New diesel in old boat

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dallasg

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My 33 foot, 50 year old long keeled yacht is in a major refit and I'm thinking of replacing the engine.
Currently fitted is a 4cyl Westerbeke, about 27HP. It runs well and the sterngear is all good but it is too heavy. In an effort to trim the boat, the previous owner fitted big water and holding tanks right forward. These are now out.
I think 20HP is sufficient, and I've read lots of posts here on candidates for the new engine. To sum up it seems that Beta and Nanni are light and reliable, Volvo no longer deserve their fearsome reputation for being expensive, and that Yanmar is also good. And I should listen to the local supplier/fitter.
Is that a fair summary? Any further ideas or warnings? Thank you
 
For working out how large an engine you need, I'd suggest about 4hp per ton of displacement. 'Way back when, just 1hp was considered enough, but I really think that it is inadequate. I used an industrial Kubota and marinised it myself as I couldn't find a Nanni dealer here in Melbourne. Now, of course, they're everywhere! However, the Kubota has been a constant joy, as it starts immediately, as soon as the first injector fires. The compression ratio is high, even for a diesel; around 22:1 from memory. This means that they can lose some compresssion and still work well.
Peter.
 
Go for a Beta, nice people, boos man is a raggie so is OK (haha). They even may have a mounting kit to make it "plug in".

If going to LBS pop onto their stand - if you don't mind queueing - and have a chat, but there's not really much to discuss.
 
I took the plunge on installing a new engine in my 40yr old Vertue about this time last year and have not regretted it. After considering Nanni, and Kubota, I opted for a 10hp Volvo because:

a) Volvo gave me a trade in on my old, and decrepid Volvo MD10

b) very low interest financing eased the financial pain over 3 years

c) although popular the Kubota and Nanni were unknown quantities, whereas with the Volvo I had direct contact with the marine engineer, not a salesman.

However, a couple of things I hadn't bargained for:

i) the installation cost

ii) the 'little' extras such as new prop for compatability with the engine, new exhaust system, new engine bearers, and new fuel tank etc.

iii) straightening of prop shaft and refurbishing prop coupling.

OK, I cringed at the time, but in the long run I a have a very reliable engine with all new components The satisfaction of knowing your engine is going to start first time is quite comforting.

By the way, while the old engine is out take the opportunity to water blast the engine bay and get rid of all the grease and grime.

Go for it.

Andy
 
I re-engined about 9 years ago and put the 27hp Volvo (2030) in place of the 1.5 BMC. I'm 32ft displaacing @7 tons. New prop to match. I went for the Volvo because when I listened to the alternatives (fitted) at the Southampton Boat Show, the Volvo was noticeably quieter and smoother, the dealer was local (Tollesbury), there was a good deal going which meant the list price was irrelevant and because I thought it slightly neater. On a flotilla holiday in Creece this autumn, they said they had re-engined all their fleet to 2020s for the customers baots and 2030 for the lead crews. They had done this in comparison to Yanmars for reliability. They didn't appear to have access to Beta or any Kubuto based engines.

I found the weight reduction wonderful. TG is perfectly balanced now and having the engine on is a pleasure instead of painful.

I would check what alternator you get as standard, service points compared to your installation and have a discussion about the right prop. I found Beta and Nanni a little dismissive about choice but was given the name of a guy at Volvo who used a computer programme to give me an idea.

There have been some posts about water pump problems on the 2020 which I search on the PBO forum or scutlebutt might find.
 
IIRC both Nanni and Beta are the same engie (a marinised Kubota) but the Beta engine appears to be heavier, cause they fit a heavier flywheel in order to balance the engine better and remove more vibrations.
 
Just replaced the original Sole 14 with a Beta 14. Smaller, lighter, quieter, smoother , much better. Yard costs and fitting by a very good pro put the total price over five thousand. Well worth it even though my boat budget for this year is empty.
IanW, Vertue 203, Patience
 
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