The Engine Room - OMG, what a mess

When we purchased Harmony, she was missing her engine.  The old engine, an 85 hp Perkins 4-108, had been a finicky monster according to the Barden's Boat Yard mechanic, Peter. At some point before we came into the picture, the monster had been slayed.  However, what remained in the engine room was a gigantic mess!

Scattered all over the engine pan were various engine viscera and vital fluids.  Complimenting this slurry was a accumulation of rain water leaking from the ineffectively sealed cockpit sole. 

The engine pan and the slurry of engine viscera

As additional scenic embellishment, various engine room structures, hoses, cables, and sound insulation littered the space.

Assorted "junk" littering the engine room

Of course, the accumulated junk and pooling fluids added to the visual nightmare and the "old boat" aroma that was almost over powering.  However, Beth and I could see past this surface "blemish" and visualize what Harmony could become again.

Before, we could consider installing a new engine, we needed to clean the entire space up.  Harmony's engine room is really spacious, and we wanted to take advantage of that for mechanical systems, plumbing systems, and a potential work bench space. The first step was to remove the junk, old structures, cables, and wires. 

Next, came the elbow grease and a lot of cleaning solution.  Once I had removed the water, I needed to absorb the oil, diesel fuel, and other "stuff" that leaks out of an engine when its removed.  I also had to remove all of the steering cables as they had been cut and left to deteriorate in the water and grease.  Heck, it is just a few more boat dollars and a trip to Edson for new cables down the road!

I spent almost a full day with cleaning solution and rags, but I did get the engine pan to look almost new.  I also used a wire brush chucked into a drill to scrape as much of the chipping and flaking paint off of the surfaces.
 

The near spotless engine room pan

Well, it is amazing what a clean space can do for the spirits, not to mention the overall ambiance of the boat.  I could now walk around the engine room, which would allow me to plan how to organize systems, sound proofing, and seacocks and through-hulls.  What was once a gigantic mess is now a huge CLEAN blank canvas.  Nice!

Fair Winds and Following Seas!