Two engine failures at 80 hours each: Lauren's early mechanical education

Lauren Landers Sailing was not mechanically inclined when she started liveaboard sailing. During the sea trial, the original engine threw a rod. The previous owner chose to rebuild, but Lauren chose to buy a new engine, which was shipped to Puerto Rico because the boat could not leave at the time. The owner covered the install cost. At 80 hours of use, after sailing to Florida and back to the Bahamas, that engine hydrolocked and was beyond repair. She had to buy a second new engine. That one was not under warranty because the dealers had not done the install. At 80 hours on the second engine, the engine would not start and was on the verge of hydrolocking again. Mechanics talked her through a fix over the phone. Through all of that trouble she became skilled at oil changes and learned how to flush an engine properly.