We are in the Water!!!!

Our fabulously talented mechanic at Al’s Mobile Marine Service finished our engine rebuild late last week. It was a daunting job of putting the engine, damper plate, transmission, muffler and prop shaft back together. Seeing all of our engine and other parts scattered about our cockpit, awaiting installation, was intimidating. Somehow, all of these pieces needed to find themselves carefully puzzled back together and perfectly aligned. Yikes!! We were very thankful to have a professional on the job!

But it hasn’t been without challenges, of course.

First, the screw holes for our new motor mounts were misaligned. Yikes! Thankfully, the on-site welder a.k.a. Chuck-the-miracle-worker, saved our bacon. Not only did he expertly re-drill proper holes but he dropped his other projects to do it. In 10 minutes, we had perfect motor mounts for Al to install, and for a mere $20 charge by Chuck. He is incredible!

Second, the…ummm, wait a minute…there were no other challenges! Al was able to get all pieces installed and aligned without too many adjustments or obstacles. It took a full four days but he did it. Finally, on Wednesday, the engine test could be done. I held my breath as Mike turned the engine start key for the first time in over 9 months. But I shouldn’t have worried. The engine turned on and purred like a little kitten. She was quiet. She was smooth. She took our breath away. Al was very pleased with all of his tests and retests. There was nothing left to do but smile. We have a working engine again! Check out the video of our test engine run. 

But it is not just our old engine running again. No, Al added modern checks and balances into the system which will make it so much easier to troubleshoot. He also took the time to walk through how to maintain the engine so that it stays pristine. This was the most incredible part for me especially. I was very curious about this engine rebuild and Al eagerly answered all of my questions and patiently taught me some of the tips and tricks to make our maintenance and troubleshooting so much smoother and more thorough. Of course, he did the same for Mike but the incredible part is that he worked through the engine information with me directly. Al was very keen to get me involved. He handed me tools. He asked me my opinions. He answered every single one of my questions as though it was his life’s work that I completely understood. Brilliant and refreshing.

Old engine parts looking very tired

So many new parts!!!!

Our mechanic Al hard at work installing engine parts

Our pretty new engine!

​The few days that followed were a whirlwind of finalizing tasks so that Wild Horses could be launched. And she was. We were placed in the water yesterday morning and it was a wonderful moment for the whole Wild Horses crew. The next several days will be very busy as we finish prepping the dinghy and boat for life on the water. We plan to start heading south later this week 😊.

Getting a new boot stripe painted onto Wild Horses

Victoria helping remove the straps from Wild Horses after we were lifted so we could reinstall our rudder

Our rudder is ready to be lifted into place

Our rudder, engine, prop and shaft are installed and now it is time to go in the water

Lots of cruiser friends watch our launch

Ah, our view from the waterline

Our favourite yard kid Joel stands in the wood blocks that used to support Wild Horses

Our first dinghy trip into the sunset after our engine rebuild. It feels good!

​Now, the whole week wasn’t super easy. Ocean managed to dislocate one of her front toes rushing down the stairs from the boat. She was a week with a splint and is now working through the tenderness of the toe but her limping gets less and less every day. There is never a dull moment on Wild horses! 😉

Ocean at the vet office after her splint was applied

Lots of kids welcomed Ocean home from the vet

Johnathan the yard chief gives Ocean a special get well gift

Lots of love for Ocean!

Ocean sports a splint full of well wishes!