14/03/2026
On my website www.yachtengel.de, one of the services I offer is the
“reconstruction of spare parts that are no longer available.”
Many of you probably can’t quite picture what I mean by that. So here’s a quick example:
The Volvo Penta 854 198 plastic dowel (see photo), for instance, is one such spare part.
In Volvo Penta’s spare parts lists, this part is already marked as “no longer available.” On eBay, I can currently find only a single item, “worldwide.”
Since this part is also disintegrating into its molecular components on my boat, I decided on the spot to reconstruct this plastic dowel using CAD and manufacture it from TPU using a 3D printer.
Since this was my first print with this material, there is of course still some room for optimization, especially regarding print temperature and speed, which have a major impact on the surface finish of the parts. I will adjust the shape a bit more, not only to avoid too much similarity to the original part. Ultimately, the choice of material and the modified shape should also result in an improvement over the original part. However, I’m already quite satisfied with the fit.
Before I send such a part out into the world, though, I’ll first subject it to a thorough test on my own boat.
3D printing is truly a fascinating topic, especially when it comes to replacement parts that are no longer available and need to be manufactured in very small quantities—often as one-off pieces. Thanks to my professional background, I have contacts with suppliers who can also produce metal parts using 3D printing.
What’s more, these suppliers are able to deliver much higher quality than you could ever achieve with a small “desktop 3D printer” like the one I have, for example.
Do you find this exciting too?
Then follow me for more.