New engine - what about this?

penfold said:
they are licenced Kubota and Nissan designs,employer's
Click to expand...

Doubt there are any licences involved. The Chinese don't believe in that sort of thing and can't see the Japanese promoting competition. They are copies. Might be good, might not be. Do you want to be the person who finds out - the hard way.
 
Don't know how relevant this is but when I was looking to buy a used compact tractor [ca. 18 bhp.] a local farmer warned me against buying Chinese but approved of Iseki and Kubota. I bought the latter and am very impressed by its solid build and good finish despite its being maybe 25 years old.
 
I can't believe so many people have come on here slagging off these engines with no direct experience of them.
If we are not to try new engines because they have no prior experience in the market, we are doomed to only ever use what the existing suppliers want to give us, and at whatever price they choose.

Whilst I agree in principle that you get what you pay for, there are limits.
A product that is priced at twice what it should be will be no better that if it were priced correctly.

Of course there is a bit of a gamble when choosing a new player in the market, and that is why you get the product at an enticing price.

I am sure the same people saying that they would not buy it because it is too cheap, would still not buy it at the same price as the big names because it was a new brand.

If it uses consumables that are easily obtained I would not have an issue using these engines if there was a considerable saving.

It's not 'futuristic rocket science' they have developed, but a relatively simple diesel engine.
 
BGW said:
I can't believe so many people have come on here slagging off these engines with no direct experience of them.
Click to expand...

I'm not slagging off the engine, but the marketing of them via an eBay seller most of whose feedback is from sellers, and when from buyers is for relatively low value items. There seems to be no manufacturer involvement in the marketing of these in the UK, all of which reeks of lowest possible overheads and possibly little in the way of support. If the OP is prepared to face up to the possibilty of providing self-support without-back up from the manufacturer and local importer, fine. Then maybe the discount over established brands makes sense.

One other consideration - possible effect on resale value of a boat with an unbranded engine.

Whatever our ramblings, I suspect the OP will do what he wants to do.
 
If I was looking for a new engine I would be tempted by the cost saving. Someone has to be first. It depends on the type of person you are.
My ultrasonic AF units work well for me but there are many on here that will say they dont work ;)
 
A degree of thread highjack here..........

..........as we are on about cost and as someone currently considering a re-engine with a Beta 25 or 30 - how much are these currently delivered in UK (ROM)?

I have had a scrape through the dealers websites but can find nothing and as I am in Kuwait its a wee bit tricky to lift the phone (the boats in UK).
 
Relax said:
A degree of thread highjack here..........

..........as we are on about cost and as someone currently considering a re-engine with a Beta 25 or 30 - how much are these currently delivered in UK (ROM)?

I have had a scrape through the dealers websites but can find nothing and as I am in Kuwait its a wee bit tricky to lift the phone (the boats in UK).
Click to expand...

E mail Beta for a quotation. Although there is a price list, it is largely ignored as most manufacturers or their dealers quote against specifc enquiries with package deals, discounts etc

As a rough guide budget for around £8k including all the "extra" bits you will probably need. You will also find much smaller differences in prices among the different manufacturers than you might expect as all dealers will be keen to get your business.
 
Last edited:
It seems a little odd to me that peeps will buy a Kipor genny instead of a Honda, yet slag these engines off without knowing any facts. As a menber of the cheapskate party and DIY union, I would consider the 70/80/90 hp ones,
spares prices dont seem to bad.
Part MP-327 - MP-332 MP-437 - MP-458 MP-470 - MP-490
Gasket set (complete) £14.00 £16.00 £19.00
Fresh water pump £32.00 £32.00 £38.00
Thermostat £6.00 £6.00 £8.00
Oil Filter assy £14.00 £14.00 £16.00
Fuel filter assy £12.00 £12.00 £14.00
Air filter £20.00 £20.00 £20.00
Intake valve £3.00 £5.00 £6.00
Exhaust valve £3.00 £5.00 £6.00
Starter motor £120.00 £120.00 £120.00
Alternator £120.00 £120.00 £120.00
Injector £28.00 £28.00 £28.00
Piston £10.00 £14.00 £16.00
Piston ring £4.00 £6.00 £7.00
Connecting rod £24.00 £27.00 £29.00
Sea water pump £195.00 £195.00 £195.00
Cylinder liner £15.00 £18.00 £19.00
 
Black Kipper said:
Beta quoted me £7980 inc vat and all in for a 60HP. Just prop shaft and possible new prop needed. Nanni quote was almost identical.
Click to expand...

Thats my experience. The quotes I had spec for spec were virtually identical Beta Nanni. i chose the Nanni - not just because it was blue, but certain aspects of the marinisation seemed better to me.

The budget I suggested above would include all the things like controls, exhaust etc that also need replacing in most cases - you might also get fitting if it is straight forward within that budget.
 
Why worry, if you feel it's a throwaway engine, you can have two for the same price as a European marinised engine.

On the cost basis, Bowman charge £500+/- for a heat exchanger, VP charge £1700. Does this mean that Bowman are **** (and for the record, I think Bowman are very good), or VP are overpriced box fillers (I think VP are overpriced box fillers) Are the French Kubotas ****, do Kubotas really need a larger sump. Zee seabirds follow ze trawlers. I've started spouting s41t, it's the paint fumes ;-(

Do we really need a UK manufacturing base. We could let the bankers do all the work, tax em to the hilt and go sailing Hmmmm Hmmm.

Sounds like a plan. When's the next general election? The sailing party! We could stand in grotesque lines in the bank humming "We are sailing"
 
When going into a volvo penta service shop .. always take a box of tissues with you.. You Will start blubbering :eek:
 
dab123 said:
When going into a volvo penta service shop .. always take a box of tissues with you.. You Will start blubbering :eek:
Click to expand...

Quite a few years ago I replaced the Bosch starter motor on my VW. At the time it cost £100. A few weeks later on our summer cruise we were with another boat with a Volvo engine, whose starter motor failed. He priced the new one, which appeared to be an identical Bosch unit to the one I had bought - £500 from Volvo.
 
This is where pbo magazine is bad, they should have bought one of these and thrashed it to death rather than all the repeat rubbish we get....like handheld vhf reviews every 6months.
 
This is where pbo magazine is bad, they should have bought one of these and thrashed it to death rather than all the repeat rubbish we get....like handheld vhf reviews every 6months.
Click to expand...

That would be far to sensible because I would be forced to buy a copy:)
 
If the european co's will insist on getting the Chinese to manufacture for them Why are they not surprised that they fill the order for, say, xk units and then keep the tooling and knock out another xyzk units under their own brand without the R&D spend?
 
I am still having psychological problems from when my boat had a BMW D7 engine.

Having BMW on the label, or the fact it was a converted Dump Truck engine did nothing for its reliability or longevity.

However, those who would not buy a BL Montego Diesel wouldn't think twice about fitting a Perkins Marine Diesel engine...Same thing!

Early adopters of Japanese motorcycles had pleasant experiences, but they wore out very quickly, but were cheap enough anyway.

China does have an issue with poor design copying, and material selection issues, as well as iffy quality control, but, you might be lucky.

My Yanmar 3YM30 has not had a sparkling life so far. And the LCD hour meter is the latest thing to fail.


So, there are risks, but if the savings are good, then you weigh it up and go with your heart or your wallet.

Me? I would be adventurous, and give the Chinese thing a whirl.
 
Hi Simon

If I remember well enough your new acquisition will probably have a 'Thorneycroft' engine in her, get it out and get it reconditioned, ask around there will be someone local that can be recommended as it is not rocket science and rebuilt it will go for years.

Or ask around for a part exchange for the same, many yards do this.

Mike
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top