<b>20 September 2010</b>
Custom Yachts report the outboard engine plates, which have lifting brackets at the aft end of each plate, are severely corroded. Its an upbeat week, nothing could demoralise me-3 firsts in 5 races sailing but there is always something to threaten your optimism.
The engine support brackets are bolted through the timber stringer and the bolts go through the steel plates. The answer is obvious...
Bill Dunlop casts an eye over the proceedings and confirms that there is no need to return the steelwork in way of the forward lifting point. All that needs to be repaired is the keel member and hog, using good scarphs, as it is the area that ties the lower stem/apron to the keel.
The mild steel plates outboard of the outer engine girders carrying the plinths for the engine resilient mounts do need replacing.
Bill suggests that all the keel bolts be hot dipped galvanized – that is do not spend money on bronze or any other high quality fastenings in this area, as the originals have lasted quite some while. Sorry Bill, its bronze bolts and new stainless steel plates and engine bolts. And while we were at it I had the engine brackets shot blasted and sprayed.
I do like a tidy engine bay… Barry Carter at Reliant Engineering did all the metalwork for me with a turn around of two weeks (because we weren’t in a hurry!) I already had new Vetus engine mounts the previous year-so all we had to do was strip the GRP linings out the engine bay as there was moisture underneath, coax out the oil that had soaked into the timber, epoxy and get a coat of bilge paint in there. Job done.
