Albin Sailboat Engine Transmission Service

Life is all about making our dreams come true. Even with a small budget, this is possible. My wife and I are living on a motor cruiser for five years now and we love the lifestyle that comes with living on board, although it is getting harder since counties are closing down on this way of being able to affordably live, and marinas also have become more strict. Since our cruiser depends on fuel for her twin Crusaders and we're not millionaires, we have bought a sailboat to get around.

Going in- and out of marinas and straight against the wind, we need a motor. The problem is that the gearbox doesn't work, not in any position. I started looking online for solutions and found a trouble shooting guide for our specific engine, an Albin 0-22.

Great, now I am feeling more confident that I can tackle the problem. The company's website also has an active shop where I can order parts. As the trouble shooting guide was talking about a 'little spring' and a 'big spring' to solve my problems I had to find exactly where in the diagrams I could find those springs. What a joy when I found the diagram on page 22!

Before ordering, I always need to be sure that that is the exact part that is broken or worn out. Therefore I still need to take out my engine. This also gives me the option to clean the engine room, and make possible repairs and improvements. I like to give the engine a fresh paint job as well.

Okay, the engine is connected to a lot of wires, fuel and water hoses, the exhaust, axle and motor mounts and control connectors. I start with making pictures of the wires and also describe where they are connected. The starter motor had terminals that turned around, when I tried to take off it's wires. To save time, I just moved the starter motor aside so I can still slide the engine. It is very important to make good notes of where everything goes! If possible, after taking things apart, I put the connecting bolts back so they won't get lost and I'm not getting confused about the complexity.

When I am done with all of this, I use crow bars to lift the engine and get it off its mounts. Now it needs to come forward so that I can pull her out of the boat, with the boom of my sailboat, supported by a halyon.

The trick is to use wood blocks and some grease to slide the engine over. And, always stay calm and cool. It's better to choose a colder day to do the heavy lifting. When everything is put back again, in working order, I know that I have done another good job, and that I can advertise my skill so others can use it as well.

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