By Jack Harding
s/v Rapport
WARNING: Postings on this web page are the observations, opinions and work projects of individual Flicka owner (s).
Consult with a professional surveyor, boatwright or boat
yard before undertaking any work or project which was
described or posted at this site.
PREFACE
Remember that old Star Trek episode where the aliens found a badly mangled human in a wrecked spaceship? They tried to reconstruct her but botched the job because they had no example of a human to turn to. She turned out hideous! Well, your own engine installation could turn out like that space traveler if there isn't a Flicka with a diesel nearby to look at. Pictures and descriptions are O.K. but having the real thing next to you can ensure a pretty ending.
In finishing out my Flicka RAPPORT, I would say the engine installation was the most difficult (and the most rewarding) project.
There are three things required before you attempt this;
(1) your boat must have the engine bed (also called "a pan")
already glassed in from the factory;
(2) there must be a removable cockpit sole for access to the
engine compartment;
(3) the hull must have a propeller aperture cast into the hull.
If your Flicka lacks any of these features then the job will be even more difficult - consult with a marine professional.
This should not be your first project. I haven't written about every little nuance of the job because it would double the length of this article! You must be capable with hand tools and with fiberglass work. You must use a torque wrench to ensure proper tightness of fasteners. The most difficult part of the job is getting the engine and shaft aligned properly.
Everything else is bolt on - hook up (or, as we say in South Park Marina - "Hammer to Fit, Paint to Match"). In addition, you will need to determine where the diesel fuel tank will go and what material to fabricate it.
You will have to route electrical cables, fuel supply/return lines and raw water cooling hoses. You will also have to install a water-lift muffler, thru-hull fittings, fuel filter, raw water strainer, engine control lever/cabling, instrument panel and maybe even another battery.
The installation of an engine will take up a lot of storage. You will not be able to use any of that wonderful space under the cockpit anymore and the diesel tank will take up some more valuable room.
You will be adding about 200 lb. of permanent weight to a boat that already weighs as much as a chip off the ol' Rock of Gibraltar. A diesel will push you through currents better than an outboard but, as Puffin demonstrated. Even an outboard powered Flicka can take on the strong currents of Alaska's Inside Passage (careful planning is the key).
And the expense! Yeooow! You're looking at an estimated $7,000 (1999) perhaps more. That's a lot of rum! But you're going to do it anyway, aren't you?
Rod Bruckdorfer
©: copyright 1999 Rod Bruckdorfer
