Wilbur Hubbard wrote:

But, God help her if she has diesel troubles. Mechanics cost upwards of 200
bucks an hour for house calls and parts and filters are through the roof.
Diesel fuel got over five bucks a gallon this summer and I don't expect the
lower prices seen now to last much longer.

There is mothing *magic* about working on a small sailboat diesel. All
you need is tools that fit, some basic supplies, the service manual and
basic knowlege of wrenching on the innards of small engines.

For the OP:- The parts you can have delivered but if there is a service
centre near your home port, its worth building up a face to face
relationship with them so you can ask them when you need advice. Its
really helpfull if you have a tame mechanic you trust who's willing to
keep an eye on what you are doing the first time you tackle a job.
Stuff like skimming heads, regrinding crankshafts and pressing in
bearings you farm out to a non-marine auto engineering shop. You *will*
get your hands dirty. Wont be long before you're up to changing an
exhaust valve on passage.

There's not much to be done about the cost of fuel though except sail
more and motor less. The flip side of that is you've got several grand
of sailcloth up the stick with an expected lifespan of about ten years
if looked after but if you leave them flapping or otherwise abuse them
you'll take years off their life so sometime it's cheaper to motor (and
cheapest to anchor and wait for a fair wind).