Tattaaa! Die Plan B fährt wieder! Am Donnerstag hat Dirki das Steuerrad montiert und uns informiert, dass Volvo Penta am Freitag den Motor offiziell abnehmen wird.
The official handover of the new engine and stern drive ensemble, which kicks off the guarantee period, finally happened. The steering wheel was mounted and two men from the Volvo Penta rep in the Netherlands came onboard to do some calibrating, perform some tests and finally go for a test spin, with me at the helm. I was doing my best duck impression: calm on the surface but going like hell underneath.
Die Herren erschienen, kalibrierten und testeten, und waren schliesslich soweit, die Plan B auf eine Testfahrt zu schicken. Roy war am Steuer, leider hatte niemand den Nerv zu fotografieren, aber wir können berichten
– sie fährt wieder. Anders als zuvor, aber wir beklagen uns nicht.
We motored out into the inner harbor but were prevented from exiting because dredging work in the channel. Bad luck. That leaves one important test to be done: a brief full-power run that will determine if the propeller is the right match for the boat. If the engine revs too high at full power, that indicates one set of no-nos; if it runs too slowly, that's another headache. We'll see when the rep is back, in a month. But, as of now, Plan B is up and running. It's a whole new boat, with one center-mounted engine instead of two side-by-side. It handles very differently. We have to learn how it handles and we plan to start soon with some small trips. Watch this space.
