1978 27 blue print

[Alex Calianese]

My father and brother own a 1978 27'catalina.We are going to replace the engine can anyone give use advice on the easiest way to pull out the old ATOMIC 4 engine without cutting into the boat.We are replacing it with a GRAY MARINE engine.Does anyone know anything about them we were told that they were made to replace ATOMIC $'s.Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Pat Perry]

Graymarine for a Cat 30

I swapped out the frozen Atomic 4 in my Catalina 30 with a Graymarine gas engine last summer. In the Cat 30, the engine is located directly below the main cabin hatch and the counter island with the sinks. After removing the cabinet and the main sheet traveler, I raised the boom with the topping lift and then used the main sheet blocks to raise the old engine up above the deck level in the hatch. Swing the boom over to the side and guide the engine off the boat as you lower it down. I found it easier with the lifelines off also. The replacement Graymarine appeared to be almost identical to the Atomic 4 except that I had to make mounting brackets to convert the vertical mounts to horizontal. (I'm afraid I don"t know how the engine is mounted in the Cat 27, but I assume it's similar). E-mail me with any questions, or if your in the Southern California area, my boat is in Marina Del Rey and I'd be happy to show you. psp1@recyclermail.com

 

[patrick e. boole]

removal

i replaced my universal twice. undo all the electrical wires and water hoses. remove the external filter and the alternator. take as much off as you can. undo the motor mount nuts. use the main halyard to attach to the end of the boom as the topping lift might not be strong enough. attach chain to motor using existing bolts on the engine and attach a shackle mid point on the chain. tie a heavy duty line around the boom just forward of the hatch on the boom. attach a comealong to the line and feed out the wire to attach to the chain on the engine. if you get the right point on the boom for the comealong then when you crank in the comealong the motor will raise up off the mounts and wil slide forward. have someone below that can help guide it forword so it doesn;t bang around. then reposition the line on the boom and raise the engine using the comealong. move the boom, after the engine clears the hatch, to set the engine on the dock. did it twice and it is no more then a couple hours work.