An accessible engine installation is a key ûfactor in proper maintenance.

Perhaps the biggest surprise during our 30,000-mile circumnavigation was just how critical the engine is to a cruising sailboat. We motored or motorsailed almost 25 percent of the miles that passed under our keel. The engine also provided battery charging for everything from lighting to making fresh water. It drove the refrigeration system, and made hot water.

This percentage of time under power is not unusual. There are parts of the world where motoring is the norm, if you want to get anywhere in a rational amount of time. The South China Sea and Java Sea, for example, have notoriously light and fickle winds, as do other parts of Southeast Asia.…