Engine Installation on the Far Reach

[John Stone]

Today I built brackets to securely hold the engine template in place. It took a while to figure out how to do it without screwing into the bulkheads. I used clamps and a couple of escutcheon pins. Then, I screwed some positioning blocks into temporary cross pieces that support the front and back of the template. So, now I can remove the template and its easy to reposition the template as it pops back in place realigned ‘thwartship and fore and aft very nicely. I’ll keep the string in place as the honest broker.

I screwed a piece of 1/2” thick and 1/4” thick ply to the engine feet to simulate the top of the bed rails. They will be replaced with 1/2” G10 and four layers of biaxial over the top of the laminated plywood bed rails I have yet to measure for and build. Actually, that’s the next step.

I’m starting to feel better about this project. Once the bed rails are installed, barring a significant miscalculation, it should be smooth sailing the rest of the way. Lots of work to be sure but mostly just installing and attaching components.

[Jim Walsh]

Looking great John. Always interesting to see updates and read the thought process behind each step.
I see you had previously glassed over a hole for a through-hull just to starboard of the engine mockup. Looks like a perfect bit of glass work. Will the new engine cooling water intake be to the port or starboard of the new engine?

[John Stone]

Hi Jim
Thanks. Not sure. Probably to starboard since that is the side with the most room. But I’ll probably decide the layout once I get the engine in place.

I’d like to get the location of the components figured out so they are the best ergonomically. I also want to preserve room for working on the engine as well as make use of the large and valuable space behind the engine. I have been looking at some flush aluminum inspection hatches to install in the cockpit sole to provide max access.

Slow but steady progress.

[John Stone]

This afternoon I made templates for the engine beds. I used door-skin plywood and a hot glue gun.

The next step is to laminate the 1/2” BS 1088 plywood which will serve as the foundation for the engine bed-rails.

[Frenchy]

Thanks for posting, John. It's interesting to see someone else's approach to this job since I just did
this myself. I like the way you glued little strips of wood to capture the contour of the bottom. I ended
up marking a foam mockup with little + and - minus signs to add or remove material. I struggled with
this a bit, having no experience. But you seem to be moving right along.
Once the beds are glassed in at the right height and position, the rest will be a downhill run. - Jean

[John Stone]

Well it remains to be seen how the bed installation goes. But, I don’t expect any issues.

We took our twins back to college yesterday after Thanksgiving break. I did not get much boat work done today. I did manage to cut up the plywood into sections to match the templates I made a few days ago for the engine beds. I need to pick up some epoxy resin tomorrow. Then I”lol laminate the plywood together.

[John Stone]

I laminated the plywood engine beds together yesterday with west epoxy. I had to work quickly as it took longer than I thought It would.

I began by sanding both sides of each plank with 40 grit abrasive using my RO DA sander. I clamped the planks together and predrilled some alignment holes. Then, I marked everything so I knew exactly how it all fit together. Then, I disassembled the planks. I mixed up two batches of epoxy. One neat and the other lightly thickened with colloidal silica. I wet out the planks with neat epoxy (to ensure penetration and ensure a good bond) and applied lightly thickened epoxy over that and spread it evenly with a notched plastic spreader. I epoxied as I assembled. Last I installed the screws in the alignment holes so the planks wouldn’t slip around and would remained aligned. I tightened the screws to get squeeze out and then added clamps for even pressure on the laminations. I let them cure overnight.

[John Stone]

I removed the clamps and screws and cleaned up the beds. Then I traced the engine bed templates onto the plywood. I used a saws-all to make the rough cut then finished up with a power planner. The next step is to test fit the rail beds in the boat along with the engine template. It’s going to be a time consuming process with many small cuts with the power planer, draw-knife, block planes to get a close fit.

[JD-MDR]

Thanks John. I hope I dont have to do this soon. If I do I will follow your instruction

[John Stone]

I temporarily installed the port engine bed today. To make this easier I decided a couple things.

After I had cut the darn thing to fit I realized I needed to some how wrap the G10 over the top on both sides of the bed with biaxial. How to do that with the mount flush to the bulkhead? Instead of epoxying the bed to the bulkhead I decided to bolt it with four 5/16” hex bolts. That meant I could secure it to the bulkhead and then measure from it as a know reference point to ensure the alignment of the starboard bulkhead. .

So I shimmed the bed on the bulkhead side with 4mm ply. That replicated four layers of biaxial that will be layered there. It means that I’ll apply the biaxial to the bulkhead in the shop. I’ll have test fit with the 1/2” G10 on top so I know the measurements will be good. I’ll bring the biaxial over the G10 but stop short of covering the full face of the inboard side. I’ll stagger the edges. Once cured I’ll take the bed back to the boat and apply thickened epoxy to the bottom and bolt it in place. Once that’s cured I can fillet and tab the inboard face.

When I shimmed it to replicate the four layers of biaxial it pushed it a bit further inboard which left a gap under the bottom edge of the bed. Because the slope of the hull is so severe there it was a big gap. But if I let the bed slip down 1/4” below the top surface mark it fit perfect. So that’s what I did. I’ll have to add another 1/4” of something to the top of the bed under the G10. Maybe I can use some of the red premanufactured fiberglass I purchased for making the support shim for the shaft log.

Doing it this way is more steps but I think I’ll have more control. Also, using the bolts I don’t think I need to epoxy the bed to the bulkhead. I’ll just rely on the four bolts plus the full tabbing on the inboard face and the thickened epoxy under the bottom.

The starboard bed will be installed with the biaxial wraps going over in the traditional manner.
I feel confident about the progress. Never done this before so it’s all new. Slow and steady wins the race.

One last thing. I moved the stove/oven out of the way. I included a picture where I think the fuel tank can go. Behind the stove as previously mentioned. I can extend the plywood partition up and even put a heat shield on it. I have stored box’s of zip lock bags and aluminum foil there in the past. Not really user friendly. Seems like a good place for a diesel tank. I don’t have to give up any water tankage and it leaves more room in the engine room and in the storage area under the cockpit sole. I made some calculations and I came up with room for about an 18 gallon tank with a little wiggle room to spare.

[Jim Walsh]

Nice work. An added benefit to the place you have chosen to mount the fuel tank is that it is relatively easy to gain access, should it ever be required in the future.
When I had to replace my fuel tank it was not fun to remove....I made it much easier in the future by deleting an unnecessary hidden strap which must have been installed before the deck was mated to the hull......

[John Stone]

Thanks Jim. Seems like a good place. Pretty easy to lift the stove out of the way. Just a couple of screws. The fill hose would be totally hidden and the fill cap would be located on the bridge deck just forward of the traveler. I might be able to include a sight gauge visible by opening the port cockpit locker. I need to think about that some more and see if there is clear hose suitable for diesel fuel. Not sure about that.

[Jim Walsh]

Moeller makes mechanical fuel sending units for various depth tanks and you have the option of the standard gage on top of the tank or converting to a remote electric gage. This allows you some flexibility in deciding what is most appropriate for your installation. I have the standard mechanical gage mounted on top of my tank and I have to open my port side cockpit locker to view it. It’s no big deal since a full tank gives me 44+ hours of run time at 1,800 RPM.

[John Stone]

Thanks for that info Jim. Problem is the tank will be under the shelf behind the stove. But I might be able to arrange a sight gauge drilled through the ‘thwartship bulkhead separating the galley from the cockpit locker. Have not thought too much about it.

Might just go with a dip stick. Very accurate and never fails. I’ll think about it more as I get closer to that phase.

Thanks again.

[John Stone]

No football for me...today anyway.

Got both beds installed temporarily. It took about 4 hours of grinding and shaping the concave bottom of the starboard bed and going up and down the ladder too many times to count.

I basically drilled down through the 3/4” plywood I had secured to the engine feet to hold the starboard bed tight to the horizontal ply (simulating the G10). Then I slipped a piece of heavy brown paper under the bed to find the spots where it touched the hull. Then I sanded it down with a 36 grit flapper disk on my Makita 4.5” high speed grinder. So much better than grinding fiberglass. I just repeated that sequence over and over till it all lined up. I checked it with a spirit level so it’s level and plumb.

I’ll get the G10 shaped tomorrow and maybe I can get the starboard bed fillited in place Tuesday.

Eating the elephant a night at a time.