Centaur and penta 2003

[Chris.mcc240]

I have a westerly centaur and the original md2b is past its best..and beyond repair
I am going to lift her out of the water and have been offered a fresh water cooled penta 2003. Which is in very good condition as it did originally have a sail drive but has been fitted with a gearbox.
Im no engineer but will have a go at most things. The dimensions of the 2003 are slightly smaller than the md2 and i can see no reason why it would not fit with a bit of work..
Thing that bothers me is i can't find a record of a centaur with this engine fitted on the internet..enough of them where made!
Doe's any one know of a reason thid engine would not be a good choice..im aware its slightly over powered..
Its comming from a marine engineers and they assure me its suitable..
Any comments ..thanks

 

[johnalison]

I've no experience with this particular combination but there are some disadvantages of being overpowered and I would certainly seek the advice of someone who has had this engine or one of similar power. In some cases this will mean the engine is heavier than necessary but presumably not in this case. The main problem is that you may seldom have a chance to run the engine hard enough to get it up to temperature and keep it happy. I would have thought that a 2002 or 18 hp was more than enough, as it was for my old Sadler 29.

 

[Chris_Robb]

I have a westerly centaur and the original md2b is past its best..and beyond repair
I am going to lift her out of the water and have been offered a fresh water cooled penta 2003. Which is in very good condition as it did originally have a sail drive but has been fitted with a gearbox.
Im no engineer but will have a go at most things. The dimensions of the 2003 are slightly smaller than the md2 and i can see no reason why it would not fit with a bit of work..
Thing that bothers me is i can't find a record of a centaur with this engine fitted on the internet..enough of them where made!
Doe's any one know of a reason thid engine would not be a good choice..im aware its slightly over powered..
Its comming from a marine engineers and they assure me its suitable..
Any comments ..thanks

You might get more answers if you post on the Westerly Owners association site. There may even be a thread already on this over the years.

 

[Bosun Higgs]

My 26 footer had a 10hp Yanmar and that was enough in practice. So 29 bhp ( and a heavy unit) in a 27 footer makes me wonder if you fancy water skiing!

To be a bit more serious, diesel engines should be worked hard and this one wont be. It is a heavy unit. And its a fairly coarse vibey unit. Its also an old engine.

I think you can chose better options.

 

[jwilson]

I have a westerly centaur and the original md2b is past its best..and beyond repair
I am going to lift her out of the water and have been offered a fresh water cooled penta 2003. Which is in very good condition as it did originally have a sail drive but has been fitted with a gearbox.
Im no engineer but will have a go at most things. The dimensions of the 2003 are slightly smaller than the md2 and i can see no reason why it would not fit with a bit of work..
Thing that bothers me is i can't find a record of a centaur with this engine fitted on the internet..enough of them where made!
Doe's any one know of a reason thid engine would not be a good choice..im aware its slightly over powered..
Its comming from a marine engineers and they assure me its suitable..
Any comments ..thanks

Amongst the engines fitted to Centaurs when new were Volvos of 13 or 23 hp, or Watermotas of 25 or 30 hp. I have sailed and motored one with a 30 hp, and it was not that grossly overpowered, though it did not go that much faster with the last bit of throttle.

If I was paying someone to fit another engine I'd put in a new Beta or Nanni or Yanmar, but if you are prepared to do the work yourself and get a good 2003 at a good price why not.

 

[Chris.mcc240]

Thnx

Thnx..
Feel i bit more confident..part of my thinking..im doing the work myself on a very tight budjet..the old md2b lasted 35 years and was 25hp . Also im planning on running a fridge compressor off it to make it work a bit harder..so it seems the power is a bit over..but the engine is in very good con and resonable cost.
I have been looking for a 20hp engine for some time with little luck at a reasonable price.
One of my concerns was the gearbox.. i believe that some boxes are angled at 7 degrees on the 2003..im not sure wat the md2b is..so not sure about the difficaulty of lineing up the box n prop shaft?

 

[Tranona]

Definitely overpowered. A 20hp is more than enough. To run the engine at high enough revs you will need to underprop it and fuel consunmption will be high. If you overprop it to keep the revs down so you are only using up to 20hp you will probably end up with premature wear.

I have the same size engine (but later model) in my Bavaria 37 and it is more than adequate.