Well, not the sea, actually, just Cardiff Bay.
On Sunday we returned to the boat. I removed the steps to see about half an egg cup full of greasy water in the bilge, clearly run through from the cockpit locker where some diesel soaked rags lay. No leaks then!
The warranty card required that we run the engine for 15 minutes at 50% revs, 15 minutes at 75% and 15 minutes flat out. We left the pontoon, still not quite able to grasp the fact that Ishtar now answered the throttle immediately, no 30 second delay whilst the old engine gradually heaved Ishtar into motion.
The movement now was instant. The prop walk, unnoticeable with the Bukh, was clear, and going astern in a controlled manner, choosing your direction was now possible. Off into the bay we went. We ran through the checks, watching the warning lights all along for any problem. None. Running a brand new engine at 3600 revs seemed very harsh, but that was the manufacturers recommendation, so we did it. No sign of any problem, and 6.4 knots, Ishtar's hull speed reached.
We spent another hour running back and forth across the bay. There was a slight squeaking at 2000 revs, which dissappeared above that, which will have to be identified. The ventilator fan, recommended by Beta but missed out by many people we have spoken too, was a lot lounder than we had anticipated. Apart from these minor issues, everything was perfect.
So, engine is in, seems fine. Now we have to put the boat back together. Clean up. Put away all the tools, put back the cushions, food, water and so on. Hopefully, in a week or two, we can be out in the Bristol channel, using Ishtar as she was intended, and this last six weeks will all be behind us.
