New engine for Contessa 26

[Vid]

I'm thinking about buying an old but cheap Co26 - it needs lots of work, including replacing the original petrol engine with a new diesel. Any idea of roughly how much I should budget for - cost of engine (small Yanmar or Beta) plus cost of fitting?

 

[weaver_fish]

When I looked at it last year I was told 5 to 6k.... which started to make the more expensive already re-engined boats look much more attractive.

 

[kds]

You will get a 13.5hp BETA for £3k.
A good motor
Ken

 

[Gin]

Looked at a similar proposition a couple of years ago to replace a Petter 6hp and I recall a Yanmar 10hp was offered at what seemed a not too bad price- whatever that might be now- but having it fitted professionally took the cost up another £1700 or so, so went off the idea as I couldn't spare the time nor had the experience/skill to do it myself

 

[Pye_End]

My Beta 13.5 was £3k for engine; £1k for fitting plus about another £1k for new diesel tank (whilst out changed to stainless from mild steel) plus flexible coupling plus new anti siphon etc. etc.

 

[ColinHuggins]

Re: THAT Contessa 26

Half a mo' - aren't you the geezer who told us "I rather fancy turning it into my own boat rather than simply taking over someone else's well-cared for boat"???

I binned a reposte which started with "No, don't" and ended similarly . . . with a lot of (probably prejudiced) nonsense in between, BUT it is a fact that you are very unlikely to find someone else's boat to be as well cared-for as the vendor would have you believe. And you'll soon want to change things, whether to improve or replace.

My point is that boats are there to be used not polished, and the nostalgia I personally feel for boats owned is proportional to what we did and where we went.)

Here are examples that I have discovered after buying well cared-for boats:

A Previous owner snapped key off in ignition, replaced it with basic ignition switch with no cold-start position, left wire dangling down. Somebody doing electrical work pushed it back onto live terminal. Eventually the heat coil objected to being permanently on and burnt out, destroying the threaded hole in the air intake. Repairs entailed a one-off collar to fit into an enlarged, tapped hole into which a new heat-coil would screw. And a new ignition switch as well of course.

B Another owner replaced the alternator with one which worked perfectly but was about 10mm larger all round. So no adjustment for drive belt, hence a b . . . to fit new one and no scope to accommodate the belt when it stretched. Had to buy a new one which was a b . . .

C One boat had brand new hoses on the WC but they proved to be rather short in length - and the toilet seat wouldn't stay up. Should a test sail include a test pee?

D Greasing points on the rudder stock had wisps of grease implying they were in use - but actually they were rusted solid and had to be drilled out.

5 The Autohelm was located where it was easily accessible - but had 23 degrees of deviation.

My surveyors didn't notice any of these. Should I have asked for my money back?

And there was the Arpege which came with beaching legs. Great! But the owner didn't tell me he'd fitted a deeper keel . . .

And the Jouet which came with a spare mainsail. That owner didn't tell me that he'd fitted a taller mast . . .

The point is Sunshine: I would pay more for a boat that SEEMS to be in sail-away cndition. And do just that, sail away. You'll have plenty to do keeping her afloat.

For those interested in Portsmouth Yardsticks as performance indicators, here is an extract from 1976:

110 Jaguar 27, Hustler 25.5, Trapper 27
111 Ecume de Mer, Verl 27
112 Vega, Trintella 29
113 Elizabethan 29, T24, Sadler 25
114 Folkboat, Invicta
115 Contess 26, Folkdancer
116 Halcyon 27
117 Tomahawk 25, Offshore 8 metre

Do you think your short list was perhaps just . . . too short?

 

[Pye_End]

Re: THAT Contessa 26

You didn't presumably really mean me did you?

 

[Norman_E]

Re: THAT Contessa 26

Quote "The Autohelm was located where it was easily accessible - but had 23 degrees of deviation."

My own boat has more than that, but it does not bother me. The point is that I can point the boat where I want it to go, turn on the autopilot (actually a Simrad Robertson) and it will hold the course, allow me to adjust it one degree at a time, or tack. I could read all the manuals and adjust the deviation as there is a flux-gate compass under a saloon seat to supply the heading data, but really it does not bother me because I can get compass heading from either compass or true heading from the GPS. All the autopilot has to do is to maintain consistent heading, not provide an accurate readout.

 

[ColinHuggins]

Re: That Autohelm

"All the autopilot has to do is . . ." leaving me to do the sums!

Have some consideration for my tired old brain Norman. It's out to the Bar Beacon, turn right 90 degress so bash plus 10 nine times. Boat only swings thro seventy degrees - oops, forgot that darn deviation. Coming back to Bar Beacon turn left 90 degrees so 10 x 9 again. But boat swings 110 degrees - oops, it's that deviation thingy again.

So much easier to put down the gin, disengage autopliot, assume manual control, twiddle wheel until we've turned the corner, engage Autopilot, pick up gin.

Easy? I might as well go back to the days when turning left at the Beacon would mean changing down to the number 2 and pulling down a slab!

 

[Norman_E]

Re: That Autohelm

Mine does not mess up like that. The tack function gives me 110 degrees turn either port or starboard, with just enough delay to let me dump the sheet as the boat goes through the wind, and pull in the other one. The right and left buttons give me 1 degree per push. I never use it to navigate. Paper charts and the Mark 1 eyeball are the best in Turkish waters because the charts are not to WGS84, whereas the chartplotter is. Chartplotter gets position and heading from the GPS, therefore accurate except that the C-map chart is either not as accurate as the paper ones, or has a different basis than WGS84, and it can be proved when in harbour to put the boat slightly out of its true position. For example I was moored on the west side of the small harbour at Bozburan, and the chartplotter showed the boat as being on land, just off the north wall, about 100 meters away. I would like to be able to correct that, but cannot work out how.
The autopilot is independent of the GPS and is wired to a flux-gate compass, so in theory at least I could adjust it to show the correct heading, but it does not seem to matter at all that it is wrong.

 

[charles_reed]

Those charts

Found exactly the same problem with Navionics charts in a Lowrance 3300C.

With WAAS the GPS position is very accurate, but at large scales, positions in Croatia are about 150m out - all explained by Croatian Hydrographic Service using a totally unknown standard, about 9" E and 5" N of WSG84.

My old 1st generation chartplotter allowed recalibration of the position but this one doesn't appear to have the neccessary software handle.

Unfortunately using WSG84 in the GPS receiver and plotting onto a paper chart doesn't resolve the problem unless you amend the plot position before transfering it onto the chart.

 

[graham]

Have you considered an outboard?Modern outboards are very reliable you can charge batteries from a charging coil and start with flat batteries if needed.

Ken Endeans articles about pilotage all over Britain and france are based on his cruising around in a Sabre 27 with an outboard on the back.

You would get change out of £1500 for an 8 hp with charging kit and remote controls.

PS have two threads merged into one ?There seems to be GPS and engine replies mixed together .

 

[Huscombe]

Ignore the pisstaking .....

Both Yanmar 1GM10's and Beta Ten's are out of old tinsy-winsie tractor engines with no research done on them for the past 20 years. If you buy a Yanmar you will need a Halyard Aquadrive and 80-86dB (min) accoustic insulation.

If you buy a Beta 10 then with its extra weight upsetting the centre of effort (ask JJ - He knows all about these things /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif ) plus its extra big fuel tank which will depress the 'self draining' aspects of the cockpit further ......... (+++ is that you will only need 72-75 dB of insulation) ,,, then you will lose 0.25 to 0.5 knots at the supposed 'hull speed' .... (6.2 knots /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

Anyway, if you are serious (Which seems to be in doubt) then you have the choice of clatter bang wallop (Yanmar) or 'as smooth as silk' (Beta 10) plus the extra couple of kilos plus the extra fuel consumed (not much --- but significant!!!)

My CO26's 1GM10 will be replaced by a BETA10 next year ... Reason: It's a better engine.

Sorry Yanmar - You went down the posh boat route and forgot us little baot people ... It's your loss as it's not about where and all the flowers gone, it's now about switching to BETA's one by one /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

K

 

[Topcat47]

Re: Ignore the pisstaking .....

Look carefully at the footprint of both engines. My 1GM10 installation is much less cramped than would have been the case with a Beta, although if I'd gone down the Beta route I'd have used the 12. The raw water cooling system has it's faults but when push comes to shove, I find it's inherently more reliable and that's what matters to me. It's only the "auxhiliary" after all and while it's capable of driving my boat across the channel, if I have to do it, I'd rather be sailing.

 

[Pye_End]

Re: Ignore the pisstaking .....

The 1GM and the Beta 10 and 13.5 all have the same footprint (by that I meet the feet go along the same size bed). In fact the Beta 10 and 13.5 are the same size - so you may as well go for the 13.5 - Beta 10 is a bit redundant IMHO. Don't know very much about the newer engines they brought out (both Beta and yanmar) - I think the Betas have even more power for the same siz, and if it is available then you may as well have it.