Diesel Engine Lift on a Catamaran - With EXTREMELY Tight Clearances (MJ Sailing - Episode 370)

When heavy equipment meets tight clearances, things get interesting fast. This episode is one of those moments where everything slows down, everyone’s watching closely, and every single inch matters. We’re getting our diesel hybrid engine off the ground and into the cockpit — which sounds straightforward, until you remember we’re working with tight clearances, heavy equipment, and zero room for mistakes. What you’ll see here is a lot of planning, a lot of problem-solving, and a reminder that with a catamaran… even installing a single engine often means doing things twice. It’s one of those behind-the-scenes projects that really shows how much coordination goes into moving something this big without damaging the boat we’ve spent years building. After this huge moment of stress, we move back indoors to the ease of conduit.  Ease of emotions that is, because fitting myself back into some of these cupboards to glass still requires a little training in gymnastics. But after getting these holes in our bulkheads sanded down and glasses, soon I'll be able to go back to my favorite task of fairing and priming. In the *next* episode, things get even more exciting as we bring the engine inside the boat and start maneuvering it into its final home in the aft guest berth — a huge step toward this system actually becoming part of the boat. As always, thank you so much for being here and supporting us. Your encouragement, comments, and backing truly make moments like this possible, and we’re incredibly grateful to have you along for the ride. 💙⚓️