Beta vs Vetus vs Yanmar - re-engine Moody 33

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NFCN

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Dear all

A terminal problem on my venerable Thornycroft T90 BMC 1.5 has meant that I have brought forward a long held desire to re-engine my Moody 33 Mk II.

Best quotes for 3 suitable replacement engines - each about 30hp with a suitable gearbox - inc VAT are:

Beta 30 - £4855
VETUS M3.28 - £4840
Yanmar 3YM 30 - £5604

Parts I reckon I need to add are:

Coupling
Propshaft
Propeller
Cutlass Bearing
Siphon break
Instrument Panel
Mixer Box

which will come to about £1500 inc and I reckon about £1000 to fit working with the local fitter.

Any advice on which engine, or any particular pitfalls to be aware of?

Many thanks

Nick
 
I have a Nanni 4105 HE now 10 yrs & 1k hrs trouble free, i have replaced the mixer elbow about 4 yrs ago.
i am told the Nanni is better marinised that the Beta as no anodes are fitted.
the silverline warranty that came with my engine covered bugger all & i wasnt allowed to service the engine even though i installed it.
i ignored that & i am the only person to touch my engine to date.
i could have fitted the 29hp but it revved @ 3600 as opposed to the 37.5hp @ 3000.
the engine i took out was a perkie 4108
 
I fitted a Beta 30 to our Roberts 34.
No problems but the weight was an issue causing the rear of the boat to squat down. I also don't like the Beta switch panels but that's a personal choice.
I've no experience of the Vetus engines.
The Yanmar would be my preference. Much lighter, compact etc.
The first step would be to check the engine bearer arrangements and how they would match up with a new engine.
 
Either the Beta or the Nanni equivalent. Nothing wrong with any of the others (or indeed a Volvo) but the Kubota base engines are probably the most popular in the re-engine market.

Budget to replace the complete exhaust, new inboard seal such as a Volvo, a water inlet strainer, engine controls and cables and worth fitting new insulation while you have the engine out. The instrument panel comes with the engine and you will have a choice of types. Worth getting one with a rev counter. Consider upgrading the charging system with a split charge and dedicated engine start battery if you have not already done so. All the new engines have a narrower mounting base so you will need to modify the engine beds. Your supplier will be able to advise ways of doing this and Beta for example sell a kit for the job.

Your "extras" budget is a bit light and you will find £2k more realistic. Fitting is a very straightforward job. You are lucky in that your engine bay has plenty of room - the new engine will look lost - better to spend the money on bits such as a feathering prop rather than pay somebody to do the job.
 
Talulah said:
The Yanmar would be my preference. Much lighter, compact etc.
Click to expand...
Not so. All the major dimensions are virtually identical except weight where the Yanmar is a bit heavier depending on the gearbox fitted and the standard sump is shallower. The Beta is available with a shallow sump if this is critical.
 
Talulah said:
I fitted a Beta 30 to our Roberts 34.
No problems but the weight was an issue causing the rear of the boat to squat down. I also don't like the Beta switch panels but that's a personal choice.
I've no experience of the Vetus engines.
The Yanmar would be my preference. Much lighter, compact etc.
The first step would be to check the engine bearer arrangements and how they would match up with a new engine.
Click to expand...

when i swapped engines the stern came up 2"
 
Tranona said:
Not so. All the major dimensions are virtually identical except weight where the Yanmar is a bit heavier depending on the gearbox fitted and the standard sump is shallower. The Beta is available with a shallow sump if this is critical.
Click to expand...
Your right. (Actually it was a Beta 35 we fitted replacing a Yanmar 3 Cyl, the model of which I can't remember.) Now my memory is coming back I can say the weight issue was because we fitted a bigger engine. 35 replacing a 27.
 
Had a Beta and Yanmar 3YM30 - both very good but prefer the engine note of the Yanmar - sounds silly but the engine does set the tone when motoring
If fitting Yanmar have in mind you will probably need to change the engine mounts so access could be important in future.
From memory the Beta rotates the other way to most engines. It took me ages to get used to the prop walk working opposite to before the swap
The heat exchanger on my Beta needed more attention than on Yanmar - finer tubes needed annual rodding out.
Not an easy choice but you cannot really go wrong with either IMHO
 
Props all go the same way on latest engines unless you have a gearbox that can run continuously in both directions.

Potential heat exchanger issues (probably overrated!) is one of the reasons why I chose a Nanni rather than a Beta. Engine mounting issues will be same on any of the new engines as they are all closer together than the BMC engine.
 
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I replaced a BMC1500 with a Beta 28 some years ago.
Almost anything you fit will be lighter than the BMC, with the possible exception of a big block Chevvy.

I chose the Beta on price, service reputation, access to service points (mostly front and s'bd side), sump oil pump as standard and the wide availability of Kubota bits. I also went for the optional polyvee belt, which I gather is now standard. Brilliant: all engines should be so equipped. I specc'd the engine with the 'de-luxe' instrument panel. I presume your price includes the standard panel.

I fabricated new bearers in GRP: I thought that using the old ones would have given too much overhang. It was a fairly laborious job, making a pattern from ply using Beta's drawings. I think Beta can modify their feet to suit other bearers, so it may be worth talking to them.
The old prop shaft, coupling and cutlass bearing were fine and thus re-used. New prop was needed, new siphon break, new exhaust box (the old one, it turned out, had been badly repaired). I did the installation myself so have no idea if your £1000 is realistic, but I'd say that £1500 should cover the extras if you go for a basic prop.

Please feel free to PM me if you need more info. I did a story on the installation for one of the rags. Be happy to send you the text.
 
It should also be noted that Beta recently has changed the design of the heat exchanger, so that the anode (as I understand it) is now on the output side. The theory is probably that any crud from the anode should end up in the exhaust instead of clogging the heat exchanger tubes.
 
macd said:
I replaced a BMC1500 with a Beta 28 some years ago.
Almost anything you fit will be lighter than the BMC, with the possible exception of a big block Chevvy.

I chose the Beta on price, service reputation, access to service points (mostly front and s'bd side), sump oil pump as standard and the wide availability of Kubota bits. I also went for the optional polyvee belt, which I gather is now standard. Brilliant: all engines should be so equipped. I specc'd the engine with the 'de-luxe' instrument panel. I presume your price includes the standard panel.

I fabricated new bearers in GRP: I thought that using the old ones would have given too much overhang. It was a fairly laborious job, making a pattern from ply using Beta's drawings. I think Beta can modify their feet to suit other bearers, so it may be worth talking to them.
The old prop shaft, coupling and cutlass bearing were fine and thus re-used. New prop was needed, new siphon break, new exhaust box (the old one, it turned out, had been badly repaired). I did the installation myself so have no idea if your £1000 is realistic, but I'd say that £1500 should cover the extras if you go for a basic prop.

Please feel free to PM me if you need more info. I did a story on the installation for one of the rags. Be happy to send you the text.
Click to expand...

Some good points here - the Beta oil sump pump is good and saves storing a Pela or similar
I found it quite easy to make a mock-up of the engines to check how they would fit in the space and how the existing sea cocks/ fuel lines/controls/output shaft/bearers etc would work out - it is worth spending a few hours in the workshop so you can see how each option would work as this may influence your choice or engine and save a lot of time and money in the installation.
 
NFCN said:
Dear all

A terminal problem on my venerable Thornycroft T90 BMC 1.5 has meant that I have brought forward a long held desire to re-engine my Moody 33 Mk II.

Best quotes for 3 suitable replacement engines - each about 30hp with a suitable gearbox - inc VAT are:

Beta 30 - £4855
VETUS M3.28 - £4840
Yanmar 3YM 30 - £5604

Parts I reckon I need to add are:

Coupling
Propshaft
Propeller
Cutlass Bearing
Siphon break
Instrument Panel
Mixer Box

which will come to about £1500 inc and I reckon about £1000 to fit working with the local fitter.

Any advice on which engine, or any particular pitfalls to be aware of?

Many thanks

Nick
Click to expand...

Why spend £7-8k on a diesel, when you can buy a brand new Tohatsu 30hp long shaft outboard for £2500, and a lifting heavy duty standby outboard mount for a couple of hundred.( called a jack mount)

Spend the £5k you've saved on champagne!
 
Look very carefully at your Beta options, the 35 is a lower revving 4 cyl as opposed to the 3cyl 30 it is better specced will fit with no problem in 33s engine bay and is only an extra 500 quid i've just made that decision on my 32fter. Your stern gear should all just swop over though to be honest I'd replace the stuffing box with a PSS. For parts and spares options the Beta(Kubota) wins every time
 
Another vote for Beta, in 2004, we swapped out our dead BMC for one and haven't looked back. We've now got 900 hours on the clock and yet to miss a beat, I've no experience of the other engines but concur with the Kubota base. These engines are designed to work forever doing mundate stuff like water drainage and electricity generation where realiability is the most important thing, as it should be for any marine diesel, IMO.
 
We replaced a VP md21b with a Yanmar 4JH5E. Disappointed by the increased noise and had some problems with the fuel pump struggling to lift fuel from the keel tank(3 feet at most).
Replaced a Yanmar 2 cyl 10hp with a Nanni 3 cyl 20 HP and very pleased with it
 
When replacing a knackered Volvo 2003; I couldn't get the 4 cylinder Beta/Nanni/Yanmar into my boat, and I didn't fancy the high revving triples. I fitted a Westerbeke 35 D Three, 31hp, Mitsubishi based. 1900 hours to date. Electric lift pump and self-bleeding.

Owing to offset engine beds, stern tube and P bracket I had to have a LH prop. Got round this problem by using a PRM 150 hydraulic box. Westerbeke probably horribly expensive owing to the carp £.
 
michael_w said:
When replacing a knackered Volvo 2003; I couldn't get the 4 cylinder Beta/Nanni/Yanmar into my boat, and I didn't fancy the high revving triples. I fitted a Westerbeke 35 D Three, 31hp, Mitsubishi based. 1900 hours to date. Electric lift pump and self-bleeding.

Owing to offset engine beds, stern tube and P bracket I had to have a LH prop. Got round this problem by using a PRM 150 hydraulic box. Westerbeke probably horribly expensive owing to the carp £.
Click to expand...

The high revving Yanmar is sweet as a sewing machine. At tickover it is hard tell it apart froma petrol engine it is that smooth. An engineer that has fitted a few Beta and Yanmars says he would go for the Yanmar in his boat rater than te Beta.
I was pleased with the Yanmar 3YM30 we installed. I would shop around for prices though. we didn't pay anyway near what you are suggesting but it was a couple of years ago
 
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