During the pre-purchase research we did before settling on a Freeport as our target boat we noticed how many owners had either re-powered their boat or were actively planning to. This was a bit surprising to us because the same research had told us that both the Perkins and Pathfinder, the two factory preferred Freeport power plants, were pretty bulletproof. Also, from other personal experiences, we know that with simple and regular maintenance, diesel engines of all stripes are typically renowned for their durability and longevity in almost any application. After we finally got Circe we did hear that her 4-108 Perkins had a reputation for being a bit of a 'drip', usually from the rear seal but, to us, that alone didn't seem a good enough reason for a $12K re-power job! All a bit confusing?
Certainly, our early experiences with our Perkins (new in 1996) have been very good. It always starts instantly, doesn't smoke, is very economical and we don't see any significant oil leaks. In the end we decided that we would give Circe's original engine every opportunity to stay on board until such time as it gave us a very good reason to yank it out!
Certainly, our early experiences with our Perkins (new in 1996) have been very good. It always starts instantly, doesn't smoke, is very economical and we don't see any significant oil leaks. In the end we decided that we would give Circe's original engine every opportunity to stay on board until such time as it gave us a very good reason to yank it out!
OK, I know this post is headed Bilge/Engine Compartment, but bear with us....we're getting there! So, while we were happy to leave the Perkins 4-108 diesel in place, we weren't happy with the condition of surrounding engine compartment and adjacent bilge areas.
Yup...kinda cruddy down there. Although everything is working fine, not only do the pipes, hoses and wiring need some serious tidying up but the insulation on the engine compartment walls and the underside of the access covers is disintegrating and the duct tape 'seals' for the access covers are really cute!! I'm also not too sure about the Rube Goldberg exhaust elbow....Nasty!
Because the insulation on the underside of the engine compartment access covers is shot, every time we opened one there was a shower of fossilised foam down onto the engine and into the bilge. Perfect lubrication for the bilge pump....NOT! So, first things first. The foam had to come off the access covers and that duct tape had to go.
What a mess! We couldn't believe the amount of adhesive that had been slathered on to hold a small piece of foam. This is another of the tell tale signs that quality was starting to slide towards the end of the Freeport production run in the early 1980's!
It took literally hours to scrape everything off the five covers.
With all the aggressive scraping we couldn't avoid a few gouges that had to be sanded out.
The masking and painting went a lot faster. We used a Lowes alkyd enamel primer/sealer and satin finish paint which was much cheaper than anything the marine stores were offering, but just as good for this application!
Hatches drying on the finger pier.
Felt pads in the corners of the covers finished the prep work. Insulation goes on next.
We never did find out what the duct tape was all about it but it also had to go! As it was antique and had crumbled and de-laminated due to age it was also a bear to clean up!
We used plastic sheets to keep all the junk out of the bilge while we scraped and sanded for hours!
Now that looks a bit better. The next stop is the wiring and the mess on the engine compartment walls.
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