BMW 3 litre B220 inboard on Picton 210 Mardi Gras

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GB57

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Hi,

am taking the plunge to buy a boat after a few holidays afloat and am looking at a Picton 210 Mardi Gras circa 1989. I can't find any decent sites to gt values and cannot see any for sale anwhere. Asking price is around 7.5k - is this reasonable. It seems in decent nick and has a 3lt inboard (BMW B220 with BMW Mk2 stern drive).

Has been suggested that the engine is a bit of a no-no, aby advice ?

Thanks in advance
 
GB57 said:
Hi,

am taking the plunge to buy a boat after a few holidays afloat and am looking at a Picton 210 Mardi Gras circa 1989. I can't find any decent sites to gt values and cannot see any for sale anwhere. Asking price is around 7.5k - is this reasonable. It seems in decent nick and has a 3lt inboard (BMW B220 with BMW Mk2 stern drive).

Has been suggested that the engine is a bit of a no-no, aby advice ?

Thanks in advance
Click to expand...

That is too much money for that particular Picton
Not a bad hull
BMW made a tentative foray into the marine world at the time
The engine is not BMW , neither is the outdrive.
omega2 has it right!
 
Others are correct.

Package looked real good, the BMW M30 SOHC gasoline engine was bomb proof in cars, however the marine up-fit was not good, engine suffered from head gasket problems and warped cylinder heads. Marine engine upfit items very difficult to source.

The outdrive was 100% ZF. The guys at ZF rarely screw up, however on this occasion they did and big time. ZF did a complete cut and run on this product, parts difficult/impossible to source.
 
The engine was probably one of the Italian 'VM' types
OK , if cooling was efficient.
If not, the 'separate' cylinder head configuration gave probs.
Good when good but real bad when bad!!
 
Has been suggested that the engine is a bit of a no-no, aby advice ?

Be amazed if he can can give it away.
Have by chance been speaking to the owner of a Birchwood 33 this evening with those engines,both had to be replaced at horrendous cost.:(
 
The diesels were VM not BMW, but the petrol engines were indeed proper BMW engines.

However the advice above still stands, not good news petrol or diesel due to marinisation issues.
 
It could be fine if you get it for the right price, I had a BMW B220 (its 3.3litres) for 10 years and did 1400 hours no problem, a forumite on here bought it and it was still going strong last i heard. The petrols were BMW engines the diesel VM as Ari stated, diesels were very different but there was nothing much wrong with the petrols after the intial outdrive issues were sorted, they were driven out of the market by Volvo basicaly. Give Peter Humphries at PH marine a call if you want to know more http://www.phmarine.co.uk/
 
..and it still is running - absolutely perfectly. The petrol engine to which Chris_d refers is now nearly 25 years old and still driving the boat ( a Cruisers International 224) along at 28kts - which is the same speed achieved by MBN when these boats were new in the 1980's.

This is a simple petrol engine - Points & Carb - so no complicated electronics to go wrong, and the block etc. is pretty much bombproof (No sign of warped heads etc. on mine). The bits that do go wrong are the marinised bits - Exhaust Manifold and Oil Cooler - both can be replaced easily and indeed, all parts for this engine are still readilly available.

As for the leg - well, all I can say is no problems at all in the 7 years I have owned the boat (which is left full time in salt water).

What this engine and leg do need is proper maintenance - a full service every year, regular flushing of the cooling system, salt water cooling circuit charged with antifreeze in the winter, regular check/change of the bellows etc. together with a cursory check of the obvious things every time you use it will keep this engine running forever.

These BMW engines were put into 5 and 7 series cars with an expectancy of achieveing 250k plus miles - thats about 7,000 hours. I understand the mark I legs were a bit of a problem, but as far as I know the markII are sound.

So - ignore the doubters, if the boat is good, and there is evidence that the engine has been cared for, make up your own mind and go for it.

If you need any help/advice on the engine - PM me.
 
BMW B220

Hi Mr Christian,
I just purchased a 1985 Glasply equipped with a B220 and MK II stern drive.
I read all these horror stories and wonder if there is truth behind them. My hour meter reads 238 hrs, very low in my estimation, and took a chance. I just don't know how to change the oil. Any advice?
Thanks from birros2
 
B220 / Mk2

I too have a BMW powered boat. I own a 1983 Glasply 19' Marauder runabout running a B220 and a Mk2 leg. I bought it this summer from the son of the original owner, if I remember right the son recieved the boat when his father passed. The motor was completely rebuilt 10 years ago and in that time has only been used a few times ( <160 hrs ) and stored indoors. The boat came with a stack of service records going back to the original sales receipt.

Mr. Christian, thank you for the information it is quite helpful.

David L.
 
Bmw b220 mk ii

Hi again, the more I get involved into restoring this awesome boat, 1985 Glasply with BMW power and drive, I see the qualities from the past. Hull phenomenal, no rot, excellent upholstery and everything works now thanks to V12 Engineering in Ontario Canada. Expensive - yes - but worth it. Try a new Arima, Double Eagle or the likes in this size and you will save lots of bucks. The BMW and leg are in my estimation way ahead for their days. Maintenance is the key word for any boat.
 
BMW B220 Oil Change

The oil filter is not a typical spin on canister, it is a cover and an element inside you change as well as an o ring to seal the cover. V12 Engineering has what you need. Also it is possible to remove the oil with a device that pulls it out through the dipstick tube. These devices are common and sold at Marine stores. Richard at V12 says to use 10w 40 and NOT SYNTHETIC oil. Castrol is good for BMW.
 
birros2 said:
The BMW and leg are in my estimation way ahead for their days. Maintenance is the key word for any boat.
Click to expand...

You are right there, when I had mine the Leg was just so servicable and the gear selection in use was as smooth as silk, I now have 2 Volvo 290 legs with their typical Volvo "clonk" into gear and only 1000hr life expectancy :(
 
I know this is an old post but I just bought a regal 19.6 with a b220 and mark ll. The carb needs help. should I buy a rebuild kit, buy a rebuilt carb from v12 or do a conversion to weber or holley?
 
Hi again, just finished the extensive work on a 19' Glasply from 1985 with BMW B220 / MK ll stern drive. In a word awesome. Don't buy if you have no mechanical background but if you do, then go for it. Took forever to get all the specs, proper specs that is. This engine/stern drive combo has been wrongfully accused of being a loser. Well the losers have been owners who just don't understand maintenance issues or have had no common sense to run a boat regardless of brand and also those mechanics who just don't understand a thing about better engineering principles. Granted, improper starting the engine with the leg in the upper position can't be over emphasized and BMW made a big mistake in the design of this application especially when the trim meter fails to read the position correctly.
The mated stern drive is as fool proof as it gets. Issues with a rattle are well known and are unfounded as most likely the engine was started with the drive in an upward position, which ruins the u-joint and puts a strain onto the out put shaft bearing. The more I tried to understand the better it worked out. Talk about dwell angle when no dwell meter is available. BMW mechanics have no clue when it comes to old fashion points and its proper gap. They just live in a throw away world and even the service advisers will not know detailed specs to tune up a carburated engine. Then comes the 22deg before top dead center issue without timing reference marks. The old genius from Austria made sure that I would understand how easy it was to recreate a 22deg. position, he even had a dwell meter. There are many features on this combo which are quite good for their time and surely will miss no beat in the future when the going gets too tough for those Mercs or Volvos.
 
I know this is a very old thread but I found it looking for information on BMW 220B and Mk11 leg. I have rescued an old 22' boat with this combination from a paddock where it lived for over 5 years. All the gauges have gone to heaven but the wiring loom is 100% The leg lifts up and down with the aid of a jack :rolleyes: the prop spins freely. The oil filter has rusted out but there was oil in the motor. A mechanic was able to fire her up so now its a matter of starting work on her. I have managed to get a manual and parts book from V12. I have been told I should put an electric fuel pump and holly carbie on before I even start. IMG_0138.jpg

We are starting on the boat first new floor but then the wiring. I have no idea how to test the rams etc without the gauges, switches, buttons etc. While it would be nice to replace everything with original BMW parts the cost is expensive so I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has used 'Std VDO' gauges and senders or of any issues in using 'push buttons' etc instead of Genuine BMW rocker switch for the leg etc. I would just like to get her going as easily as possible. Any Suggestions??
 
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