Sailing life: Could we have caught our sailboat on fire?
October 29, 2023 · 33 min · 1K views · United States
What this video covers
After rebuilding the diesel engine aboard Adventure Can't Wait, Sam discovers the exhaust elbow is rubbing against the doghouse — a weld that had partially failed was allowing hot exhaust gas to escape and melt fiberglass insulation.12:48 Jessica had been smelling something burning for weeks; stripping the soot-covered insulation during a cleanup revealed the scorched area and confirmed the fire risk.11:35 Sam removes the exhaust assembly, takes it to a local welder in Santa Rosalia, Baja California, who checks and redoes every weld, then reinstalls it with fresh header tape.25:24 Separately, Sam fabricates a mount from hardware-store parts sourced across multiple shops in Santa Rosalia to add an air filter to the diesel's air intake — the engine had only a plastic air silencer from the factory, and Sam wanted filtration after the costly rebuild.2:00 A 2-inch flared hose from an auto parts store bridges the air silencer to the filter.6:15 Remaining insulation is removed because it was the soot source; replacement insulation is unavailable in Mexico and goes on the Amazon list for the next U.S. trip.28:38 The lesson: a persistent unexplained smell after engine work warrants immediate investigation, not dismissal.
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