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Peter Volken Smidt – episode 2 – Electrifying a Contest 30
He who cannot share cannot multiply! At Robust-MT Marine Technology BV, we believe that success is a combination of factors. Knowledge is just one of them, but it's useless without facilities, resources, capabilities, and so on. For this reason, we will never be complacent about sharing knowledge or providing a platform to someone who deserves it, or when there's useful knowledge to share.
In episode 1, we met Peter Volken Smidt. This episode explores how the Contest 30 was stripped of its old diesel.
Although I am quite handy, the old diesel engine feels like a weight in the stomach. And yes, it is a compact engine, but hoisting a piece of scrap metal weighing over 100 kilos out of your boat is no easy task. To me, the engine is worth little more than the scrap metal price and a lot of hassle to dismantle; surely there are people out there who would still see some value in an old, running diesel.
While the boat is still in the water, I offer the engine for free via Marktplaats on the condition that it be professionally removed. In no time, I have enough responses and can choose who to give the work—and thus the engine—to.
Jan, a truck mechanic with a hobby of 'overhauling old diesel engines,' is keen on the project. I make an appointment, and Jan comes to the harbor with a mate, a mobile crane, and a trailer to remove the engine. And it must be said, in less than an hour, Jan has neatly loosened all the seized bolts and nuts, and the engine is ready to be hoisted out through the cockpit hatch.
Compact is a relative term. The width of the opening was probably designed back then for an engine without a reverse gear. With a lot of hauling and groaning, we finally manage to rid the boat of the polluting diesel. Lightened by 130 kg of metal, the stern of the boat lifts slightly out of the water. Now that the engine is out, I enlist Jan to put the new, massive battery back into the boat, because I'm sure I won't get it in easily once the boat is on shore. Step 1 is complete; time for the next phase: getting the boat onto the shore.
