We purchased our sailboat SIESTA in 1992. At that time, it was noted that its engine needed an overhaul due to a prior faulty installation of a generator that shared the exhaust with the main engine. We were told that the major overhaul, or repowering, could be postponed, since the engine was operational. Well, just a few weeks ago, over 8 years since we purchased the boat, Daisy and I had to sail back 10 miles from Sausalito with a dead engine. Rather than repair the leaking manifold or do a major overhaul, we decided to re-power with a new, slightly larger engine, the Perkins 4-236. This naturally-aspirated, slow-turning, massively-heavy and bulky engine is one of the best diesel industrial engines of all times. Getting into our boat is another story. Stay tuned for developments on this financially-exhilarating experience for us. I am trying to do as much of the work myself to cut down on the total cost.

Purchase of the new Perkins 4-236 engine:

Through the CSY mail-list on the internet, I found out about Trans-Atlantic Diesel, a company owned by Marcus Neville, located in White Marsh, Virginia. Marcus was very helpful in configuring a new Perkins 4-236 engine, "marinized" by Trans-Atlantic with a superior, more durable design, and priced very competitively. We also purchased a rebuilt Borg-Wagner Velvet-Drive transmission with 2.57:1 reduction gear from Marcus. Our old BW transmission had a 2.1:1 reduction ratio. TA Diesels fitted a very convenient manual oil pump on the port side for oil changes (see picture). TA Diesels gave us some credit for the old engine and transmission, which is being returned to TA, freight collect. You can reach Marcus at (800) 927-9295, or go to TA's web site at: www.tadiesels.com to get more specific information about the company and its products and services. The engine had to be partially disassembled in order to get it into SIESTA's engine room, as you can see below.

Towing from Alameda to Richmond Boat Yard in Point Richmond:

My good friend Hank Delevati handled SIESTA while I towed her with a rented twin 70hp 22 ft. Boston Whaler cuddy-cabin. Taking the boat out of the marina was the most difficult segment of the tow. Once were in open water and moved the tow boat to take the tow bridle off the bow, things got much more relaxed. Our progress was slow at first, but once the wind angle was right, Hank pulled out the staysail and it made a real difference in the 25+ mph winds in San Francisco Bay. We both had Garmin hand-held GPS's to make sure we stayed on the rhomb line for Point Richmond. Once we got close to the yard, Mike was there with his crew to catch SIESTA as I towed her into the end slip.

Selection of Richmond Boat Works and its owner, Mike Haley, to repower SIESTA:

Some time ago, anticipating that I would eventually repower, I had approached several Bay Area Engine Dealerships and private mechanics, requesting estimates for repowering SIESTA. I was not satisfied with any of the people I had met. I spoke with a very well-known surveyor who had surveyed SIESTA upon my request a few months ago, and requested a recommendation of a mechanic and a yard. He recommended Mike Haley, owner of Richmond Boat Works. As I drove to meet Mike at our marina to look over our boat, I stopped at West Marine and spoke with a very experienced local sailor who has lives most of her life in the Bay Area, and has sailed through the Pacific. When I asked who she would recommend, without mentioning Mike, I was very pleased and reassured and she too recommended Mike and his Richmond Boat Works yard, which has been in operation under his ownership for 30 years. So far, all my dealings with Mike reflect his professionalism, his expert knowledge, as well as that of his staff, and a willingness to work with me to make trade-offs together to balance cost with quality of installation. Mike can be reached at (800) 232-5890.

Preparations to take out the old Perkins 4-154 and install new 4-236 engine:

I spent a considerable amount of time taping heavy cardboard all around the cabin and the galley. You can see the 3-blade fixed prop which has been taken off by a local diver. It will be re-pitched from 25" x 15" to 24" x 18 or 19", and remounted before the re-powering is completed..

A required 3" exhaust system had to be added to replace the existing 2" exhaust system:

The art of taking a heavy engine out of a CSY 44 walk-through:

Unfortunately (or, fortunately), I was not able to be at the boat when the old engine was taken out. I did photograph the gear in place which will be used to bring the new engine into the engine room. The engine was taken out of the port side. Our CSY 44 WT has a custom structure over the engine, where the 2 size-8D batteries plus the 2.5Kw inverter charger rest, along with the vise. The two side panels were removed, as was the post between the two panels. One lifting point appears to have been created, using a tower of blocks, steel tank and drum in the port side of the main salon, to bring the engine out of the engine room. Another lifting point (see below) appears to have been on the starboard side, using the pass-through porthole into the cockpit and the external porthole above the stove for a 4 x 6, based on the blocks still in place. I wish I would have been there to photograph the maneuver. I had to be working to pay for all this good stuff!

Old engine in the grimmy engine compartment and then ready to be shipped back to Trans-Atlantic Diesels for partial credit towards new engine:

Clean-up of engine-room and sump prior to installation of new engine:

You can see from the pictures below that the old engine had been spewing oil into the bilge because of a blow-by engine problem, long since I purchased the boat. I will be posting pictures of the engine room bilge and the sump (before and after) once Uzi Broshi, owner of SEASHINE Boat Cleaning and Restoration (510) 428-2522 gets done with the cleaning. I have not seen it yet, but Mike reports that you can each off the engine bilge after Uzi got done with it. I will post pictures of the clean engine room, to compare with the filthy bilge you can see below.

Continued on part 2