May 7, 2015
began the most difficult part of this particular engine installation: modifying the engine beds. The original Volvo Penta 2003T engine had
been coupled a MS2V V-drive gearbox that had a 20 degree down shaft angle. Not such a bad idea on Valiant’s part as it
kept the propeller at an adequate angle so that it would have thrust even in
pitching seas. Throughout the many years
from 1990, the engineering and obsolescence of the 20 degree down shaft angle
gearbox took place: no one was manufacturing them. The steepest down shaft angle available was a
ZF 15 degree MIV gearbox that had been made by Hurth before they were bought
out by the Italian company. This meant
that the engine beds would have to be reduced by 5 degrees. I had prepared for this and had the “Gold
Mine” from David: almost 200 pictures
with mechanical drawings showing the whole operation from start to finish. Using David’s experience and mechanical
drawings, my plan was to fabricate a template, in plywood, using the new Beta
50 footprint. This would be laid over
the existing 20 degree angle engine beds and new reference lines drawn to 15
degrees. Compensation would then be made
for the right angle aluminum capping rail
that would go on top of the fiberglass beds. The engine beds would then be at their
approximate correct angle. I put in
endless hours and sleepless nights fretting over how to get it done correctly.
On Gary’s advice, I contracted Wiwat
Tachagulpongkon, a local businessman and former Chief Engineer in the Merchant
Service. He was bright, knowledgeable
and had a good chandlery with a workshop nearby. He would provide the mechanics and any other
workers I needed. I would supervise and
direct the work being done. The problem
that I encountered right away was that no Thai general contractor had the
experience to read mechanical drawings.
They are at their finest when they are using an angle grinder, hammer,
chisel and screwdriver. The job was
going to be done by trial and error.
They were going to use the new engine as the ultimate template: 560 lbs of metal; haul it on the beds, take measurements, haul
it off. This went on for weeks while
they cut the engine beds smaller than they had to be and
then built them up with wood and fiberglass.
The project was a comedy of errors
with everything having to be done several times. Supervision was absolutely necessary all the
time: leave them alone for a minute and
mistakes were made. It was the most
difficult and frustrating part of the whole process. Thais want to please but the mechanical side
of their nature is one of general ineptitude.
Also, one must accept the fact that you cannot cause them to “lose
face”. It’s a delicate balancing act that
I managed to pull off in spite of being demanding and meticulous. Deng, the Thai worker that did all the
cutting of the engine beds was a very hard worker. It’s no easy task to sit inside a confined
space cutting fiberglass, adding wood and then reglassing.
The end result had to be that the
engine would align with the shaft. Some
adjustment could be made by the engine mounting bolts but all that hauling on –
hauling off had to produce results that were within Beta’s specifications. As an additional safety factor and increased
flexibility in the final alignment, I had ordered an R & D Flex coupling to
be installed forward of the engine shaft coupling. The final results of this will not be known
until Sea Trials take place in January 2016.
Overseeing the installation, from beginning to end, has given me a
complete understanding of the Beta 50.
After the the initial shaft alignment was taken and approved, I made all the other engine connections. I don’t ever want to go through that
experience again on this planet with only one moon.
On August 24th, the Beta 50
was successfully started and all systems and connections working. There will be some dynamic adjustments
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