Engine installation

[Wansworth]

Went to look at a yacht to buy and the main attraction was the new Vetus engine.All the components were there and a nice stainless steel fuel tank but it was all shoehorned into place and I would say almost impossible to service properly with ease.Some engines are so engineered to have the filters and water pump impeller get stable at the front of the engine but this installation mounted every thing to the side Probably the only way to get at the filters with two hands would be to remove the bunk running under the cockpit.aThe underside of the cockpit floor was onl inches from the top of the engine.A shame as it was a well kept vessel but I suspect the owner employs a mechanic to wriggle around the engine

 

[Buck Turgidson]

Went to look at a yacht to buy and the main attraction was the new Vetus engine.All the components were there and a nice stainless steel fuel tank but it was all shoehorned into place and I would say almost impossible to service properly with ease.Some engines are so engineered to have the filters and water pump impeller get stable at the front of the engine but this installation mounted every thing to the side Probably the only way to get at the filters with two hands would be to remove the bunk running under the cockpit.aThe underside of the cockpit floor was onl inches from the top of the engine.A shame as it was a well kept vessel but I suspect the owner employs a mechanic to wriggle around the engine

nice excuse.

 

[ridgy]

I had a boat with a Vetus about 20 years ago and the same issue was apparent then, particularly insidious was the rearward facing impeller which was a real challenge to change on the hard, would be awful at sea. The 2GM I have now also has this issue but at least the housing is right at the front and it can be easily disassembled and turned round.

If it's the size of boat you normally look at then more likely no maintenance gets done at all.

 

[Tranona]

That is because the original Mitsubishi engine has the service points there as its main application is industrial equipment and generators where access is from the side, not the front. The take off that is used for the raw water pump also faces aft. You will find when boats are designed around a particular engine a good designer ensures access to service points on the chosen engine. Shoehorning an often oversized engine into an existing boat is always a challenge particularly older boats where the hull design means they are narrower where the engine has to be located, and often less vertical clearance because of low cockpit floors. Fortunately modern engines are very reliable and need minimal work so you learn to live with the constraints.

One of the reasons why the Kubota based engines such as Beta and Nanni are so popular for re-engine jobs is the good access for service points on the base engine. I chose Beta for my re-engine partly because of this good access, but also the choice of exhaust systems and gearboxes (and a good installer!). Even then it is a tight fit compared with the palatial engine room on my Bavaria - a consequence of 3.4m beam compared with 2.8m - plus high topsides.

I expect a Vetus was chosen for the boat you are looking at because they have an excellent dealer network in Europe - and their engines are "cheap" partly because they can supply comprehensive packages of installation components - shafts, couplings, props, bearings fuel systems and so on.

 

[colind3782]

My boat came with a three cylinder 27hp engine but a previous owner decided that bigger was better and replaced it with a four cylinder 31hp. Now everything is really hard to get at and involves some serious contortions. I know nothing about his parentage but I have been known to make a noisy guess!

 

[LittleSister]

I would say almost impossible to service properly with ease.

So you not only want a boat, but you want it so that all maintenance is 'with ease'!

. . . this installation mounted every thing to the side Probably the only way to get at the filters with two hands would be to remove the bunk running under the cockpit.aThe underside of the cockpit floor was onl inches from the top of the engine.A shame as it was a well kept vessel but I suspect the owner employs a mechanic to wriggle around the engine

Without knowing the layout of the boat it's hard to comment in detail, but I've known boats which have had a removable panel or door fitted in a bulkhead (e.g from quarter berth adjacent or cockpit above) to provide access to a particular bit of engine or whatever.

Moving the oil filter to somewhere more convenient should be relatively easy - its just a matter of the relevant fittings and some pipework. Moving the water pump is unlikely to be readily moved.

 

[Wansworth]

So you not only want a boat, but you want it so that all maintenance is 'with ease'!



Without knowing the layout of the boat it's hard to comment in detail, but I've known boats which have had a removable panel or door fitted in a bulkhead (e.g from quarter berth adjacent or cockpit above) to provide access to a particular bit of engine or whatever.

Moving the oil filter to somewhere more convenient should be relatively easy - its just a matter of the relevant fittings and some pipework. Moving the water pump is unlikely to be readily moved.

Yes this installation had side panels even so the owner took five minutes putting back the dipstick

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The question you need to ask is can the servicing be done given time and a will or is it physically impossible for you if the answer to the first question is yes and No to the second the only issue that remains is are you likely to have to do the servicing in the open water and I think that is no as you seem to only wish to sail in local waters and in any case if you keep up with the servicing particularly the hard to get at parts like fuel filters and impellers the chances of having to do anything at sea are low. Get it bought.

 

[Wansworth]

The question you need to ask is can the servicing be done given time and a will or is it physically impossible for you if the answer to the first question is yes and No to the second the only issue that remains is are you likely to have to do the servicing in the open water and I think that is no as you seem to only wish to sail in local waters and in any case if you keep up with the servicing particularly the hard to get at parts like fuel filters and impellers the chances of having to do anything at sea are low. Get it bought.

Was reflecting on my attitude and I certainly don’t concern myself with the car engine just follow the services and take the car to e checked and oil changed this asyousaywould be quite adequate for my style of use

 

[Blueboatman]

nice excuse.

Like a quiver of arrows perhaps?

I reckon any serious vendor needs to nail ol Wansworth to the saloon table and ply him with free rum ….( how much rum )
And even then …..

“Get it bought “—indeed

Just Do It FFS!
You know you want to

 

[doug748]

Wansworth, Goldilocks and this cat were separated at birth:





.

 

[Wansworth]

Wansworth, Goldilocks and this cat were separated at birth:


View attachment 155141


.

 

[Wansworth]

Like a quiver of arrows perhaps?

I reckon any serious vendor needs to nail ol Wansworth to the saloon table and ply him with free rum ….( how much rum )
And even then …..

“Get it bought “—indeed

Just Do It FFS!
You know you want to

That’s a bit radical

 

[Stemar]

This issue is exactly why I employ a mechanic to deal with my engines now. I could get at everything on my old Snapdragon, even with a 28HP engine shoehorned in, but Jazzcat's engines must have been fitted with a ramrod. Almost all the important stuff is at the forward end, right up against the bulkhead with just an undersized inspection hatch. I need new water pumps, and the mechanic, quite rightly wants the hatches enlarged before he does them.

 

[Blueboatman]

That’s a bit radical

Tough times require tough measures
Cheers

 

[Wansworth]

Tough times require tough measures
Cheers

Have to “sell the idea to the wife”

 

[Blueboatman]

Have to “sell the idea to the wife”

Excuse number 9066854332

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Have to “sell the idea to the wife”

You need to play the sympathy card if that doesn't work try begging.

 

[Wansworth]

Excuse number 9066854332

I am going quiet from heron in about boats and buy of,you won’t here it from me I won’t mention the idea,perish the thought that I will be giving hope to thousands,from here on its mums the word,orwhoever

 

[Blueboatman]

Just tell her she won’t be getting any ( unspecified )until your toes are wet