Repowering my Ontario 32

[druid]

(I've had a few posts on this in the past, but I thought I'd start one for the actual progress)

The engine finally arrived!
Here's the Background: through various oopses and YouuuuuuuFcknDummy's, I've destroyed the stuffingbox and transmission in my 1976 Ontario 32. The engine is the original 2QM20 and it's still in fair shape - only smokes a little at high RPM's. But I thought since I have to pull the engine and replace the transmission, I might as well go whole-hog and replace the engine as well.

I decided on a Beta 25: 3-cyl, 25 hp, 3600 rpm. It's about 5 inches shorter than the 2QM20, so there will be more shaft between the engine and stuffingbox than the 1" there is now.

So The Plan is:
- Take her down from Pender Hbr to Shelter Island Marina (will require a temporary shift lever to get the transmission in gear) and haul her out for a month.
- Cut the shaft, pull the old engine, remove the stuffingbox, waterlock and fuel tank.
- Clean up the engine compartment, install new engine controls, install new fuel tank, install new stuffingbox, install new waterlock.
- Make mounting jig and adjust stringers as necessary.
- Install new prop shaft and prop.
- Install new engine and align without the flex coupling.
- Splash the boat, leave at the dock at Shelter Island.
- check alignment and add flex coupling.
- Sail away!

druid

 

[JohnVTX]

Good Luck and good sailing....

 

[Charles Erwin]

Perfect time for coat of paint in the motor room. Apply it last thing in the day and it is dry the following morning.

Charles

 

[kloudie1]

Pretty Iron Genoa !
Was shift lever forward for forward? or down for forward?
Nice that water pump and secondary fuel filter are very accessible

 

[druid]

I usually put a coat of gelcoat on the "engine room" while I'm modifying the engine stringers. I'm also doing the bottom paint and hopefully a cut-polish to the hull, or at least a good scrubbing.

Shift is UP (pull cable) for fwd, but I'm going to move it to BACK (pull cable) for fwd and move the shift cable mount to the rear rather than from above. Better cable routing and I don't like how close the cable would be to the high-rise exhaust.

Yes, the Beta 25 is very accessible, and I like that is has a built-in oil removal pump.

Anybody have comments/advice on lifting a 400-lb engine (the old one) using a comealong attached to the boom? I'm thinking it might be possible to swing it out over the side as well...

druid

 

[kloudie1]

Neat.. when I saw the up/down shift, I thought that not a lot of boats have that much room above the gearbox to curve the cable.. woof.. 440 pounds is a big chunk. I'd be worried on my boat about the topping lift fittings pulling that much weight.. might be prudent to pull cyl head and tranny off to lighten the load? The Beta at 260# seems much more manageable.

 

[Jalepeno]

Now I know why you're bitching about the strong South East winds. Wish you well with your project. I'd come and help but I don't have time. You should end up with a great setup.

 

[25yearslater]

Sweet little unit Druid. I am looking at the Beta 14 when my A4 gives up the ghost. I will miss the hand crank on the Atomic 4 though if I ever run the batteries dead.

 

[Jackdaw]

Sweet little unit Druid. I am looking at the Beta 14 when my A4 gives up the ghost. I will miss the hand crank on the Atomic 4 though if I ever run the batteries dead.

Don't worry, and look at it this way. You'll be replacing hundreds of reasons a gas motor won't start with pretty much the single reason the diesel won't !

 

[Blitz]

Sweet little unit Druid. I am looking at the Beta 14 when my A4 gives up the ghost. I will miss the hand crank on the Atomic 4 though if I ever run the batteries dead.

My yanmar 3GM has a hand crank...

 

[druid]

http://lsumpterconsulting.com/Beta25_FirstStart.mp4

Next Milestone - got the engine running in the carport! LOVE the way the Kubuta engines start: no <rurrr....rurrr...rurrr> just <clickRUMBLE>. Also: my FIRST attempt was kinda nasty cuz I didn't bleed the system properly. Good thing it wasn't a Yanmar - I'd STILL be bleeding it!
And... the pile of Stuff in the carport is getting bigger: Edson engine controls, cables, exhaust, ...

 

[druid]

More progress!
Got the old engine out and the new one is sitting on the cabin sole, ready to go in. I used a comealong hooked onto a 4x4 across the companionway to lift the old engine out onto the cabin sole, then hired a crane to pick it out and put the new one in.
A few tidbits:
- 3 of the 4 engine mounts broke when I lifted the old engine - they were probably original.
- The exhaust was surprisingly free of any clogging: I've heard people here say their exhaust was almost completely clogged after less than 10 years - this one has been running for 40 and there's no sign of clogging. Wonder why...?
- Made sure both engines would fit through the companionway, but forgot to account for the pallet the new engine was on! Some frantic sawing of 4x4's to make it fit...

Anyway, time to make up a model-template-thingy to rebuild the stringers, install a new stuffing-box, new waterlock, new engine controls, new control panel...

druid

 

[druid]

Status update: (mostly covered in the other thread about the stern tube...)
I got the new stuffingbox in, and after only taking apart the ENTIRE steering system, I got the new engine controls installed (at least the pedestal end). But I'm having trouble finding a saw to cut the 1 3/8" off the top of the engine stringers - the Skillsaw binds horribly (not sure why), the Sawzall is too big, the jigsaw's blade isn't long enough... I'm going to try to find a longer blade for the jigsaw.
Oh and my Lady got most of the 1st coat of bottom paint on.
So... progressing slowly. I'm going to have to work on the stringers after work this week to try to get the engine installed next weekend.

druid

 

[druid]

How to Build and Engine out of Plywood... Good thing I did, since it turns out I cut the stringers an inch too low, despite all the measuring I did. And those stringers... they certainly don't build them like they used to! Solid 2" fir, hard as a rock, encapsulated with 1/4" fibreglass, and reinforced with struts. You could mount a damn Hemi on them!
But I've gotten the 2x6's in on the sides, and I'll top it off with 1x4's and build up with fibreglass. With a LOT of luck, I'll still be dropping in the engine and getting it aligned on Monday. I've arranged to drop the boat in the water first thing Friday.

 

[Jalepeno]

Looking good Druid

 

[Mark Maulden]

Looking good, but,..it looks like the dowl is a lumber yard dowl. Did you roll it on a known perfectly flat surface? I bought a 1/34" x 7' to lash to two stancions to tie some water jugs/crab pot etc to. Mine was not straight but in my case it doesnt matter..

 

[druid]

Good point, Mark, but yes, I did make sure the dowel was good and straight before I bought it. The problem with it was that it was actually a hair bigger than 1" - I had to sand it down to get it through the bearings.
So TODAY's THE DAY - Going off to drop the engine onto the stringers and align it. Lots of other fiddly-bits to do, like install the new fuel filter, hook up the exhaust, hook up the throttle and shift cables... But God willin and the cricks don't rise, Wind Drift should have a new engine installed by tonight.

druid

 

[druid]

OK, Wind Drift has a new engine! Everything fit, the engine lined up well, there's lots of shaft left even after I put on the flexible coupling, and my shift cable bracket modification even worked!
Unfortunately the Inaugural Run was a bit more... exciting than I would have liked. At Sandheads, the outflow of the Fraser River (and any ebb tide) meets the tide in the Strait AND the Northwest swells from the 25+ wind. The result was 8-10 ft waves, 30 ft apart. Managed to get through THAT, got a bit of sailing in on 15 knot winds and 4-6 ft seas, then ducked into Howe Sound to get to Gibsons.
At Gibsons, the bilge pump was going off ever hour, so I assumed the new stuffing-box was leaking (remember all that about the stern tube being too small?). Messing around with it seems to reduce the leak... but then I looked at another part of the bilge and found water higher than where the pump was, forward. Looked like "black water"... Further investigation revealed that the stuffing-box was NOT to blame: the 1" hose had come off the 1" - 1 1/2" adapter from the macerator, and I'd effectively emptied the holding tank into the bilge! Eek...
After waiting in Gibsons for the gales to die down, I finally got the last 25 miles up to Pender Hbr, even getting in a bit of sailing.
The engine runs great: smooth, quiet, starts on the first rotation... Hard to tell in the winds, waves and tide currents, but it looks like I'm getting about 5.5 knots at 2500 rpm, about 6 at 2800 or so, and 6.5 at 3500. It does seem like I'm a bit under-propped since it got to 3500 REAL easy... but I can look at that another day.

Ready for a summer of sailing!

druid

 

[kloudie1]

Congrats, Druid ! More fiddling for sure, but got the biggie done !

 

[Jalepeno]

Great job Druid. Sorry I couldn't drop by to say HI when you were so close but I was working out of town almost all of the time.
Wishing you fair winds and safe sailing.
Davor on the s/v Jalepeno