Engine Out

Ruby, our Swan 431, is temporarily decommissioned. The engine is now out with replacement expected to take place over the next few weeks. We decided to replace the engine as I’ve had one engine failure underway. All turned out well. It did test my wits, though, and I recognized it’s important to do everything possible to avoid moving forward. Engine failure is the most common cause of sailboat accidents. Replacement is preventative. And so will be the routine maintenance.

I once heard that a Perkins engine that doesn’t leak oil just doesn’t contain oil. I must admit that I was surprised at the amount of oil that leaked from this engine after a few trips across the bay to shipyards. I won’t be missing the old Perkins. While it probably could have been serviced, I wouldn’t have trusted it to be reliable. The yard that removed it indicated it’s not even worth selling for parts.

I’ll be replacing the engine with a Volvo Penta D2 50. It will be an equivalent hp at the prop. More on the process later.

Stay tuned for more and also updates regarding additional planned work.