George, again sorry for the delay in this reply:  so many things, so little time!!  Anyway, to answer some of your questions, here goes.  By the way, we are located in Marion, MA, and plan to do most of our cruising on the East Coast:  Buzzards Bay, Maine Coast, and down a bit south.

We are repowering with a Yanmar 4JH4-HTE, which is a 110 hp engine.  We debated using a smaller Yanmar engine, but the price differential was relatively small and having the extra muscle seemed worthy.  Who knows, maybe we can even get some wakeboarding in.  Maybe?  Well, I'm too old for that anyway!!!  I expect the engine to be installed in a month or two.  I am still preparing the engine room.

Part of that preparation has included replacing all of the boat's seacocks and through-hulls.  The existing valves were tapered plug Groco and had frozen so tight I couldn't overhaul. So, I removed them and installed new Groco Bronze with SS ball valves through out the hull.  I removed the old salt water strainer/valve combo as it was too small for the new engine and in a precarious location.  I replace it with a 1.5 inch strainer mounted on the forward engine wall.  This strainer will supply a bronze manifold which will feed the engine, the deck wash, the galley, and a water maker.  I just finished installing all of the valves this past weekend.

I found that the plywood backing plates used in 1976 had survived fairly well.  However, most were starting to show signs of delamination and rot.  So, I replaced the backing plates with 1/2 inch solild fiberglass plates which should shoulder the load quite well.

I installed soundproofing and this weekend will begin installing the necessary plumbing for the accessories:  freshwater system, water maker, water strainer, deck wash, etc.  I hope to have the engine room prepared for the engine in a couple of weeks.

Our galley/dinette ports are the traditional big bronze beauties.  However, our center ports of those three open.  This will be a great feature at anchor, but do accumulate a bit of water when it rains.  The gaskets on all of our opening ports have failed and I am installing new gaskets as I go.  The big galley/dinette opening ports needed a lot of work to keep the leaking out.  Unfortunately, the leaking ports contributed to the significant dry rot in the cabin.

Other than that, work continues on the fresh water plumbing and preparing for a complete rewiring.  Thankfully, I am starting to see progress now with the installation of actual gizmos.  For so long all of my work was in preparing and in stuff you couldn't really see.  After so much demolition, it is nice to see the boat take shape again.

By the way, kudos to Bud!  I needed to replace all four of our gate stanchions.  He was a great support helping me get new ones made.  They went in easily and not only look great, but are now safe.

More later!

Doug

Jay...if I may. I am going to use armacel for the insulation on my boat. I will use it from the water line above and overhead.

Here is a link to a PDF on it. http://www.armacell.com/www/armacell/ACwwwAttach.nsf/ansFiles/US_M&O%20_Hull_Insulation_Jobstory.pdf/$File/US_M&O%20_Hull_Insulation_Jobstory.pdf

Hopes this helps.

Jay, I have used Soundown (or Sound Down) noise reduction insulation.  I purchased it from Jamestown Distributors, but I assume it is also available from other distributors.  I used the 1.5 inch thickness in order to attenuate as much of the noise frequency as possible.

The Soundown insulation looks like an open cell foam with a 1/8' or just a little less vinyl sheet sandwiched in between.  One side, which faces into the engine space is coated wth a mylar "rip-stop" facing and the other side, installed against the bulkhead or other engine room structure is the open foam.  The panels I purchased are 54' by 96', but smaller panels may be available.

When one installs the insulation, one cuts the needed shape and then takes mylar tape to seal the edges.  The cut and prepared panel can them be mounted on the bulkhead.  To mount, you can use the Soundown pins, Weld Mount posts, or a 3M spray adhesive.  Since I was covering the insulation with panels on which to mount pumps, hoses, etc, I used the spray adhesive.

After much research into my options, I found the Soundown pricing to be the best on $ per square foot.  Now, I used the big panels which are the most economical, but even in a smaller format, the pricing was better than other options.  The other available sound attenuation products may work just as well, but this seemed easy to install, had a relatively esteemed application resume, and was priced attractively.

I plan to have the new engine installed in a month or two, and I probably won't get to hear what the insulation really does until next summer.  However, I removed the original foam and lead insulation from Harmony during my restoration.  The old sound insulation was in horrible shape and mildewed.  I believe the lead sheet was the only mechanish providing some attenuation or absorbtion of certain frequencies.

Hope this helps!

Doug

I thought long and hard about the open cell foam issue, but after sealing the myriad leaks on Harmony, I feel confident that the engine room should remain relatively safe for it.  In order to minimize whatever risk exists, I have encased the Soundown under a sealed marine plywood sheathing.  The sheathing provides a bright surface for light reflection, and a mounting surface for systems pumps, plumbing, and wiring.  Since I installed it a several weeks ago, it has remained dry.

As for pictures, I have taken some but need to organize them for clarity.  That little job is always left to the end of the "day" and I never get around to before I start the next day in the boat!!  I will work on that, and then I can figure out how to post them efficiently.

By the way, the soggy "old" insulation was soaked when the cockpit sole was removed to take out the engine and never sealed when put back in place.  Now, soggy is a relative term, but when I took possession of the boat the engine pan was awash in water, grease, fuel and other engine viscera.  With the cockpit sealed and other leaks eliminated, the only moisture comes from condensation as the temperatures swings.

Doug