Engine O'haul + Motor Mounts?

spraygun · Aug 17, 2015

Maybe they never took mounts out of boat.Or were they attached to engine on removal? Did they look collapsed before removal? More than likely they just removed the nuts from the mounts and lifted engine out. Most people don't pay attention to detail.It is unfortunate.
You are not going to get a break on the price.Just do it yourself .
It's not that hard.You will have to re-align the engine after/during. That will be rewarding.
It should not take 5 or 6 hrs.

Capt jgw · Aug 18, 2015

And shop around for the mounts. You can probably get them much cheaper than you were quoted. They are not specific to the engine, many different brands will work. Just need the same height and similar weight / hp rating.

Stu Jackson · Aug 18, 2015

JHoward said:
Shouldn't he have asked me if I wanted the motor mounts replaced while the motor (Yanmar 3 cyl) was out of the boat?

How long had you owned this, or any other boat?

Steve Dion · Aug 18, 2015

I would be very careful with aftermarket motor mounts. Most of the Yarmar mounts are specific to a position. If not installed in those position there can. Be sever shaking

Stu Jackson · Aug 18, 2015

JHoward said:
Not long enough to have all of the answers. 'Couple decades.

The reason I asked is that if boating was new to you, then there could be a small case made that the mechanic should have asked.

You are not the first (nor the last) skipper to say: "Heck, while I was in there, I shoulda..."

Shoulda, woulda, coulda...

You know the drill.

Johnb · Aug 18, 2015

I figure the best and most conscientious would have looked at the total installation, including stern tube, mounts, exhaust, muffler etc and advised if there was anything else that should be should be done as part of leaving you with a rig that would be as trouble free as possible for as long as possible. That is what the best quality service people do.

The owner's responsibility is to know good advice when they hear it.

ice breaker · Aug 18, 2015

what shop did the work?

MitchM · Aug 19, 2015

yanmar mounts are indeed 2 different stiffnesses for front vs. rear. the mounts can be adjusted to a certain extent using the adjustment nuts. but if they are 'bottomed out' they must be replaced. unfortunately, by the time this bottom-out happens, the alignment of the prop shaft at the coupler may have been a adversely affected. did your tech check for allowable face out at the prop shaft coupler before s/he sent you on your way ? have this done by an experienced mechanic--whom i suspect is not the person who last worked on your boat.

planoron · Sep 21, 2015

Sounds like the same problem I had last year. At low rpm it sounded like the engine was going to throw a rod. We got to checking the mounts while the engine was idling in forward tied up. She was just a bangin and I stepped on the tranny it went quiet. Think I paid $400 for new mounts and alignment and only took a few hours

ben solomon · Sep 22, 2015

Can you tell us which yard did this work? In my opinion, some yards treat boat owners terribly. There is a presumption that we have unlimited dollars and the work is done sloppily and incompletely.

As consumers, we absolutely have the right to share good and bad experiences. I also feel as though there is no effort to be thorough, just to take as much money as possible from the boat owner.

Unfortunately, I don't have the time I would love to have to fix stuff on my boat so I am hostage, in a sense, to having someone else do engine work, refridge work, etc. My experience has been similar.

Therefore, we should start communicating and avoid yards that are no good and patronize those that do good work. Let's make a list, and publish it for all to see. Put market pressure on the boat yards.

Ben

planoron · Sep 22, 2015

ben solomon said:
Can you tell us which yard did this work? In my opinion, some yards treat boat owners terribly. There is a presumption that we have unlimited dollars and the work is done sloppily and incompletely.

As consumers, we absolutely have the right to share good and bad experiences. I also feel as though there is no effort to be thorough, just to take as much money as possible from the boat owner.

Unfortunately, I don't have the time I would love to have to fix stuff on my boat so I am hostage, in a sense, to having someone else do engine work, refridge work, etc. My experience has been similar.

Therefore, we should start communicating and avoid yards that are no good and patronize those that do good work. Let's make a list, and publish it for all to see. Put market pressure on the boat yards.

Ben

I think that is a great idea. While a yard is there to do everything they can and maximize their profit, often there are a lot of things we can and should do or at least participate in. Ask around, check craigslist, check a bar by the docks. Find the guy that knows boats and you show up with him. The yard can't keep you and a friend from working on your boat. This is what I did.

It sounds like the OPs' schedule is busy and like me it is hard to find the time to work on our own boats. Since it is our (wife) plan to go cruising in a few years, I am enjoying upgrading our boat and learning the systems so we will be prepared when the inevitable breakdown occurs away from the dock.

Siamese · Sep 22, 2015

Thanks to the anonymity of the internet, I can tell it like it is.

The mechanic was a jerk, and you were a dope. Now, I mean "dope" in a nice way, the same way I was a dope on any number of projects where I gained experience the hard way.

In this situation, I'm putting the blame mostly on you, as I cannot get to the point where I can imagine telling a marine mechanic to put the new engine right where the old one is, and then go about my other business as I wait for him to complete the project.

Of course, he should have suggested new mounts. As much as I'd like to blame the mechanic for not looking at the whole picture, I know it would be like blaming my cat for not running to the fridge to get me a beer. It's not what they do.

In the real world, even if you have the mechanic with glowing reviews, they have to be supervised. Of course YOU should have addressed the mounts issue before repairs commenced. And as others have already mentioned, you should have addressed the entire system (filters, shaft, exhaust, cooling, transmission, stuffing box, and fuel tank).

I can tell you with great certainty, that even with four decades of boating experience, and despite having rebuilt a few engines from the crank up with my own two hands, for a project as big as that, I would have asked for advice from this site and at least one other. I look at my boating experience as the years before the internet, and the years after the internet. With just a few keystrokes I can tap into the wisdom of others from around the globe.

That said, and even though the mechanic was acting within the norm for his species, I'd be hesitant to use him again. If I can't find the best mechanic, I can at least avoid the worst.