Old engine gone.....what next!

[PhillM]

Fit the beta. You will never regret it. stay with the old and you will be back here sooner or later.

I made the same decision last year. I'm delighted with my beta 14.

 

[30boat]

Volvo's MD range was built to last, 50,000 hours plus compared to modern engine at 8,000, so it would be worth rebuilding. The new owner of our boat replaced an MD17C with a Beta and it needed a new prop shaft and propeller, not cheap, check if that is the case before making a decision.

A Nanni (Kubota) will last over 20 years if maintained.A friend's raw water cooled Renault Couach ,also a Kubota,was still going strong at over 22 years of age.A fresh water cooled version will last a lot longer.

 

[PhillM]

Volvo's MD range was built to last, 50,000 hours plus compared to modern engine at 8,000, so it would be worth rebuilding. The new owner of our boat replaced an MD17C with a Beta and it needed a new prop shaft and propeller, not cheap, check if that is the case before making a decision.

8k hours at an average of 50 hours per year is still longer than I actually need.

You are right about the new prop and shaft. In my case I also needed new planking, engine bed, fuel tank and system, new sea cocks and piping. All in spent about £7k inc engine and fitting. Oh and I needed to repaint the bilge

 

[NickRobinson]

The engine has never run under my ownership, so the question of whether or not it's had it is hard to answer. The main worry is that having never used it, I have no idea of what has gone wrong, or what issues it may or may not have.

I could not have resisted the temptation to sort some water supply/battery/fuel and run it! ( a vid of it running would have helped with the selling if that was still your decision)

It could nearly be the 'new' engine you're considering....

 

[Twister_Ken]

Oh and I needed to repaint the bilge

If you're in West London, I might be able to save you a tenner or so. I have an unopened 750ml tin of Epifanes grey bilge paint surplus to requirements. Yours if you knock on the door.

 

[silver-fox]

I can only wish £5-7K was loose change to me!

My main issue is that I have a young family and a non sailing wife. Time is at a premium and as much as I love tinkering with engines, I prefer sailing and the parts for the MD1B are becoming stupidly expensive (I even recently resorted to looking at parts from Australia as they were cheaper).

If I have the family onboard I need a reliable engine and if I don't have them with me, it wouldn't go down well if I couldn't consistently get home (sailing on tidal waters here) because the engine let me down. It's a big investment but one which might even encourage the tribe onboard with a nice quiet, reliable and powerful engine.

The MD1B and all the spares will be on ebay soon and......the Nanni 14hp has the most competitive price thus far! It's a scary prospect but i'm quite excited about it all now! :encouragement:

There you go -decision made. Enjoy your shiny new engine.

 

[Tranona]

Volvo's MD range was built to last, 50,000 hours plus compared to modern engine at 8,000, so it would be worth rebuilding. The new owner of our boat replaced an MD17C with a Beta and it needed a new prop shaft and propeller, not cheap, check if that is the case before making a decision.

And where did that wonderful piece of misinformation come from? 50000 hours is ludicrous in the context of a yacht auxiliary - 330 years at the typical average annual usage. An MD1 would never achieve anywhere near that. Like most other simple crude seawater cooled engines it has a life of between 30 and 40 years - hours run is almost irrelevant unless it is constant use. Pointless rebuilding something that will not last, has not been made for over 30 years and for which spares are no longer available.

A new engine is the only sensible answer if the objective is to have something that is long lasting and reliable - plus being light years ahead in refinement. The only issue is whether the owner is prepared to make that investment, and many like him have with complete satisfaction.

 

[30boat]

And where did that wonderful piece of misinformation come from? 50000 hours is ludicrous in the context of a yacht auxiliary - 330 years at the typical average annual usage. An MD1 would never achieve anywhere near that. Like most other simple crude seawater cooled engines it has a life of between 30 and 40 years - hours run is almost irrelevant unless it is constant use. Pointless rebuilding something that will not last, has not been made for over 30 years and for which spares are no longer available.

A new engine is the only sensible answer if the objective is to have something that is long lasting and reliable - plus being light years ahead in refinement. The only issue is whether the owner is prepared to make that investment, and many like him have with complete satisfaction.

Sensible post!

 

[redsnapper]

I had a vp 2003 that at the start of every season always involved a large cost, new raw water pump, alternator, starter - I could go on. Last year I had a yanmar fitted. I haven't looked back and wish I had done it years ago.

Whatever engine make you go for, you won't regret it.

Steve

 

[Tam Lin]

If you spend a lot of money on rebuilding the Volvo then you still have a 35 year old engine which has been subject to corrosion for all that time and you don't know what is going to go wrong with it next. If you are going to keep the boat for some years and reliability is important then get the new engine. The overall cost won't be cheap and there will be the extras that you have identified but it will be worth it for the peace of mind. If you subtract the cost of repairs from the price of the new engine then the new engine gets more affordable. Don't imagine that you will get the cost of the engine back when you sell the boat.

 

[evangeline44]

Agree totally with Tam Lin - just bit the bullet ourselves and pulled out a Perkins 4108 with 34 years of wear (plus rebuilds) and replaced it with a Beta. The peace of mind/reliability issue close to the front of our minds.

Bloody expensive but priceless in the bigger picture.

 

[PhillM]

If you're in West London, I might be able to save you a tenner or so. I have an unopened 750ml tin of Epifanes grey bilge paint surplus to requirements. Yours if you knock on the door.

That's a kind offer but I won't be knocking cause I've done it and I don't want to do it again!

 

[James W]

If you're in West London, I might be able to save you a tenner or so. I have an unopened 750ml tin of Epifanes grey bilge paint surplus to requirements. Yours if you knock on the door.

I might be in West London Ken, does that offer extend to the OP? :encouragement:

 

[johnphilip]

. Don't imagine that you will get the cost of the engine back when you sell the boat.

Maybe not but if I was buying the boat with a repaired motor I would factor in the price of a new engine into my offer for the boat. An engine up to 5 years old must add some value, say 2-3K?

 

[Jim@sea]

I must admit that if I realised how cheap these Chinese engines were when I bought my boat last year I would be sailing it today.
Instead I am persevering with the rubbish fuel system (Lucas/CAV) where it seems its sole purpose in life is to get air in the system so the engine stops.
For around £3000 I could have fitted a Chinese Engine, instead I have had the injectors serviced, new glow plugs, complete new filters, and on Friday, as a last resort a diesel mechanic is going to replace all the fuel lines and fit new olives, so I will have spent around £600.
I could have put that towards a New Engine.
(yes I know that Chinese Outboards are rubbish but I know people who have the Chinese Inboards and they think they are great)
So if any of you Engine Importers are thinking of Importing, get stuck in and get some, there is a big market in the UK as thousands of old boats have engines which need replacing.

 

[doug748]

Interesting, are you looking at the Marine Power engines?

Taking your £3,000 unit what do you reckon the saving is over a similar Nanni, Vetus or Beta?

 

[Tranona]

Interesting, are you looking at the Marine Power engines?

Taking your £3,000 unit what do you reckon the saving is over a similar Nanni, Vetus or Beta?

There is not such a thing as a £3000 unit, although the smallest is just over that. Difficult to tell whether it is a an 8 or 10 or 12 hp as the literature and price list has conflicting information. In the 20 and 27 hp classes the engines are about 15% cheaper than Nanni or Beta, but have more limited gearbox and extras choices. Typically the engine cost is around 60-80% of the total cost of re-engining depending on how much you can re-use and whether you pay for labour. In money terms you might save £500 by using one of these engines in this hp range. Not surprising that they have made little headway in this sector. However, with larger hp engines the difference is much greater in %age terms and they become attractive for some users.

 

[JumbleDuck]

An MD1 would never achieve anywhere near that. Like most other simple crude seawater cooled engines it has a life of between 30 and 40 years - hours run is almost irrelevant unless it is constant use. Pointless rebuilding something that will not last, has not been made for over 30 years and for which spares are no longer available

In this case the engine has only done 16 years in service. so unless there is anything actually and drastically wrong with it, why replace until he has to? If it has been reasonably looked after it could easily have another ten or twenty years in it.

 

[Tranona]

In this case the engine has only done 16 years in service. so unless there is anything actually and drastically wrong with it, why replace until he has to? If it has been reasonably looked after it could easily have another ten or twenty years in it.

That may well be the case - but from earlier posts he has already identified problems of blocked waterways. Sitting for 20 years with the water jacket full of seawater - or even just sitting there in damp surroundings won't have done it any favours. Once you start trying to undo years of neglect you are likely to find more and more needs doing - and even when done you end up with an inadequate engine for which spares are rare or unobtainable. And why the old MGB got replaced by a nice new Morgan.

Fine if you enjoy the challenge of keeping an old motor going, but not if you want reliable power to encourage your family to come sailing with you. learned that lesson a long time ago when even my dog objected to me spending time fiddling to keep my old Stuart Turner running.

 

[JumbleDuck]

That may well be the case - but from earlier posts he has already identified problems of blocked waterways. Sitting for 20 years with the water jacket full of seawater - or even just sitting there in damp surroundings won't have done it any favours. Once you start trying to undo years of neglect you are likely to find more and more needs doing - and even when done you end up with an inadequate engine for which spares are rare or unobtainable. And why the old MGB got replaced by a nice new Morgan.

Fine if you enjoy the challenge of keeping an old motor going, but not if you want reliable power to encourage your family to come sailing with you. learned that lesson a long time ago when even my dog objected to me spending time fiddling to keep my old Stuart Turner running.

Thanks. It sounds to me as if it would be worth closely examining and assessing the Volvo, particularly if the OP can do at least some of it himself. It would be a shame (financially, not emotionally) to dump an engine with 15 years of life in favour of a modern, flimsier diesel which may not last any longer. There do seem to be a fair few posts here from people having problems with relatively new Betas.

I certainly agree that it isn't worth spending huge sums on the Volvo, but if it was mine I'd certainly have "keeping it, if the condition is generally good" as the first choice.