REBUILD or RE-POWER our Sailboat? Our Engine is SEIZED... Ep 430
December 26, 2025 · 21 min · 33K views · Kareeberg Local Municipality, South Africa
What this video covers
Josh returns to Nandji 2, a Tayana 47 CC berthed in Hout Bay, South Africa, to find the engine hydro-locked and seized after saltwater entered while the boat sat unattended for at least four months.Watch The oil sump, initially showing no milky oil on the dipstick, pumps out nearly straight water; salt crystals pack the interior around the injectors; and the waterlock on the exhaust is full — evidence the failure developed over an extended period, not just the four months away.20:08 The immediate question is whether to rebuild the existing engine or repower entirely, with reliability and cost in South Africa driving the decision.0:46
To access the engine, Josh first removes the generator solo, using Tallulah's skateboard to maneuver the roughly 300-kg unit through the companionway and into the cockpit.7:51 With the generator out, he exposes a 28–30-year-old bilge, begins scrubbing it with concentrated engine-and-bilge cleaner, and discovers a separate freshwater leak from a deteriorating original hose running beneath the engine bulkhead.11:02 He strips the engine down — turbo, heat exchanger, exhaust components — both to reduce weight for extraction and as a learning exercise, since he has never fully disassembled a diesel before.14:41 He also outlines a plan to eliminate the generator permanently by fitting a dual alternator on the new engine, doubling the current 170-amp output to keep the lithium house bank charged while motoring.15:59 The stripping process reveals the damage is more extensive than a straightforward rebuild, pushing the decision toward repowering.20:34
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