Toasted ?

[atoll]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

What to do? It looks like my iron horse is just about toasted. Thanks to compounding problems causing vibrations the Bukh 20 keeps throwing and shearing the bolts on the fly wheel leaving the inserts at the end of the crankshaft mutilated. Basically, it has got to the point where instead of spending good money on bad I would be better off re-powering. The obvious drama is that I have not got the eight grand for a change over motor.

I live on the yacht, a little steel Herrrshoff ketch, so walking away would leave me homeless. The Maritime laws over here in NSW Australia are not making things easier either. Technically it is bloody illegal to live on the boat! Therefore, what I am in fact doing is constantly "journeying".

What I am thinking - other than having a cry - is that my boat is a sailboat, so hey, I can still sail! While I am a bit of a "bush" sailor (Australian for rough as guts but gets there) I do know the coast and weather like the back of my hand. People like the Pardeys (I have their books) have sailed the world without an engine, so why can't I hang in there till I get things fixed?

The biggest obsticle at the moment is that I have no secondary source of power on board. However, I should be able to get some decent solar panels and a generator within a month.

The one thing that does worry me is how other sailors these days will look at un-powered outlaw voyager? Back in the days of Joshua Slocum the pilot would gladdly give you a tow into a tight port. However, regretfully times have changed. Still it is time to either give up or take on the challenge. Any positive suggestions or encouragement would be greatly appreciated!

i would look deeper into why the bolts are shearring.
have you been using new hardened steel bolts to the replace the old ones,are you using locktite and a torque wrench when putting them back.

seems silly to ditch an otherwise working engine,even if you have to take it out and get the front end crank re machined to refit the fly wheel.

[Wotname]

Hey SS, maybe you would like trade problems with me, I will take on a stuffed motor and you can the never ending problem of keeping sea-gulls off my boat at the mooring. At least the stuffed motor has a solution .

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

In any case keep the Bukh in the garage, winterized. You may find another, swap parts, and have a brand (eh) new engine one day.

b.

A lot of room without an engine down there!

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by chall

Shane yeah, it will be tough without a motor, but no obviously not impossible.

Are you sure it is at that stage???? One option might be to continue to nurse the engine, but just to start to think of it as only as a truly auxiliary option......emergencies, getting into a marina when necessary and other sticky situations. The rest of the time do it Pardey style until you can repower.

Start calling boatyards and mechanics particularly down here(Pittwater) and make it known your a bloke who could really do with a Bukh 20 if one comes out of a boat. Lots of 20-35 year old boats repowering around here......lots..

I have already been nursing it for the last few years. It has just got to the stage where it is do major repairs or re-power. I was planing to sail (now very literally!) down to Sydney in a few weeks so I will have to have a look around Pittwater.

[Tony B]

I dont know your size or weight, but I have seen boats up to about 38 ft that had a bracket and outboard motor installed for the same reason - did not or could not fix the main engine. Most marinas would not allow you in without a motor for obvious reasons.

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by Wotname

SS, I feel your pain .

I had a single Bukh at one stage and it ran out of oil pressure, cost a small fortune in parts for the rebuild....,,,

Now looking on the bright side, whip the motor out completely and move to Vic - no need to register a motorless yacht there or even better, move to QLD and you can have 3 hp auxiliary (say outboard) and still not need to register it.

You have hit the two big issues,

1) Why are Bukh parts (and just about everything else for boats) so f#%king expensive. If I bought new parts from Bukh the difference in the cost of a swap-over engine is not much extra.

2) Why is NSW such a horrid place to own a boat?

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by atoll

i would look deeper into why the bolts are shearring.
have you been using new hardened steel bolts to the replace the old ones,are you using locktite and a torque wrench when putting them back.

seems silly to ditch an otherwise working engine,even if you have to take it out and get the front end crank re machined to refit the fly wheel.

Yes, I am going to give it another go following the advice from Bukh. When that fails I will try again. Nonetheless before the proccess sends me totally nuts (getting very close) I am going to get the solar panel, generator and give the sails a bit more use.

[SurferShane]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Hey SS, maybe you would like trade problems with me, I will take on a stuffed motor and you can the never ending problem of keeping sea-gulls off my boat at the mooring. At least the stuffed motor has a solution .

Yep, that's another big point: no leaving the boat to the gulls now I have sunk so much time and effort into getting this far. There is no home waiting on land. I don't even know if I could sleep in a house these days. Probably feel more uncomfortable than I would at sea without an engine.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

You have hit the two big issues,

1) Why are Bukh parts (and just about everything else for boats) so f#%king expensive. If I bought new parts from Bukh the difference in the cost of a swap-over engine is not much extra.

2) Why is NSW such a horrid place to own a boat?

1. Don't know.
2. 'Cause it is a horrid place to live! But I am glad the 7+ M people who live there like it otherwise they would crowding out other places - OK, my bias shows -sorry to the NS Welshmen.

[SurferShane]

Hey, thanks everyone! While I have got some positive thoughts I should try to stop worrying and get some sleep!

[zeehag]

check alignment and motor mounts also.

[chall]

Originally Posted by SurferShane

You have hit the two big issues,

1) Why are Bukh parts (and just about everything else for boats) so f#%king expensive. If I bought new parts from Bukh the difference in the cost of a swap-over engine is not much extra.

2) Why is NSW such a horrid place to own a boat?

I am hearing you.

I believe basically because there is the highest proportion here of people who can afford to own boats without necessarily knowing much about how to fix them while being most willing to part with money to get someone else to do it all for them.

Not being in the above category makes life hard sometimes. Best of luck with it Shane...

[hummingway]

I don't know if my story will encourage or discourage but the message is be patient if you can. I had the fly wheel splines strip and began an odyssey that, 12k later had rebuilt my engine from the bottom up, including the injector pump. Parts were hard to find and replacements non-existent. The engine was no sooner done when used ones started falling out of the trees. I have what amounts to a new engine and I'm not sad about it but a used engine and some new sails would have been great too! That was my sail budget out the window. I'm going to be sewing my old underwear into the headsail for the next few years I think.

You know that "one hand for you and one for the boat" business? I think it's supposed to be "one hand on your wallet now hand it to the boat".

OK, enough words of encouragement. Keep looking at your options and learn to kedge.

[mrohr]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Build a bracket and use an outboard now.

When in the money again, get a small inboard.

In any case keep the Bukh in the garage, winterized. You may find another, swap parts, and have a brand (eh) new engine one day.

b.

i like barnakiel suggestion above, if Buka is completely shot.
To bolt on a (weld?) outboard bracket,no big deal on a steel boat and you will be good to go under sail with a way to get yourself around in a dead calm; of course a long shaft outboard is preferable .I sailed my 35' steel sloop through New york Harbor for a year with only a 1.5 seagull on my dingy tied to my stb quarter. Experience made a much better sailor of me and of course having steel gave me confidence that I would not have had with a less rugged hull material. This approach will require more time to tease out the maximum performance of you and your craft,but you are living aboard and will have oodles of that.
The dingy on the stern quarter works best with 2 persons : one steering mothership and 1 on the throttle of your tender but can be done alone with some hopping back and forth between the 2 boats. I also became proficient a begging a tow from passing power boats when in less congested areas and there were more sympathetic yachtsmen about (not so much in NYC).
Finally re powered with a new diesel and so extended my range, but many invaluable lessons learned that year.

[ohdrinkboy]

i'm in the outboard camp as well. find a good used 2-stroke. in 18 years of use my 2-stroke has only had 2 issues (electronic pack and water pump). Try to get an 8 or 9.9. It should push you along fine in anchorages or in calms. Repairs on outboards are cheap.

The only remaining point is power generation, but solar is much nicer than running any engine.