Nicholson 35 Engine change

[celandine]

Does anyone have any advice/experience of doing an engine swap on this boat. The main issue being how to work so far beneath a completely sealed cockpit sole. Ie no chance of a vertical lift. Sadly the owners' association such as it is, is not up to this sort of thing.

The old engine is a Watermota Seapanther: I am thinking of fitting a Beta 35

Mike

 

[bateau57]

Nicholson 35

Have you tried the Nicholson 35 forum as most a willing to help and I know there are Nics with Beta engines.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/campernicholson/

Regards
Graham

 

[pappaecho]

I know the Watermota engine well. It was rated at about 20BHP, so the BV1305 Beta engine will be nearly twice the power, which will probably mean propeller changes as well, in the cost.
If you do fit a Beta engine make very sure and check it yourself, that the anti siphon arrangement works, because the engines have issues with even very small amount of water in the oil due to failures of the antisiphon components. From memory, the Betas weigh slightly less than the Watermota. Sliding them in and out will mean some inventive engineering. It might be interesting to find out how C&N did it when fitting the engines originally

 

[macd]

If you do fit a Beta engine make very sure and check it yourself, that the anti siphon arrangement works, because the engines have issues with even very small amount of water in the oil due to failures of the antisiphon components.

I could be wrong but don't recall that the Beta has any specific anti-siphon plumbing, although the installation handbook cautions against the risk depending on relative seawater level (generally higher on older boats such as the Nick). I fitted a Vetus siphon break, an easy job.

 

[steve28]

I know its old now but as its based on a common engine a complete rebuild would still be much cheaper, i know someone who has done the exact same thing on a nic 32

Steve

 

[Twister_Ken]

Would it not make sense to put a suitably sized hatch in the cockpit floor? Been done many times on other boats (mine included).

 

[alahol2]

Don't know the layout of a Nic 35 but could you not cut a large hatch into the inboard side of a cockpit locker or quarter berth? Saves having to try to make a waterproof hatch for the cockpit.
When removing my engine (admittedly rather smaller) we slid it along a scaffold plank into the cabin before lifting out of the main hatch.

 

[Bobobolinsky]

Cut the bottom of the cockpit out before now and then glass it back in