Tuesday 6 October 2015

One mobile phone down .... work carries on

Despite the loss of my mobile phone containing several pictures of the ongoing progress of my Pathfinder build, work has carried on.
Photographic evidence of spiling and fitting the benches is lost however here's some photos of the latest developments:
- the forward deck beams are epoxied and screwed in place


- and here's a picture of the (to use a Formula 1 expression) power unit of the boat.


Instead of a standard transom hung outboard (which is unsightly to me on this kind of boat) or an outboard in a well, I opted for an own made inboard solution. The donor motor is a 1975 evinrude 4hp two stroke outboard. It is coupled to a honda 5 hp outboard gearbox and case through a belt and pulley arrangement.

The idea is to reproduce the concept of a sail drive, where the former honda gearcase will be built into the boats keel. A brass impeller pump is driven by gears from the gearbox shaft.

All components and parts were sourced rather cheaply on ebay while the motor itself was found in the trash bin of a small boatyard.

First power up of the modified engine in the boat worked really well. The adaptation work involved building an adapter flange, adding a shaft and bearings, belt and pulleys and an exhaust manifold. The engine itself received quite a lot of attention as well: new head gasket, coil, breakers and condenser and rebuilt carburettor. I have adapted the flywheel and recoil started from another similar aged evinrude outboard I order to keep the motor's height within the height of the main benches. The motor will be fully enclosed a watertight aft compartment not exceeding the height of the cockpit seats.

Being a small twin cylinder the motor is really quiet. It starts like a charm after I've adjusted the timing accurately.



2 comments:

  1. Lorenzo, the sail drive is a great idea, I normally don't like them for yachts as any maintenance usually means a haul out, but for a boat which can easily be ashore on a trailer it makes so much sense.

    please write and tell us more details on how you made it,

    Best regards

    Max

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  2. Hello Max,
    thank you for your comment and your interest. I will dedicate a post to on my inboard solution soon!
    Lorenzo
    P.S. It'd be great if during a future trip to Provence you'd stop by

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