Refitting Albin Vega: install new engine, rewire?

[Gene Neill]

We had a big day this week! Using the boom and a come-along as a crane, we got the old Volvo out of the boat and onto a pallet on my work trailer. Now, I have a new Beta 14 engine on hand, more or less ready to install, but I got to thinking: should I pause the engine work while there's all this room to maneuver, and tackle the wiring now?

Wiring is the phase of refit I fear and dread the most, but looking into all this empty space, I can't help but think it might be a lot easier if I tackle it right now. I think I know the answer, but I've definitely been wrong before. What say the old salts??

 

[Johnb]

Purely for myself, if my engine were out I would examine/refurbish/improve the support on all the wiring that goes through that area, plus muffler, exhaust hoses, cockpit drains, water heater, fuel hoses, fuel tank vent hoses, fuel filters, and anything else under over next to or behind the engine.

Your engine area is much cleaner and nicer than mine by the way.

 

[Gene Neill]

Thanks JohnB. It seemed like almost too silly a question to ask, but too important not to.

 

[justsomeguy]

It seemed like almost too silly a question to ask, but too important not to.

Not silly at all. I think one example might be, does your new engine have its heat-producing points in the same places as your old one, and was the wiring harness routed accordingly, or am I over-thinking it?
'Cause I do tend to do so...

 

[Mark Maulden]

Another thought: Clean everything up and drop the engine on the mounts. Then do everything needed. If you ever have to work on it again you know you can get to it cuz you already have...it might cause you to rethink wire routings etc..

 

[jssailem]

Gene, I would definitely prepare the wiring, exhaust and cooling lines prior to setting the engine in the place. You will want to be sure of the extra hose length needed to fit the new engine. but with the access to do electrical and not have to lean over and around the engine I think your going to be a lot happier.
Here is a link to a Cal40 restoration.

I have been following this progress, and even visited Cree in Berkeley and saw the boat when they had flipped it upside down to do work on the keel.
Your engine space is looking great. You will want to check and measure the engine mounting points. As the video discusses, when the new engine was located they had to build up the engine bed so that the proper shaft alignment could be achieved. Before you get that beast in the boat you will want to be pretty sure of the shaft angle and how it will match to your new power plant. Or you may be hanging the engine on the boom for a couple of extra days while you sort things out.
You are doing really nice work.

 

[agprice22]

I think you should test fit the new motor, measure all your lengths for hoses and wiring, etc., and make a plan. Then you should remove the motor and install all the wiring and plumbing according to your plan.

If you wire and plumb without the motor, or you install the motor without a plan, you will invariably cause heartache.

Good luck. Nice looking boat! But did you notice someone replaced your stove with a motor? Maybe mount the new motor up on deck and save all that valuable galley space!

 

[PaulK]

Installing the wiring after the engine will mean that you'll hopefully be able to access the wiring after the engine is installed. If you install the wiring first, the engine may keep you from being able to get to wiring you suddenly need to get to.

 

[MrBill_FLL]

Another thought,
make a mockup of the engine, out of cardboard, and/or stryofoam/spray foam, and fit that.

but yes do wiring, and everything else before the engine goes in.

 

[kimelmore]

I would agree that you definitely want to test fit the new motor first ...take lots of photos and measurements...then make a plan on where you want the wiring harnesses to run, what kind of circuit devices and terminal blocks etc you want to use and then be prepared to have a back up plan as things go together. Finally with everything planned out then you install the engine. Good luck. take lots of photos.

 

[The Garbone]

When I re-powered our boat I made up an all wire harness in my garage from the panel to motor with a lot of excess. I do not know about your type of boat but our factory harness had connectors that aided in ease of installation but could suffer corrosion. Got rid of all that worry.

We also made a jig of the motor out of plywood, used it to install the mounts and adjust them.

 

[Gene Neill]

Did I mention I know nothing about electronical stuff? LOL

I just ordered Don Casey's "Sailboat Electrics Simplified".

Wish me luck.

 

[jason flare]

When you set the Beta in place you are probably going to find that the engine beds in the Vega are farther apart than the beds on the Beta. I repowered a Vega with a Beta and we mounted 1/4" x (perhaps) 3" aluminum bars to the existing Vega beds.

As to which to do first, wiring or engine install, you have good advice so far for both options and I can't add anything to improve on the advice offered.

 

[Gene Neill]

When you set the Beta in place you are probably going to find that the engine beds in the Vega are farther apart than the beds on the Beta. I repowered a Vega with a Beta and we mounted 1/4" x (perhaps) 3" aluminum bars to the existing Vega beds.

Yep, "bearer plates" I hear them called. Thanks for the reminder! I need to take some measurements and working on getting some made. I guess you mount the bearer plates to the original Volvo holes, then drill and tap for the Beta's feet?

 

[jason flare]

I repowered about 13 years ago and I don't recall exactly but that sounds about right. I can't imagine thru-bolting the feet to the bearer plates. I'm not with that boat at the moment but I can have someone take a look if you'd like.

 

[Gene Neill]

Well ... that would be awesome. I'd certainly love to know. Most of the info I've gotten has been pretty vague.

By my initial measurements, it did look like the Beta needed to come up about 1/4" for proper parallel alignment. I thought the bearer width was supposed to be the same, but I'll measure tomorrow. The "angular" alignment, I think it's called, is supposedly identical.

They say this is a relatively easy replacement. We'll see!

 

[jason flare]

I'll ask my son tomorrow (later today!) to check it out.

 

[agprice22]

Did I mention I know nothing about electronical stuff? LOL

I just ordered Don Casey's "Sailboat Electrics Simplified".

Wish me luck.

Nigel Calder's book was a great help for me. I drew up my entire electrical system, labeled fuse blocks, fuse sizes, wire gauges, switches, shore power inlet, shore power switch, inverter, batteries, battery switch, d/c breaker panels, lights, fans, outlets, stereo, etc. It all went together as planned amd worked per design. So draw it up FIRST, label everything, assemble your gear.
I bought one of the heavy duty lug crimpers, lugs, and some adhesive shrink for heavy cable for the batteries and inverter from this site. I also bought one of the 250 piece BSP kits with hand crimper, torch, adhesive shrinking terminals in all the different sizes. These things did the job.

 

[jason flare]

Here's what I found out.

It's just as you said. The bearer plates are bolted to the Vega using the original Volvo holes BUT it appears that looking at the front of the engine from the cabin, (looking aft,) the foreword Beta mount on the right side of the engine, (port side of the boat,) lines up with the original Volvo mount hole.

On the left side of the engine looking aft, (starboard side of the boat,) we used a cap screw to mount the aluminum plate to the Vega. Immediately inboard of that cap screw is the Beta motor mount screw which is tapped into the aluminum. The reason for the cap screw appears to be its size. The Beta motor mount bolt and washer are immediately next to the cap screw. So, it appears that the Beta motor mounts are slightly narrower than the Volvo motor mounts but that the port side motor mount can be installed in the same position the Volvo had been.

 

[Gene Neill]

Jason, thanks a million.