Nicholson 26 engines

[SpinningGill]

We're puzzling over the engine in our newly bought Nicholson 26. It's either a Beta 10 or a Beta 14. Speaking to the chaps at Beta Marine, they stated that it would be a Beta 14, after I'd given them the Kubota engine number (starting with Z482).

My question is, were any Nic 26s fitted with a Beta 10, as some sites indicate that the Z482 can apply to a Beta 10 as well as the Beta 14?

 

[Tranona]

The 10 and 14 are indeed the same engine. What makes the difference is that the 10 is governed to 3000rpm whereas the 14 (actually 13,5hp) will run to 3600rpm. Clearly the extra 40% of power is valuable if you can use it and your boat will benefit because of its heavy displacement. However to use the additional power you need a different size propeller which is hopefully fitted to your boat. The actual size will depend on the gearbox ratio you have and whether it is 2 or 3 blade. Try it and if you get maximum revs of around 3400+ and a speed close to 6 knots then all is well. You should then be able to cruise at 5 knots at about 2400 rpm. With a 10 you would have lower top speed and higher rpm for cruising.

 

[Bilgediver]

We're puzzling over the engine in our newly bought Nicholson 26. It's either a Beta 10 or a Beta 14. Speaking to the chaps at Beta Marine, they stated that it would be a Beta 14, after I'd given them the Kubota engine number (starting with Z482).

My question is, were any Nic 26s fitted with a Beta 10, as some sites indicate that the Z482 can apply to a Beta 10 as well as the Beta 14?

That is a difficult question to answer because Beta engines were not around when the Nics were built and so any installed are replacements of owners choice. Maybe there is a Nicholson owners group hiding and waiting to be found that could help

Have another word with your friends at Beta and ask if the only difference is the max speed or are there any differences in the fuel injection. The answer to this question should settle you mind . Is your engine rev to 3000 or 36900 with the current prop set up?

 

[Tranona]

The boats were originally fitted with a variety of petrol and diesel engines to owners choice. Sabb diesels and Volvo C10 petrol (actually made by Albin) were common. Most will have been re-engined now commonly with a Yanmar 1GM because it was small and cheap but underpowered for the 4.5 tons displacement, Beta 10 (also too small) and 14, I have seen some for sale with 20hp engines (Beta and Volvo) which are much more appropriate for the displacement but must be a tight fit.

Remember they come from a time when engines in sailing boats were really auxiliaries and 4-5 knots was considered more than adequate compared with the 5-6 knots we would expect now.

 

[SpinningGill]

Many thanks for the replies, there are some useful pointers and bits of history there.
All I can remember about our prop, without digging out the details, is that it's a 12" prop with three blades. We measured the pitch (?) of the individual blades, but I don't have the photos to hand at the moment.

 

[LittleSister]

I think it rather unlikely anyone would fit the Beta 10 to your boat, as the difference in price from the 14 would be a very small proportion of the overall cost of the engine, its installation and other components required. Beta (and almost all agents), if asked, would have recommended the 14. One would probably only fit the 10 if one found one offered remarkably cheap (e.g. second-hand but unused from an abandoned project).

If you start the engine and (once warm) push the 'throttle' full forward in neutral and it reaches 3,600rpm then you have a 14, if it only reaches 3,000 then you (probably) have a 10.

But it doesn't really matter. You have the engine (and gearbox and prop) that you have. A 10hp will be adequate, and would have been about the norm when the boat was new, though modern tastes prefer more power. I have cruised a 26 foot heavy displacement long keeler not very different from a Nicholson 26 that IIRC had a 7hp, and while progress under engine was sedate it was perfectly usable, including for long journeys.

In the unlikely event you have the 10, you could enquire of Beta the governor modification required to convert it to a 14 (as Tranona says, it is the same engine, but max revs limited), but you would almost certainly need a new propellor too.

 

[Laysula]

I would guess that if Beta has said it is a 14hp then having given them the engine number then they should know from their records what they have sold.

 

[Topcat47]

My original engine was an 8hp. I replaced it with a Yanmar 10. IMO anything over the 14hp Beta is overkill. Diesels like being run hard and the boat is overdriven at anything over 6 knots. One '26 I know had the 23hp Yanmar fitted but this wasn't any faster than mine unless conditions were really rough.

 

[Tranona]

Actually to get hull speed of 6.2 knots you need over 20hp if the quoted displacement of 4.6 tonnes is correct. With a 14 you might get 5,5 knots. If it were my choice I would compromise with a 16 and if there is room fit a 2.5:1 reduction and a 14" prop. I did something similar with my old Eventide which has same dimensions except just under 3.5knots with a Nanni 14, 2.65:1 reduction and 15" feathering propeller. comfortably over 5,5 knots. Not sure though whether there is enough room in the aperture for a 14" rather than the more common 12".

I have done a lot of work over the years on getting the best out of heavy boats with underpowered engines and large diameter slow turning props is the key with the added bonus that it gets the blades further out from behind the keel on boats like yours and mine. Downside of course is extra drag unless you go the feathering prop route.

 

[aslabend]

Actually to get hull speed of 6.2 knots you need over 20hp if the quoted displacement of 4.6 tonnes is correct. With a 14 you might get 5,5 knots. If it were my choice I would compromise with a 16 and if there is room fit a 2.5:1 reduction and a 14" prop. I did something similar with my old Eventide which has same dimensions except just under 3.5knots with a Nanni 14, 2.65:1 reduction and 15" feathering propeller. comfortably over 5,5 knots. Not sure though whether there is enough room in the aperture for a 14" rather than the more common 12".

I have done a lot of work over the years on getting the best out of heavy boats with underpowered engines and large diameter slow turning props is the key with the added bonus that it gets the blades further out from behind the keel on boats like yours and mine. Downside of course is extra drag unless you go the feathering prop route.

My Nic26 has the beta 16 with a 3 blade 13" prop (if memory serves it's 13x8r stamped on the side). It'll not quite rev to the engine max but top speed is probably 6 knots . At 2000rpm with a clean prop and hull it'll cruise at just over 5 knots. headwinds and chops soon knock the speed down a tad. I'm not sure about getting a bigger prop in the aperture.

 

[Tranona]

13*8 seems a bit steep pitch. Do you know what gearbox ratio you have?

 

[SpinningGill]

Many thanks again for all the useful replies.