[Don Moyer]

Hello,

I’m frequently asked for a set of basic steps that are necessary to go through when removing an Atomic 4 from a boat, so I finally prepared the following list. As my personal experience in removing engines from a boat is limited to the few times I removed one (or lifted one) from one of our own boats, I was hoping that those of you who have had the experience might take the time to contribute to this list. The job of removing an engine is obviously somewhat different for each boat, and I’m thinking that if you look over the list and can think of some item that you had to deal with on your boat, the list will become a more and more valuable tool for this very difficult job.

Thanks,

Don Moyer


BASIC STEPS FOR REMOVING AN ATOMIC 4 FROM YOUR BOAT:

1) Turn off the main battery switch and then remove the large battery cable form the starter solenoid and the large grounding cable from the engine.

2) Close the raw water through-hull, and remove the raw water hose from the inlet of the pump and from the fitting on the aft end of the manifold.

NOTE: When removing the various lines, wires, and hoses from the engines, it’s a good idea to attach tags or labels to facilitate reinstallation.

3) Remove the ignition lead from the positive terminal of the coil.

4) Separate the propeller shaft and engine output couplings. An 18” pipe wrench is the smallest pipe wrench that will go over the outside diameter of these couplings to hold them while you remove the retaining bolts.

5) Remove the two 9/16” bolts holding the exhaust flange to the aft end of the manifold. If these bolts are unworkable, you may be able to separate the end of the hot section from the inlet to the water lift muffler and remove the hot section with the engine. If the hot section is too large to remove with the engine, you may have to hacksaw through the 1 ¼” pipe directly behind the flange and replace the hot section of the exhaust.

6) Remove the fuel line, throttle cable, choke cable, and shifting cable from the engine. Be sure to close the fuel shut off valve before removing the fuel line.

7) Remove the upper nut from each of the adjustable engine mounts. If the engine is rail-mounted, remove the lag bolts from each of the 4 mounting holes. It’s frequently the case that rust will prevent you from removing the nut from one or more adjustable mounts, in which case you will have to remove the two lag bolts securing the base of the mount to the rail.

8) Remove the four-purchase main sheet block and tackle assembly from the end of the boom and secure it forward on the boom, using several wraps of line (3/8” or larger). Many folks remove the main sail before attaching the main sheet to prevent damage. However, it’s usually possible to wrap a carpet remnant around the sail to protect it without actually removing it. Connect the main sheet so that the cam cleat is down next to the engine. In this way you can pull up on the line as you lift the engine sequentially and pause from time to time to readjust things as necessary.

CAUTION: It is critically important to move the main halyard aft and connect it securely to the end of the boom to support the topping lift. Most topping lifts are not strong enough to support the boom when lifting an engine out of the cabin area. The tension on the halyard should be checked frequently during the lifting operation to be certain that it is sufficiently tight to keep the boom level.

9) Position the end of the main sheet as close as possible to the lifting eye bracket of the engine. It may be necessary to remove the companion way stairs to get close enough to the lifting eye to connect the main sheet shackle to the lifting eye.

10) As the engine is being raised, dimensions on your particular boat will determine what you will have to do to get the engine aft and into the cockpit. If you can get enough height, you may be able to simply swing the engine into the cockpit floor and slide it further aft. In worse cases, you may have to move a support into the cabin (a small step ladder usually works, and lay a 2x8 or 2x10 from the support to the cockpit on which to slide the engine.

11) Reposition the engine and lifting mechanism to the rear of the cockpit, and then lift the engine until it will clear the side of the cockpit. At this point, the engine can be swung over to a finger pier or to a truck if the engine is being removed on land. If the engine is to be lowered to the ground with the boat on jack stands, you will have to plan to support the engine part way down to add more chain or line to the main sheet, since the average main sheet will not have sufficient length to reach from the boom to the ground.