Engine installation

I have been working slowly towards installing the engine, mostly collecting bits and figuring out how to secure it to the stringer.  I made up some engine logs out of scrap wood, I made brackets out of plywood and then gave it a go.

Its a little hard to see from the photo but the bracket that the front engine mount is sitting on is just plywood.  I design brackets on a CAD program, then print them out, stick them to the ply wood and cut them out with the band saw.  I reiterate the process until I get the design perfected and then send them out to be laser cut out of 316 Stainless and welded up.  Anyway this first attempt was a dismal failure, the design of the engine logs around where the transmission bolts up was completely wrong, and there was part of frame 3 in the way.  So not to worry I pulled it out and had a rethink

So I had a it of a rethink, the front bracket for the engine mount was fine, but just needed to be rebated in. Then I cut the step off.  It looks much better, and fitted much better but still not quite right.  At this stage I decided to stop and wait for some parts to arrive.  I had the shaft log, and associated parts coming from the states.

Placing these part in the boat gave me my first inkling of the trouble I was in. I had until this point assumed that the flange was going to be at least 100mm further aft than where it looks like sitting.  It was at this time I revisited the plans and started to worry.  I discovered that the strut is about 40mm further forward than it should be and the wrong angle.  Its 14 degrees instead of 16 degrees.  To be fair I knew it was the wrong angle but I had never done the maths on what effect it had.  The shaft should have been coming out through frame 2.  So in all its about 150mm too far forward.

Below are a couple of shots of the trial fits. At the moment I am investigating moving the strut pad, and drilling a new shaft hole. This is going to be challenge now that the boat is the right way up.