Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Here is a post I wrote a few days ago when I thought I had the engine problem solved.  Turns out under the timing cover/gear case are some factory set pins and shims that require secret knowledge from Westerbeke and also tools that even Westerbeke licensed mechanics don't have access to.  So, I am still trying to figure out a solution but I didn't want to waste this great post with some really awesome pictures of animals behaving like people.

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So the engine saga continues.  The cracked gear case has been difficult to fix due to the unavailability of parts.  The engine is a Westerbeke 30b built on a Mitsubishi LE3.  I was able to find the part from Mitsubishi in Japan but couldn't confirm that it would work with the engine after Westerbeke's modifications.  After many phone calls I was able to find the part from Westerbeke for $1200 and a 6-week delivery time frame!  At that point we decided to drive home for a visit.  No point in sitting in a boat yard in Key Largo sulking.

The time at home was a salve for our stress.  I got to visit with a few friends and the kids got to do the winter things they miss.  Remember in the early days of the trip when I would post pictures of animals when I didn't have any of my own?  Here's what we got up to at home (the active ones are the kids.  The lazy ones are me.  The hard working one is Reg):

  

     

Eventually I was able to find a used engine for sale in Punta Gorda that my mechanic could strip the gear case off.  On Sunday morning I flew into Fort Myers, rented a car, picked up the engine, and drove back to Key Largo.  As I type this my mechanic is taking that engine apart and should be here tomorrow to start installing the case on our engine.

The rest of Binary's crew is still in the cold waiting to be summoned back when we have a functioning boat again.