Sadler Point Marina - The Genset has Landed!

The genset starts its journey

The Kohler genset arrives! After three days of prep work, it was time for the installation of the genset into the starboard locker. One may ask what takes three days to get ready?  First the old genset had to be removed so a lot of cutting of hoses and electrical lines was in order. There was already a raw water inlet valve and hose and also an outlet for the exhaust. Well, we're installing a larger genset and it needs larger fittings. The raw water input was big enough, luckily, but the exhaust was too small so the existing hole had to be enlarged. The flooring had to be completely removed and redone to allow for more headroom for the taller genset. The aft locker needed a new shelf for the new location of the exhaust muffler. Holes had to be drilled through bulkheads to accommodate the flow of the exhaust hoses and the air supply to the genset. The shelf in the starboard locker had to be cut and then hinged so it could be folded up and out of the way during the installation of the genset and when working on it for maintenance items. Whenever wood was modified, it had to be fiberglassed to protect it from deterioration in the marine environment. New AC lines had to be run to accommodate the more powerful output. A new controller had to be installed in the galley for remove starting and monitoring. So all that prep work took three days.

Floating downward - hope the rope doesn't break!!

By late this morning, everything was in place and we moved Fleetwing to the travel lift well. Out came the new genset floating in mid-air, moving slowly to a position directly over the starboard locker, its new home. The opening had already been cut out some to give more room for the genset going through the hatch. They tried one way but it didn't fit and then they went in backwards and was able to "spin" the genset once it was inside the locker so the exhaust hoses faced aft. I had never believed there was enough room to do that but apparently there was.

It's a very tight fit. This way didn't work, they had to relift it and turn it 180 to get it in

So now we sit with a new genset in the locker but not fully connected yet, that's a job for Friday. We need to turn it on and see how it runs. There's a host of minor things that need doing, not the least of which is balancing the boat given the heavier genset, 150 lbs more than the Panda which will require some lead ballast on the port side. When at anchor, I'd like the floor inside to be level, even 1 degree of list is too much.

Hopefully, everything remaining will be completed by Friday afternoon and we'll be ready to leave first thing Saturday for Fernandina where we plan on picking up a mooring.