Nanni vs Beta

DoubleEnder

DoubleEnder

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I am starting to look at potentially buying a new to me (old, sailing, 25-27 foot) boat. Some have really quite old Bukh, Yanmar, Volvo engines but I think I can afford to be picky, and go for boats with newer engines.

In my size range many have Beta 2 or 3 cylinder engines. I am familiar with Beta and was very happy with my Beta 20hp which was reliable for 17 years and pretty easy to service. I was always a bit worried about the starter motor, which was quite inaccessible, but that was down to the specific installation. And I never had to deal with it.

I have not yet examined an equivalent Nanni in the flesh, but was wondering if there is anything I should be aware of, look out for or run away from? I think the Kubota base engines are the same as used by Beta but I am guessing all the marinising components are different. Plus I always liked being able to talk to someone at Beta, who I think are a model of customer service. Is it the same with Nanni?

It seems much rarer to find a boat thats been re-engined with anything else.

thanks
 
Nothing to worry about. In some ways the Nanni is better marinised than Beta, particularly the heat exchanger. On my previous re-engine I chose a Nanni, but to be honest there is little difference in practical terms and the blue matched the upholstery in the boat!. Even though my latest boat has exactly the same upholstery I chose a Beta this time, but that was mainly to do with the local dealer who was much more accommodating and understood what I wanted done.

Much more important to look at the quality of the installation and service history than whether it is blue or red (or even green or grey!) I have seen some horrors in re-engine jobs, not just from DIY.
 
gdallas said:
I am starting to look at potentially buying a new to me (old, sailing, 25-27 foot) boat. Some have really quite old Bukh, Yanmar, Volvo engines but I think I can afford to be picky, and go for boats with newer engines.

In my size range many have Beta 2 or 3 cylinder engines. I am familiar with Beta and was very happy with my Beta 20hp which was reliable for 17 years and pretty easy to service. I was always a bit worried about the starter motor, which was quite inaccessible, but that was down to the specific installation. And I never had to deal with it.

I have not yet examined an equivalent Nanni in the flesh, but was wondering if there is anything I should be aware of, look out for or run away from? I think the Kubota base engines are the same as used by Beta but I am guessing all the marinising components are different. Plus I always liked being able to talk to someone at Beta, who I think are a model of customer service. Is it the same with Nanni?

It seems much rarer to find a boat thats been re-engined with anything else.

thanks
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I think you may know the answer. Buying a boat in the UK, a Beta engine must be the best bet, even if the company had less than a great reputation. However, truth is, I have never heard anyone moaning about the service, price or availability of Beta stuff. A few years ago someone on here fitted a new Nanni engine, against the flow of forum advice, he was not impressed. and big enough to say so.

If the rest of the deal was good I would have a Nanni, no problem but you have to defer to what you know for sure.

.
 
doug748 said:
Buying a boat in the UK, a Beta engine must be the best bet, even if the company had less than a great reputation. .
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What do you mean 'even if the the company have a less than great reputation'?

I have never heard any criticism of Beta as a company, and they have an excellent reputation for pre and post-sales support (which was also always my experience as a Beta owner). The only criticism I can recall of Beta is quibbles about the heat exchanger detailed design - not a major issue (and I never had any problem with mine) - which I believe was in any case changed on later models.

Nannis are perfectly good engines, but quite some years ago I heard of problems getting spares in UK (I don't know if that was a temporary situation). A friend who had one fitted was very satisfied by the engine itself, but less than thrilled about the quality of the installation done by Peachments (the UK importers).

I'd be very happy with either engine, but if I were buying one Beta would be my default starting assumption based on my previous experience of their after-sales support.
 
It is also relevant where you are and where you keep your boat.

pm me if you would like an unbiased opinion of the SW engineers/suppliers
 
We’ve re-engined with both. We had no problem with Peachments and spares for our Nanni and were extremely happy with the engine. Likewise with our current Beta.

If you find a boat with a well installed Nanni engine that’s been serviced etc there’s no good reason to reject the boat.
 
gdallas said:
Thank you. Location will be S Coast/Solent area.
much appreciated
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No shortage of Beta expertise around here. Mine was installed by Mike Wills in Poole. However the dealer only really becomes important for installation and with an existing boat and a properly installed engine you only need regular maintenance and service parts.
 
Great thank you. Let’s see. I’ve only just started looking and I need to do some ‘narrowing down’. The world of small AWBs is new to me. Maybe they are actually MABs, not sure. But GRP and fin/bilge keels are something I don’t know too well. Though many years ago I had a lot of fun with an old 24’ Snapdragon with a recalcitrant lifting keel….it was both cheap and surprisingly cheerful. I need a little bit more than that this time
 
OP_ mentions 2 or 3 cylinder engines. I would go for 3 cylinder regardless of Beta or Nanni as being far smoother and quieter than 2 cylinder and both far better than 1 cyclinder. ol'will
 
Surely - the main point is to service the motor regardless of what brand .. look after it ... treat with respect ??

There are boats out there chugging along with some of the worst reputation engines still - but owners look after them and are happy.
 
William_H said:
OP_ mentions 2 or 3 cylinder engines. I would go for 3 cylinder regardless of Beta or Nanni as being far smoother and quieter than 2 cylinder and both far better than 1 cyclinder. ol'will
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Except that the OP is looking at a size of boat where a 2 cylinder is the norm. 3 cylinders start at 20hp which is rather large for a 25' boat. The 2 cylinder Nani I had was very smooth and as you say a big advance on a single cylinder.
 
Tranona said:
Except that the OP is looking at a size of boat where a 2 cylinder is the norm. 3 cylinders start at 20hp which is rather large for a 25' boat. The 2 cylinder Nani I had was very smooth and as you say a big advance on a single cylinder.
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I understand what you are saying and many boats only have space for the lower HP size ... but you do make a bit of a sweeping statement ...

The OP is looking at 25 - 27ft boats ... no mention of what overall design ... he could end up looking at a 27 with a 30hp or more in ... my 25ft has 43hp Perkins ...
Many so-called motor sailers such as mine are actually good sailboats in their own right ... not unusual to find a Colvic / Centaur / Berwick / Macwester with a decent sized engine .. yes - some shoehorned in - but still out there.

My 38 has a 2GM20 ... fine when average conditions - but I wouldn't be counting on it to keep me off a lee-shore when s*** hits the fan !!
 
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