Engine removal

[Murrelet]

I am removing an Atomic 4 from my Tartan 30. Any suggestions as to how to lift it and move it aft to the companionway without damaging the boat. I am going to lift the engine with a 5 ton hoist at the yacht club. So no need to rig anything to the boom.

[hcrisp]

Try a 2 x 12 at least 8' long and a fulcrum. And Bert Large.
I slid an A4 out from under my Bristol 27 cockpit and into the main cabin after lifting it off the engine beds by having a large friend stand on the opposite end of the (teeter totter) plank. A six pack might by required.
Howard

[Marty Levenson]

Be damn sure the output coupling is clear of the shaft before lifting, or upward pressure can bend the shaft. DAMHIK

[wristwister]

Folks, the engine is all the way forward by the mast in a Tartan 30. I've often noodled on how I'd ever swap engines in my T30 if the need ever arised.

I can't imagine any kind of lever arm that long supported from outside the cabin that would do the trick. I believe I saw pictures some time ago of a rough gantry system someone slapped together out of 2X4s on the cabin floor to lift the engine and move it back to the companionway. From there I suppose you could use some sort of crane or external gantry to get the motor out the companionway and onto the dock. I've also seen folks rig the boom as a crane and move the engine that way.

One of my favorite T30 sites is the T30 makeover site at www.t30makeover.com. Very inspirational what this guy's done with his T30. He has a couple pages describing the removal and installation of his A4 that might give you some ideas here http://www.t30makeover.com/id51.html. Sounds like he just laid some wood on the cabin sole and he and some buddies muscled the engine back to the companionway.

Good luck! Keep us posted on how you end up doing this.

[sastanley]

Yeah..the issue with a T-30 is the engine is over the keel. A couple strong friends to get it up on some runners might work pretty well.

Murrelet - Where are you? There a lots of us around..maybe we can come help?

[romantic comedy]

This engine is not that heavy. Use a pry of two to lift a little at a time. Go in 1 1/2 increments. Maybe get a piece of plywood. Use the pry to swing it over to the floor.. or something like that...

The engine will skid along the pan powered by one man. Go a little bit and reblock. No major hoisting needed.

You could even try a roller or two.

[The Garbone]

Worst case you can take it apart and remove it one bit at a time. Will a furniture dolly fit on the floor of a T30? I kept my rebuild on a dolly so I could wheel it out into the driveway and work on it in the sunlight.

[Murrelet]

I am in Long Beach California. My plan was to cover the sole of the cabin with plywood. Lift the motor with a fulcrum and bottle jack onto a dolly. Then role it aft to the companion way. After that just lift it out with the hoist at the yacht club.

[ndutton]

Have you ever considered adding a skylight hatch right behind the mast? It could make the initial lift a breeze. Minney's has them new in the box for a reasonable price. They're upstairs in the room to the right.

[Oldlaxer1]

Originally Posted by Murrelet

I am in Long Beach California. My plan was to cover the sole of the cabin with plywood. Lift the motor with a fulcrum and bottle jack onto a dolly. Then role it aft to the companion way. After that just lift it out with the hoist at the yacht club.

Hopefully I never have to remove mine but just in case...take lots of pictures.

[Al Schober]

One option for lifting the T30 engine is to pop out a window on each side and run a 4x4 through the cabin. Personally, I added a 10x10 hatch/skylight just forward of the spray hood - it's a nice addition.

[marthur]

Here is an idea that might help, from an older post. Zach used a weights and a lever arm to easily remove / place the motor.

Look at post #2 in this thread:

Removing engines with useful posts by Don and Zach

The pictures of his setup are here:
Photos of Lifting

[Nanook]

If strength/mobility are issues, you can use pieces of PVC pipe as rollers. 3/4" sched 40, a couple inches wider than the engine, should work just fine. A 10' stick at the big box store is a couple bucks.

The only down side is it can get exciting if you push hard. Two or three pieces under the pan will let it roll and give you a couple pieces to put in the direction of travel to seamlessly get to where you want to go.

[BunnyPlanet169]

Originally Posted by The Garbone

Worst case you can take it apart and remove it one bit at a time.

Bingo. Remove the starter, alternator, manifold, front flywheel cover (if cast iron), flywheel. Anything else that's loose. Drain the oil - no seal on the flywheel end - and you don't want to drop a quart on the cabin floor by tilting it forward. With that stuff off, two people can lift, and one person can slide easily. Lift it onto some towels and slide it until it's under the hatch.

[Murrelet]

Thank you for the ideas. This helps alot.

[BunnyPlanet169]

Don't forget to take pictures...