Up and Running Again!
OK. I am up and running again after dealing with the repairs of my transmission.
It was nice to get going again and I stayed in this beautiful anchorage in Dymer Creek on the Chesapeake Bay...
Dealing with the transmission was a challenging issue. I had trouble at first finding anyone who would commit time to working on the job. The boat yards in the area are busy with the fall maintenance season for their 'regular' customers and were not going to go out of their way for me - the stranded transient 'cruiser'. It took me two days, dozens of calls, and hours of internet searching, but I found an excellent mechanic and he had connections with a repair shop that would rebuild the transmission.
Brian pulled up in this truck with every tool you could imagine - so I knew I had the right guy.
He also told me that he has been working on engines and transmissions since he was a young kid. Anyway, it took him about 4 hours to get the transmission out of the boat - it was no easy task. And the job was made more difficult by the tightly cramped engine compartment on the boat. You have to be a contortionist to work in that space.
Here's Brian somehow fitting himself down in the hole and working on the trans. Look close - he's in there...
Getting the transmission out of the boat actually involved jacking up and lifting the engine in order to get at all the mounting hardware. It also turned out that the engine/motor mounts in the boat were corroded and in need of replacement. The bad motor mounts may have actually contributed to the transmission failure since the mounts are designed to absorb all the vibration of the engine.
Here's the faulty transmission when Brian finally get it out of the boat...
So off the transmission went to the repair shop in Annapolis and they pulled a rabbit out of their hat and had the unit rebuilt and repaired in two days. I was relieved because several transmission shops said the unit could not be re-built cause it's an older model and parts are not available. I'm not sure what I would have done if they couldn't repair my transmission. There is no substitute and no other units are available. One guy told me that I'd have to replace the whole engine!!! Thankfully it didn't come to that.
The re-installation of the transmission and replacement of the motor mounts took about 8 hours to complete. This also includes balancing the engine and aligning the engine the transmission and the propeller shaft. Good alignment is essential to a smooth running system. Mis-alignment will only cause excess vibration and problems down the road. Brian was meticulous in doing a quality job - and I appreciated his experience and expertise.
All in all I was down and out of commission for a week and a half. I made good use of the time though. I worked on the exterior woodwork on the boat which is always in need of a couple good coats of varnish. It looks real good. I also went back to Annapolis and spent some more time with mom.
But I am on my way again and as of this writing I am in a marina in Hampton, Virginia.
I had an awesome sailing day the other day on the Chesapeake Bay with strong winds and decent size waves - this video will give you an idea... Click here to ride along with me on this sail...
I am just a short distance from the next milestone on the trip which is the entrance to the Intra Coastal Waterway.
I'm planning day 1 on the ICW tomorrow and then continue south
It was nice to get going again and I stayed in this beautiful anchorage in Dymer Creek on the Chesapeake Bay...
Dealing with the transmission was a challenging issue. I had trouble at first finding anyone who would commit time to working on the job. The boat yards in the area are busy with the fall maintenance season for their 'regular' customers and were not going to go out of their way for me - the stranded transient 'cruiser'. It took me two days, dozens of calls, and hours of internet searching, but I found an excellent mechanic and he had connections with a repair shop that would rebuild the transmission.
Brian pulled up in this truck with every tool you could imagine - so I knew I had the right guy.
He also told me that he has been working on engines and transmissions since he was a young kid. Anyway, it took him about 4 hours to get the transmission out of the boat - it was no easy task. And the job was made more difficult by the tightly cramped engine compartment on the boat. You have to be a contortionist to work in that space.
Here's Brian somehow fitting himself down in the hole and working on the trans. Look close - he's in there...
Getting the transmission out of the boat actually involved jacking up and lifting the engine in order to get at all the mounting hardware. It also turned out that the engine/motor mounts in the boat were corroded and in need of replacement. The bad motor mounts may have actually contributed to the transmission failure since the mounts are designed to absorb all the vibration of the engine.
Here's the faulty transmission when Brian finally get it out of the boat...
So off the transmission went to the repair shop in Annapolis and they pulled a rabbit out of their hat and had the unit rebuilt and repaired in two days. I was relieved because several transmission shops said the unit could not be re-built cause it's an older model and parts are not available. I'm not sure what I would have done if they couldn't repair my transmission. There is no substitute and no other units are available. One guy told me that I'd have to replace the whole engine!!! Thankfully it didn't come to that.
The re-installation of the transmission and replacement of the motor mounts took about 8 hours to complete. This also includes balancing the engine and aligning the engine the transmission and the propeller shaft. Good alignment is essential to a smooth running system. Mis-alignment will only cause excess vibration and problems down the road. Brian was meticulous in doing a quality job - and I appreciated his experience and expertise.
All in all I was down and out of commission for a week and a half. I made good use of the time though. I worked on the exterior woodwork on the boat which is always in need of a couple good coats of varnish. It looks real good. I also went back to Annapolis and spent some more time with mom.
But I am on my way again and as of this writing I am in a marina in Hampton, Virginia.
I had an awesome sailing day the other day on the Chesapeake Bay with strong winds and decent size waves - this video will give you an idea... Click here to ride along with me on this sail...
I am just a short distance from the next milestone on the trip which is the entrance to the Intra Coastal Waterway.
I'm planning day 1 on the ICW tomorrow and then continue south
Comments
Post a Comment