Astraea Arrives in the Chesapeake

In June, 2010, Astraea was trucked across country to her new home in the Chesapeake Bay in Gaylesville, Maryland where she is now berthed on the West River at Hartge Yacht Harbor.  She was first taken to a boat yard in San Diego where her masts were unstepped, all her rigging removed, all stanchions, lifelines, and other topside parts removed and she was prepared for her long trip across country by truck.  She was then picked up by the professional boat movers of J. Daniel Marine Trucking.  Here are some pictures of her trip across country by land. 

Astraea securely sitting on her transport trailer.

Astraea Leaving San Diego at 3 o'clock in the morning, June 1, 2010. 

Astraea in the Midwest.  Not much water around here!!!!

A great picture of Astraea somewhere in the Midwest. 

\

Astraea crossing the Mighty Mississippi River.

Astraea arrives in Maryland

Very few boats on the Washington Capitol Beltway. 

The really tight final road, Church Lane, in Gaylesville, MD

Astraea is offloaded at Hardge Boat Yard in Gaylesville, Md.

June 11, 2010.  Astraea sits at Hartge Boat Yard and waits to be recommissioned. 

Change of Plans

In March of 2010 things suddently changed for Astraea and me.  I had planned to remain retired, but a great job offer suddenly came and my plans were changed.  As of March 22, 2010, I  began a great new job in Northern Virginia just outside Washington, DC.  On April 2, I contracted with J.Daniel Marine Co to transport Astraea across 3,000 miles of the United States, by land, to her new home in Annapolis, Maryland. 

This is a major change and one that was not expected, however I am looking forward to having Astraea in Annapolis where I first began to sail at the Naval Academy many years ago as a midshipman.  Astraea and I will now enjoy the waters of the Chesapeake. 

Watch this blog for photos of Astraea as she is hauled, prepared to transport, trucked across the country, and recommissioned in Annapolis, Maryland.

New Engine Ready for Installation

Finally, at last.  It seems this engine replacement has taken forever.  Astraea and I and our crew of two were scheduled to leave at the end of October last year for Mexico with the Baja Haha.  Just before departing I discovered a slight noise in the engine that concerned me, and further analysis by several mechanics confirmed my decision to pull and open and inspect the engine.  It was discovered that the engine, a year old with 160 hours on it, had an incorrrectly designed salt water cooling system that had allowed water to enter the engine.  It was ruined (see earlier posts for the gruesome details). 

The last five months has been a frustrating experience with mechanics, insurance company, boatyard, Westerbeke, ad nauseum.  Finally the new engine has arrived in San Diego at Cogswell Marine and has had the necessary modificatons made and is ready to install.  The installation is scheduled for Monday and Tuesday March 15-16.  The engine installation itself is not that complicated, as an identical engine is being installed.  The more complex part is redesigning and reworking the wet exhaust system to ensure that sea water will not enter the engine again.  I have full confidence in Pete Cogswell of Cogswell Marine that he has a proper design.  In fact, the design that he is doing is virtually identical to the original design of the old Isuzu engine that the boatyard tore out and replaced.  We are also installing a much larger custom made wet exhaust muffler.   

Now, however, a new twist has been added.  Out of nowhere I have received a job offer for a very senior executive position.  I had really decided a  year ago that my professional career was over and my future was sailing and retirement.  Now what could be a great professional opportunity has arisen.  I will spend most of next week oboard Astraea for the engine installation and decide whether to turn down the job and go cruising now, or to take the job and go cruising later.  My feelings on this shift from day to day.  This is going to take some real introspection, some soul searching. 

But for now, engine installation time.  Finally!  Next week!  As far as the job opportunity, well, as Scarlett O'Hara famously said, "I can't think about that right now. If I do, I'll go crazy. I'll think about that tomorrow."

New Engine sitting at Cogswell Marine, San Diego, ready for install March 15

Replacement engine to be ordered

Extensive review of the engine installation on Astraea determined that the wet exhaust system was improperly designed.  In the installation of the new engine on Astraea the design of the wet exhaust system had been done such that each time the engine was shut off the volume of water spilling down from the high point in the exhaust system was significantly greater than the vertical water lift muffler could handle.  This resulted in salt water from the wet exhaust backing up into the muffler system and then into the cylinders.  This process had apparently been going on since the engine was installed and the damage was cumulative, culminating in a point where the damage was so extensive that I could hear the knocking from the badly damaged cylinders.  It is actually quite amazing that the engine ran at all with such extensive damage.  It is apparent that it would NOT have run much longer as the corrossion was moving further into the engine with time.  Also, the height of the exhaust system loop had caused excessive back pressure, resulting in incomplete combustion and heavy carbonization and "gunking" of the engine with gooey black carbon in the culinders and valves. 

It is really inconceivable that Svendsen's Boat Works could have made such a major mistake in the design of the wet exhaust system.  I had trusted them with my boat, my life, and the life of my crew, and paid a premium price of about $36,000 for the repowering.  And they screwed it up.  Inconceivable.  Goes to show that paying premium price does not always assure premium quality.  I doubt I will ever trust a boat yard again. 

Hopefully we will soon be installing the new engine.  Perhaps some of the Winter cruising season in Mexico can be salvaged and the dream of cruising will become real, at last.  Better late than never.    

Engine out and disassembled

After almost two months since hearing a problem in my new Westerbeke engine the engine has been removed and disassembled in the diesel shop. It turns out it was NOT what I expected. It was not a bent rod or a bad rod bearing as four mechanics had thought.  The noise was a result of the 4th cylinder only occasionally firing due to serious corrosion. The 3rd cylinder was not much better. Also, the entire interior of the engine was full of carbon and gunk due to incomplete combustion caused by excessive backpressue.  The damage is the result of the cumulative process of water intrusion through the wet exhaust sytem since the engine was installed.

The engine is basically destroyed and beyond economical repair.

The engine was laid out at the diesel shop in Chula Vista like something from "CSI Diesel". All the parts laid out for inspection, analysis, and photographing. What an ugly mess. The poor combustion and the heavy salt water backflow had left it black and gooey and rusted all through the interior.

It could be worse. I am just thankful that I detected the strange sounds from the engine the week before I was scheduled to sail with my crew to Mexico in the Baja Haha. I am thankful that I made the decision not to leave port until the problem was resolved. Had I not taken these actions then I would probably be sitting in Mexico with an engine that is totally destroyed, an improperly designed exhaust system, and far from people who could help me resolve this problem.

Here are some pictures of the engine removal. It was must easier than I expected. Three men had the engine out and on the dock in about 2 hours. I was really surprised. However they were very experienced professionals and knew what they were doing. That always helps.

Here is the engine being disconnected from fuel, water, cooling, shaft, etc. and prepared for lifting.

Lifting the engine out of the engine compartment, which is below the cockpit sole.

The engine resting on the cockpit sole and ready to be manhandled aft to beneath the companionway.

The engine comes up through the companionway.  The end of the boom is being used as a lifting point for the hoist.

The engine, without the transmission, is swung out over the pier using the main boom as a crane.

The engine is apart and layed out in the diesel shop like something from "CSI Diesel Engine".  It is apparent that there was serious water intrusion form the wet exhaust system and also incomplete combustion due to excessive backpressure.  The engine is ready for the boatyard to inspect.  Now I wait and see if the boatyard will accept responsibility for their work.  I trust they will. 

$40,000 Toast

The mechanic from A to B Marine came on Friday.  This was the third master mechanic and their fourth trip to the boat over four weeks of waiting.  This time they did a pressure test of the cooling system, which held at 14psi and passed.  They then did a compression test and this showed a compression problem with cylinder four.  The theory is that the rod bearing, rod connector, or something else in cylinder four has failed, resulting in metal particles scoring the cylinder lining.  According to Richard Rock, one of the owners of A to B Marine, this engine is toast.  So now I have this big new red Westerbeke engine, which only has 180 hours on it, which cost about $14K+, and which cost another $22K-$26K to have professionally installed, and it is worthless.  Also, plans for Mexico and the South Pacific this year are looking grim unless somebody steps up to the plate and takes care of this under warranty QUICKLY.  The Westerbeke Warranty is a full parts, labor and material for the first two years, and full warranty for five years.  This engine has one year and only 180 hours, which is nothing for a marine diesel.

The Westerbeke reps tagged out the engine and disabled it so it could not be started and we wait, just like we have done for four weeks now.  Wait for Westerbeke reps to make decisions on what they are going to do.  Currently Astraea sits needing a heart transplant.  A big red Westerbeke heart.  Let's hope that Westerbeke stands behind their products and that this does not become some huge battle between a consumer and a big  corporation.  

The New Westerbeke 44B4 arrives at Svendsens's.  An exciting day!!!

 The engine.  What a beauty!  

My old loyal Isuzu.  She did not look like much but she performed well for 27 years.  The only problem with her is getting parts, service, maintenance, etc.  The new Westerbeke (theoretically) should provide years of worry free service.

The engine compartment steam cleaned, new engine base built,  ready to take the new Westerbeke.

 

 This is like a heart transplant for a boat.  A major evolution.  Took two master mechanics two weeks to do the work, plus lots of cleaners, painters, electricians, ship fitters, and riggers. 

 

 

The new Westerbeke being lowered into place and connected.

 

The new Westerbeke installation complete with new high capacity alternator and dual Racor 2 micron filters.  Little did I know that this $36,000 to $40,000 worth of new engine would be totally "toast" within 180 operating hours.  I am beginning to wish I had kept the old Isuzu and had it rebuilt.  I would now be in Mexico and preparing to sail to the South Pacific if I had not done this engine replacement.  I would also have had a lot more money in the bank and a lot less stress in my life. 

Waiting for Westerbeke

This weekend is three weeks since I first heard the strange noise coming from my new Westerbeke diesel engine.  This Monday will mark three weeks since I started calling the local San Diego distributor of Westerbeke, A to Z Marine, and asked for help.  Technically we are no further along now than we were three weeks ago.  After a year of planning and weeks of preparation Astraea sits all fueled and ready to sail to Mexico yet we just sit in the marina and wait..... and wait...... and wait.  Everyone tells me that I am fortunate that this happened in San Diego and not in Mexico, however I am beginning to feel like San Diego is a third world country as far as getting anything done on my engine.

The West Coast Westerbeke representative told the San Diego people at A to Z that they were certain that I had a classic and apparently common case of what he called "injector knock".  He said that apparently I had gotten some contaminated fuel and the contamination had gotten to the injector and fouled or damaged the injector and this was causing the knocking sound.  I found this difficult to accept in that I had only purchased fuel twice since the engine was new, one time in San Francisco and the other time in Half Moon Bay.  Both fueling depots were in excellent marinas and operated under brand names.  Also, the new engine has a top of the line dual Racor filter system with 2 micron filters, plus there is a 5 micron filter on the engine.  It did not seem possible that any contamination could have gotten through the gauntlet of those filters.  However as this guy is the West Coast honcho we had to wait until he had someone come out to do another test.  This test was to swap the injectors from cylindar one and four.  If after swapping the injectors the knocking sound moved from cylinder four to cylinder one then it would be apparent that the problem was the injector.  This would simply require the injector to go to the injector shop for inspection and repair or replacement.  Simple.

However Thursday the A to Z Marine people told me that a third master mechanic specializing the Westerbeke engines was coming to the boat on Friday morning to swap the injectors for this test.  I drove to San Diego the night before in order to be there when they arrived.  As promised the mechanic, Roger, showed up on Friday morning and swapped the injectors.  He then bled the engine fuel system of air and then we started the engine.  Unfortunately swapping the injectors resulted in no change in the engine nose.  The knocking was still coming from cylinder four.

In three weeks we have had three master mechanics sent by the Westerbeke reps come to the boat and do tests.  All three have now come to the same conclusion, that cylinder four has a bad rod bearing, bad rod connector, or other serious problem in the cylinder that, if not corrected, will result in throwing a rod through the side of the engine.

A to Z Marine promised to get back to me late last Friday (which they did not) or this coming Monday with further guidance from the West Coast Westerbeke rep.  I am beginning to worry about how long this is all going to take to just get authorization to fix this problem.  I have requested a new engine.  If this engine failed at 180 hours with a bad bearing then what is to say the other bearings will not also soon fail?  Also, trying to repair this engine would be a major job, much more complicated than just a swap out for a new engine.  The engine would have to be disconnected, lifted off it's engine mounts and up into the main salon, and then disassembled, inspected, repair parts obtained, engine reassembled, lowered back into place, reconnected, and tested.  I would have very little faith in the engine after having it all disassembled and reassembled, therefore I want a NEW ENGINE! 

I am anxious to get this whole project quickly started as every day of delay is another day in the Mexico cruising season lost forever.  Also, I have missed the Baja Haha, which I had been anxious to be in for the past year;  I lost my crew, and they lost their airline tickets back from Mexico.  I have also lost my non refundable marina depost of $600 for LaPaz, and my ticket back to Palm Springs from Cabo for the holidays.  Lots of plans and lots of dollars have been lost due to this engine failure. Counting additional marina fees in San Diego, lost deposits, lost airline tickets, wasted Mexican insurance fees, etc., so far this little debacle has cost me about $4000 in direct costs, not to mention the loss of cruising time...... which is priceless. 

What is really frustrating is that I spent $40,000 for this new engine just so I would not have to worry about problems like this.  I bought Westerbeke due to their excellent reputation and my experience with them in the Navy.  To have this happen is disheartening and disappointing, to say the least.    To see what this entailed click here for pictures and description of installing this new Westerbeke engine.     

I am attempting to be patient and polite, however thre weeks have passed and I have gotten nowhere other than three different mechanics coming to the same conclusion.  If something definitive does not happen soon then I am going to have to decide what step to take next.  I am still hopeful, however, that Westerbeke, who has been in the marine diesel business since 1937 and is an American company, will step up to the plate and do what is right:  move quickly to fix a serious problem with an very expensive engine that is still under full warranty.

Weserbeke, please do the right thing!!!!