A few weeks before the engine got dropped in I got started on the final prep for the engine compartment. I had previously painted the compartment with bilge paint, but at the last minute I decided to reinforce the engine mounts. It's not that they were in bad shape, but epoxying a few more layers of glass couldn't hurt.
I didn't want to interfere with any of the engine mounting brackets, so I opted to add the glass to the inside of the mounts. I sanded the area down and cut out 2 layers of 1708 biaxial cloth for each side and trimmed them up for a good fit with a 2" overlap onto the hull. I glassed those in place and let them setup overnight. The next morning, I cut out 4 additional pieces of glass that extended further onto the hull right at the mounts and glassed those in.
Once cured, I bored out the mounting holes on the aft engine mounts because once the engine is in place, I won't be able to get a drill in there to re-tap. I left the forward engine mounts alone until the engine is installed because the access is better and I won't have to guess at their location. I followed up with another 2 coats of bilge paint.
Meanwhile, I had ordered butyl sound deadening mat and 1/2" sound/heat proofing foam and got to work on that. Once the engine was in place and connected to the cooling/exhaust systems soundproofing would be all but impossible. It's still a cramped area, but other than that it was an easy job. I just templated out the wall where the butyl and foam was to go and cut it into easy to manage pieces. Both the butyl mat and the foam have adhesive backing, so as long as you are careful once you pull the backing off, there's nothing to it. Once the engine is in and setup, I'll be adding more butyl mat and foam to the galley assembly that covers the engine compartment.
Finally, I installed the water lift muffler and the exhaust hose running to the aft port on the stern. This involved a lot of boat yoga to wiggle into the compartment on the starboard side to access the stern but I somehow managed without getting stuck. I'm hoping to get the engine on it's mounts this weekend followed by the transmission. Once that's done, I can start the initial alignment process and get the shaft full installed.
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| First 2 layers glassed in |
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| Third layer in progress |
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| Time for more paint |
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| Complete. Note the butyl mat installed in this picture. Foam goes over the top. |
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| Butyl mat and foam in place and seams mostly taped |
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| Much boat yoga required to get in this compartment |
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