New Engine

[jamesa]

I find myself in the position of organising a new engine rather sooner than i'd hoped (to cut a long story short, the gearbox has gone bang & the engine needs to come out to replace it, so it makes financial sense to replace it all now rather than put the old engine back just to rip it out again next year). I'm not doing it myself, but could do with some unbiased suggestions as to what questions should I be asking, what should I be looking for, etc. The old engine is a Watermota Seapanther - about 28hp.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Evadne]

I know a couple of people who have re-engined their sailing boats in recent years, though none as big as yours, and I would go for a Beta or Yanmar on their recommendations. Both are simple and reliable; Beta have a reputation or toughness, being Kubota tractor engines; I have a Yanmar and the only time it's gone wrong is when I've done something (or not done something) I shouldn't have. Spares are expensive, but cheaper than Volvo (but then what isn't?).
On the other hand I once lived next door to a hydraulic engineer who used to work on yacht installations, occasionally. His comment on Volvo Penta equipment was that you get what you pay for, and if he had the money and his life might depend on it, that's what he'd specify. Trouble is, most of us don't have that sort of money.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Steve_B]

I find myself in an almost identical situation with an ageing and ailing Sea Panther and have just posted a similar question on the Nic 32 owners website. The answer I have been given by the majority of owners replying is to go for a Beta 28hp. Those that have installed one of these seem more than happy with their choice. I trust this is of some help.

Steve_b

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Aeolus_IV]

Did a conversion VP MD2B to Yanmar 3GM30F nearly 2 years ago - very happy with the engine itself - did the work ourselves. Yanmar have subsequently changed the GM range, and so cannot comment on the new range.

Good luck, Jeff.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://users.swing.be/FDB/centurion/index2.html>Centurion 32 Web site</A>

 

[tillergirl]

I suppose Volvo are entitled to have someone plug for them so here goes. I re-engined six years ago to a 2030 which is based on the Perkins block. I chose it for its smoothness and quietness which I think beats both the Yanmar and Beta (which I thought was really quite noisy in the installation I saw (someone will say quite the opposite I expect). However, I haven't been disappointed. It is very smooth and quiet, although I accept that quietness has a lot to do with the installation. Don't worry about the quoted list price, nobody pays that. They know who they are competing with and whilst still a little dearer than the Beta, the difference wasn't much. Ordinary service items could be cheaper and it is possible to get some alternative filters. The 2030 doesn't seem to suffer the water pump problem of the 2020 which does seem a model which has had its share of mentions on this forum (just for the water pump though).

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[john_morris_uk]

And to add a quick two pence worth, we re-engined with a Nanni on the last boat(like the Beta it is based on a Kubota) and we were very happy with it. It had a better control panel than the Beta when we were looking, the deal was more or less the same at the boat show, and it turned off on a solenoid very rather than a stop control.

Actually I don't expect there's much in it, as the previous boat we re-engined with a Yanmar and we were happy with that as well.

And I always swore we'd never have another V***vo and guess whats in the new boat...

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[SydneyTim]

Doing exactly the same thing myself on a 39' boat. Going with Volvo for two reasons, one the reputation they earned was with the older engines the newer ones seem to get good reports, as I have scoured the web for bad ones and found very few. Second was some advice I saw on this site a while back which made a lot of sense to me, ie fit the engine that your local trusted engineer fits, as he/she will do all the work on it and if there's an installation problem you know where he is to go back to on it.

I'd second the motion that the Kubota based engines are a lot noisier, mate of mine as one over here in Oz and it's a bit agricultural to the ears!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[WayneS]

We did a DIY re-engine over the winter.

Went from a single cyl 12HP to a 3cyl 20HP Beta. We do not have a conventional gearbox (Hydraulic drive) so had no alignment issues.

Beta were super helpful. I got tech drawings of the engine from them, made 1:1 copies and used that to make up a foam dummy of the engine and mounts.

We have to totally re-do the engine bay so the dummy proved useful in making up new bearers. Iroko bonded to the hull with epoxy glue then glassed over with 5 layers of 2oz mat.

Engine runs a dream. I see the other posts about noise but we find the Beta sooo silent compared to the old donkey.

Would be happy to give advice if you need.

Regards, Wayne


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[bedouin]

One of the sailing mags did an article a year or so ago on spares costs and the like, and Volvo came out as no more expensive than any other manufacturer.

Admittedly major replacement parts for my 32 year old Volvo are getting expensive but

(a) It doesn't need any major parts.
(b) It is a 32 year old engine - I don't know how many people are running 32 year old Betas
(c) The parts are still available should I need them.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Jcorstorphine]

Although Beta seams to be the favourite, have you considered a new Ford built by Lancing Marine. Engine is based on the Ford 1.8 diesel (without the turbo), you could consider having it built with a 1.5:1 gearbox and run the engine at a maximum of 2200 RPM (30+HP ish) giving prop revs of 1500 and with the engine at maximum torque you will get good economy and be a lot quieter than a less powerful engine running at 3000 RPM, spare are cheap and the engine may fit in with very little change to the engine bearers. The Sea Panther was a diesel version of the old 1.6 Cortina Engine. Basic engine is about £3500 plus a gearbox.

As for the fellow reader who has chosen Volvo, well he cannot have seen all the bad press Volvo get in terms of spares etc. I had one, never again, I would not even consider buying another boat with a Volvo.


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[SydneyTim]

Don't want to change this to a Volvo vs Others debate but thought you may be interested in this.

Went into the repower thinking anything but a Volvo due to "all the bad press" but because the mechanic I trust supplies them and I felt the mechaninc issue was an important one I did a fair bit of research.

The only "bad press" seems to relate to 20 year old engines, I have found nothing on the web of any great substance slagging off anything built in last 10 years, maybe I didn't find it, or maybe the "bad press" is exagerated a bit. Yeah "parts are expensive", but as a previous post says not any more so than anyone elses in the PBO(?) survey.

My ultimate boat builder is Hallberg Rassy and they use Volvo engines, I trawled the owners discusion board and could find hardly any complaints. I spoke to the maintenance manager at Moorings and he had no problem with the engines, and ditto with maintenance guy the largest charter fleet on Sydney Harbour.

My mechanic offerred to fit a Yanmar for me as he can do both at the same prices, but he said he greatly prefers Volvos and has found them at least as reliable.

My other logic is that as I intend to sail round the Pacific on this boat I fancy my chances of finding Volvo parts above a marinised Ford. If you live in Oz, add the delivery cost onto the parts versus off the volvo dealers shelf and then see which parts are the most expensive.

That said if you can point me to some bad press about the engines rather than the parts, and the reliability thereof, I'd love to read it as it's not too late for me to change my mind. But on my research I found very little to talk about.

So is it myth or fact?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Jcorstorphine]

I am sorry to be so negative but having been the victim of a Volvo engine in a Westerly Pentland I really do hate these engines with a vengeance. Despite all the attention I could give it, the little horror filled the sump with sea water, bent a push rod, seized not to mention the rubbish gearbox, dirty smoky exhaust, extortionist spares cost, pretty poor maintenance manual and so on.

I spent over a £1,000 on odds and ends like rings gaskets valves etc and still the engine gave problems. A top end gasket set for my engine cost almost £200. I do agree that my engine was of the generation you mentioned but if you look through the Motor Boat and Yachting pages and use Volvo in the search engine you will come across a very large number of disgruntled Volvo owners. And we are talking big engines which after only sever hundred hours have given problems.

In my case I have selected a marine version of a vehicle engine as the boat I am renovating has been fitted with a Ford Diesel. The boat I owned before the Westerly had a 1.5 BMC Diesel built 1971 and is still going strong. Try and find a 1971 Volvo which is still starting on the touch of the button and does not fill the surrounding area with blue/ grey smoke

As to companies like Hallberg and the now defunct Westerly fitting Volvo, I have always been of the opinion is that Volvo give whopping great discounts to the OEM Boat Building Industry in order to keep the number up thereby reduce the unit cost and of course recoup their profits on the spares market. This is standard practice in many other industries. I work for a company building Furnaces and we can buy pumps at a fraction of the cost that end users have to pay

My last point is the resale value, as I said I would never, never ever but another boat on the second hand market which was fitted with a Volvo.


<hr width=100% size=1>