TLDR - Looking for an actual salvage engine to learn on by rebuilding. Not something that has been looked over and is for sale on a shelf. Not something with 2000hp meant for powerboats. Gulf coast, central Florida. Difficulty finding an actual salvage yard rather than a chandlery selling used engines already tested, repaired if necessary and sitting on a shelf for sale. I just wanted to find something that maybe went through a sinking, pulled from a boat since destroyed, replaced with a new engine, etc. Maybe 30-60 hp. Single head. Preferably without any head warping, no or limited computers, no turbo, etc. Serpentine belt would be nice so I could have a chance at installing a second alternator (Leece-Neville is on the list) in the nebulous future, but beggars and choosers right? Any places to actually inquire? I am willing to drive a fair long distance to get what I want.

My wife and I will be buying a sailboat sometime between now and this time next year. Basically dependent on what we can find at a given price, etc. The majority of what would be expected of us as cruisers I can already do or expect to acquire hands on experience with in short order. Marine specific hands on experience is short, but 40 years of leisure woodworking, 20+ of minor electrical, lifetime of computer work, reading books (Dashews, Calder, West), blogs (remember Bumfuzzle anyone?) and the goldmine that Youtube has become on this subject have given me plenty of base knowledge, if little experience in some areas, to start. I have no concerns about fiberglass work, the mechanics of sailing, electrical, etc. We are planning on joining the Englewood Sailing Association as volunteers to get hands on with what we can over the next year. We have been planning this for a long time and the bottom line is, engines are the one area I have little to no confidence.

Feel free to tell me I am off my rocker, but please include ideas as well since I am going through with this one way or another.

Tools are not really an issue. Have all the basics. Would be getting a stand, valve compressor and ring compressor as necessary, pulling tool, feeler gauges, etc. Whatever is needed, as necessary.

My only real experience here is once, 20 years ago, being asked to change the oil in a single cylinder, 4 stroke tilling machine. I did this. Then it wouldn't start. I would assume they got it working again when I wasn't around, but this was not exactly confidence building. My life to date simply has not offered opportunity to work on engines, much less diesel or marine diesel engines.

There do not appear to be any local classes at a JUCO or Technical College that I could take. Becoming a car mechanic sure. Nothing diesel or marine specific. There is a class about an hours drive away at the "Sarasota Power and Sail Squadron", but it does not appear to teach what I want to know. I can change filters and measure fluid levels without attending a class on the subject.

So i have settled on finding an older marine diesel to rebuild. In one of his books, Calder said - paraphrasing here "any idiot who can follow instructions can get a manual and rebuild an engine". Seems I will be the idiot to test his theory. Pistons and cylinder sleeves if needed, but a simple rebuild otherwise. No desire to replace the camshaft if I don't have to. I would like to do this fairly cheap, relatively speaking, in case I blow it up. The problem is, where do I find something like this?

When I search for marine salvage yards and the like, i am greeted with a series or returns that range from boat towing, leisure powerboat dealerships, and West Marine. A place like "Don's Marine Surplus and Salvage" looked promising, but they appear to sell "known good" and rebuilt engines. They don't appear to offer what I am looking for.

Any ideas on places to look, specific places and not just "wander down to the boatyard and see if anything is sitting around", are welcome. I tend to be a bit shy when it comes to just showing up somewhere and walking around not even knowing if that is allowed or not.

Final note: I cannot remember the term, and cannot find reference to it with a quick search, but avoiding the older diesel that sprays diesel around the compartment would be a must. I do hope to make use of this when I succeed.