Cal 29 cylinder head

Oct 12, 2013
7
Islander 30 Seattle
I just bought a '73 2-29 about a month ago with the standard 12 hp farymann. It's a wonderful boat and I plan to liveaboard so it's a great space for that too. I planned to move it to a new marina a week ago. I got all prepped for the trip, got a crew ready and went and fire up the engine. I ran it for about 15 minutes to warm it up and everything looked in order. We launched out of the slip and headed out. As soon as we got to the breakwater and out to the sea, I heard a really loud "POP" and the cabin filled with a little bit of smoke. Less than a minute later, the engine died. We quickly pulled up the sails and got away from the jetty but the engine would not fire up again. I thought it was a fuel issue, but after getting back to the dock and inspecting further, I see that the cylinder head is cracked. It's likely that it had been welded in the past and that pop I heard was the weld breaking and flying out somewhere. I've been advised that I should replace the exhaust manifold as well as the cylinder head. Does anyone have experience with this and any advice/tips? Any idea where I can find parts for this 40+ year old engine? Any thought are greatly appreciated.
 
May 27, 2014
4
Cal 2-29 San Diego
Bad news is those motors were not great to begin with. The shaft coupler also breaks on the damn things leaving you adrift. Farymann USA is only one shop back East with a Parts monoploly on what few parts there are left/ still being made. The good news is the 2-29 is easy to re-power with something more reliable. I have a Yanmar 2QM15 that someone upgraded to in mine probably 30 years ago. many people pull these things out of Cals and Tartan boats every year so used motors for parts are usually easy to find. I would buy a whole motor for spare parts or upgrade at this point. If your shaft coupler is original this deal might be good for you... http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f64/farymann-a30-12hp-123912.html. That part alone is $760 to replace and you should keep a spare If the rubber on yours has been exposed to 40 years of petroleum based fumes.