That it was running at all was a testament to the maintenance done by the previous owners and me, as well as the quality of the rather “agriculturally” marinized little Yanmar tractor engine to start with. Like pretty much every sailboat auxiliary, it had been laid up for the winter, was often run slowly to conserve fuel on long passages, and spent many hours idling to charge batteries - about the worst way to operate a diesel engine. That never happened with my boat’s little engine. Just as I tied up at the Oldport dock, the overheating alarm went off for the last time.Ī good way to keep a diesel engine operating well is to run it under load on a regular basis. I sailed over, and just off his dock in the heart of town, I fired up the old Yanmar. A glorious night sail upwind in 20 knots of breeze got me home to Newport, and in the morning, Mike said he was ready for me. He told me to come on over because he just happened to have the engine I needed sitting in his office and he could have me sailing again before Labor Day weekend.

I told him I was ready for that new engine we’d discussed at the Newport International Boat Show the previous summer. After spending one more sunny summer afternoon while moored in Vineyard Haven, Martha’s Vineyard, attempting to fix the engine, I finally gave up and placed a call to Mike Muessel, owner of Oldport Marine in Newport, Rhode Island. I was craving a nice, low-maintenance alternative - especially given our plans to sail to the Caribbean one winter soon. Every time my wife and I went for a cruise, I had to waste precious time fixing the engine.

The 30 hp Yanmar 3HM30 diesel engine had given good service since my C&C 40 cruiser/racer, Peregrine, was built 36 years ago, and though it still fired up the instant the starter button was pressed, keeping it running hadīecome a constant chore. Gleaming in the August sunshine, the new engine is swung over the main hatch.

Yanmar 8 hp