu.be/g18-xIyR9jM) which cleaned up the exchanger very nicely.

Finally I installed new endcaps and gaskets and and new zinc, painted the exchanger, and reinstalled it (that also took about an hour). It ran beautifully for the rest of the season and continues to do so. Glad I caught it before the engine overheated.

This is something that a boatowner with some tools,patience and mechanical ability can do. How much do you think I saved in mechanic fees?

[Sea Hunt Video]

Bill:

Time for mechanic to locate probable source (heat exchanger) 0ne (1) hour

Time for mechanic to remove heat exchanger One (1) hour

Time for mechanic to clean and rebuild portions of heat exchanger Two (2) hours

Time for mechanic to reinstall new heat exchanger One (1) hour

Total of about five (5) hours labor, assuming the mechanic did not "pad" the invoice with charged time for lunch breaks, coffee breaks, smoke breaks, etc.

In Miami, going rate for sailboat engine mechanic is about $300-$350/hour. My guess is you saved about $1,500 - $1,800 at a minimum.

P.S. In my experience in dealing with mechanics, coffee breaks and smoke breaks take place simultaneously but are billed separately.

[Sea Hunt Video]

I forgot to mention "transit time". Some, perhaps, most boat mechanics have what they call a "portal to portal" fee. The $300/hour meter begins to run from when they leave their shop/home and does not stop ticking until they get back to their shop/home.

Tack on another $300-$600 for "transit time".

[mgphl52]

The $300/hour meter begins to run from when they leave their shop/home and does not stop ticking until they get back to their shop/home.

Damn! And I wasted all those years being a programmer...

[bottomscraper]

Knowing it was done right..... Priceless

[Ken Textor]

The feeling you get from genuine accomplishment: also priceless.

kt

[gonesail]

Gonesail's question on the Westerbeke 21A raw water pump reminded me to post about a DIY repair I did last fall.

good job. I should pay attention in case I need to do it

[Jim Walsh]

P.S. In my experience in dealing with mechanics, coffee breaks and smoke breaks take place simultaneously but are billed separately.

Very astute observation.....and one of the best lines I’ve heard recently. Thanks for making me laugh out loud.