Am I missing a trick here?

[mriley]

I've recently disposed of my largish motor cruiser, 2 petrol engines on shaft drives, with engines easily accessible. I'm now looking for something more compact (less than 30'), which generally entails engines with outdrives. The problem is that on everyboat I've seen,only half the engine is accessible through the deck hatch,the engines themselves are set so far back. How do you work on them (change plugs,clean distributer etc) when,on a volvo penta for example,you can't even seem to be able to get a spanner on to all the bolts holding the air intake box down, as the rear 4 bolts seem to be inaccessible under the deck at the back (with often only an inch or so of clearance between the bolt head and the underside of the deck above). And you can't reach anything with the air box in place. It's almost as if you have to remove the engine and slide it forward to do even the most basic work on it. Does this mean getting a mechanic in every time, = £££££, or is there a trick I'm missing here?

 

[Uricanejack]

I strongly suspect most boats are built buy starting with an engine, the boat is then bulit around the engine and you are not suposed to be able to get at it ever again.
if you get a diesel you won't have to wory about the plugs or distributer

 

[William_H]

Yes I understand your concern about accessability. You might consider an outboard engine for your next boat. Good access if it is on a trailer out of the water. Not so good in the water. I have occasional use of a RIB with a 70HP Yamaha. I am always impressed with this o/b. Having fuel injection just like a modern car it just goes when you turn the key. It has servo adjusted idle speed so no difference if it hot or cold. Another friend had a big Mercury on a 25fter. Again perfectly behaved. he like the ability to be able to tilt the motor right out of the water when he left the boat in a mooring. Of course an o/b gives you loads more room in the boat.
good luck olewill

 

[oldsaltoz]

Having seen first hand the all to common failure of bellows and corrosion on outdrivesm I would be looking for some other mode of propulsion.

As you have noted, difficult if not impossible to maintain and very expensive on parts, but I guess that 'normal' around boats.

Good luck and fair winds. Let us know if you find a good alternative.

 

[lustyd]

able to get a spanner on to all the bolts

Silly question but could you get a socket on it instead? With limited space this can be much easier and often you can put the socket on and then the handle afterwards while using the mechanism to turn a small amount at a time.

 

[Lakesailor]

From his description getting the nut off or bolt undone is only the start of the fun.