What’s going on aboard S/V Koko? Are they distilling moonshine? Well, not quite. What some might mistake for an old-fashioned alcohol distillery is, in fact, our manual oil extractor pump. Life on a boat is anything but straightforward, especially when it comes to routine maintenance.

Changing oil on a boat is a little more involved than the simple process of crawling under a car, opening the drain valve, and letting gravity do its thing. No, on a boat, there typically is no way to get a drip pan under the engine, so we have to pump out the old oil, typically through the dipstick pipe. On S/V Koko, we opt for a manual pump instead of an electric one. Not for the exercise, but for simplicity and hopefully reliability.

First, we warm up the engine for about 15 minutes to make the oil more fluid and easier to extract.

Then, we insert the extraction hose down the dipstick pipe, loosen to oil filler cap to let in air, and begin pumping. After 10-15 pumps, the oil flows continuously by itself—very slowly. We let physics do its thing and retreat to the cockpit for a nice lunch under the sun.

Two hours later—yes, two whole hours—and just a few pumps in-between to maintain a vacuum in the canister, the oil flow finally starts sputtering and stops, having yielded about 4 liters. It is not perfect, but it is enough and all one can extract using this method.

Next, we face the challenge of changing the oil filter without making a colossal mess. Employing the trusty zip-lock bag method, I hold a bag under the filter, unscrew it, and let the oil drip into the bag instead of all over the engine room. Once the filter is out, it drops neatly into the bag. No mess, no fuss.

With the new filter’s o-ring lubricated with fresh oil, we screw it on hand-tight and fill the engine with fresh oil. The key is to add enough—but not too much. We let the engine run for a while, cool it down for 10 minutes, and check the oil level with the dipstick. Voilà, the job is done!

This software-researcher-turned-wanna-be-mechanic is quite happy with performing an oil change without ruining the engine. At least for now, fingers crossed.

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