I scheduled a crane for Friday to remove the mast and engine. Problem was that by Thursday night I still had not been able to free the starboard aft motor mounts. They were in a very tight space and on top of that the bolts had been spun smooth so using a socket on them was a no go. Apparently in the past someone else had tried to remove them and gave up. They had to be placed before the galley cabinetry was put in because there was seriously no room to get a wrench on the bolts or nuts.
What to do?!?!? Remove the galley! That is exactly what I did. I got up very early Friday morning and attacked the galley with my new and very handy oscillating multi-tool. This thing cuts fiberglass like butter and goes through wood like cheese. It took me about 2 hours to go from this:
to this:
With the galley space now open I could reach the &^%$ engine mounts at the rear of the engine on that side. Unfortunately the multi-tool's blade was not long enough for the next phase so I brought out the big guns! A sawz-all! Using a sawz-all gives a person a certain feeling of dominance over all other things. With one in my hands I am a God of destruction! Well, this time I only needed to cut about 4 inches of 1/4" fiberglass and here is the result:
It is kind of hard to see in the pic but that mount is totally free of the boat. Now the engine is just sitting there waiting for the crane. As it turns out the crane never showed up on Friday. A call to say that you were not coming sure would have been nice Mr Business Man! Oh well, I have been struggling with this engine mount situation for nearly a week and I am glad it is over finally. Victory is mine!
I found this pick while tearing up the galley. Being superstitious, I brought my guitar out to the boat and strummed it and all I could hear was good vibrations! I am considering it a good luck charm and will put it under the mast along with a coin when I restep it.
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