We, here in the northwest, had a break from the dismal excuse for spring weather on Saturday. It was one of the first dry days we’ve had in a while, not to mention one of the first this month above 50. Our good friend Bill was available for a quick afternoon trip, so I seized the opportunity and off to the marina with a shiny red engine and a sense of enthusiasm we went.
To solve the problem of handling the engine between the garage and trailer and then the dock, I made a frame out of 2X4 timber and strapped it to the engine with motorcycle straps. The result was a akin to a double ended wheelbarrow, which worked very well. The problem of getting it from the dock into the cabin and subsequently into the engine compartment was solved for me by virtue of the fact that Sojourn is, after all, a sailboat. We rigged the main halyard to the engine sitting on 
the dock. I manned the winch, while Bill and my slip neighbor, Matt, guided the engine over the gunnel and down the companion way. Short on time, we left it there for the night.
Sunday, the weather returned to its less than spring-like dampness, wind and gray, but not so much to prevent me from moving the engine from the cabin sole to the engine compartment. This went with out a hitch, even by myself. I ran a motorcycle strap between the end of the mast and the halyard to keep the engine from swinging toward the mast. The lifting eyes were ideally located on the
Beta and permitted me to get all four feet on the beds in one shot. To scoot it back into position and adjust the feet, I rigged it though the deck hatch and put some tension on the halyard.
Voila, a shiny red engine in its new home. (Sorry, my final image was too fuzzy to post. Stay tuned.)
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