We are happy to report that the new Genset has been successfully installed. We were very anxious about this project, but the mechanic we hired here in Martinique (Didier), hit it out of the park. The project went exactly as he said it would, and he ended up charging (no pun intended) less than his original estimate. There were no scratches to the boat, no dings, not even any fluids dripped! We couldn’t have been happier with how the project went.
I can’t say enough about how refreshing it is to deal with people who are honest, hard working, and pleasant. That is what we have found with the service people here in Martinique. From Geatan and Phillipe at Caraibe Marine who did our rigging, to Alban and Francois at the Amel Service Center who re-built our main furling and outhaul motors , Frank at Multi Interventions who did some electrical work, and Didier who helped with our generator, these people were all of the same mold. Every time we completed a project, Anna Marie and I would look at each other and just say, “how great was that” and “how nice is he”. We can’t recommend these people highly enough.
The following photos were taken the afternoon we pulled out Sparky I.
The blanket is protecting the main engine. The wood planks were used as ramps to guide the old genset out of the engine room.
Didier’s helpers guide Sparky I out of the engine room
Easy does it!
Out she comes!
Didier (R) and his assistant (L) guide the generator out of the boat as the crane operator (C) raises the unit.
Didier expresses his joy at a job well done
Didier removes parts from the old generator. These will become spares or sold on eBay
The following morning, Sparky II was lowered into the engine room. Later that afternoon, Didier began bolting everything into place and making all the fuel, exhaust, and electrical connections.
Sparky II arrives in the boat yard. Didier uncrates the unit and removes parts that may be in the way during engine room entry
Isn’t she beautiful!
Didier guides the new generator to the boat
Didier’s assistant guiding the genset towards the engine room
In she goes
Didier and his assistants muscle the generator onto the engine mounts. Voilà!
Job very well done!
Glad it went so smooth Paul! We had the same experience with the service folks there. Much different than further south.