Outboard on a Centaur??

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peterborthwick

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Hello, I have a Westerly Centaur with a dead Volvo MD11C engine. Costs for replacement are completely out of my league and I am reluctant to spend money on repairing / rebuilding what is an old engine (and bound to have more problems in the future) and am considering an outboard as a cost effective temporary/semi-permanent solution.

Anybody got any opinions/experience of this idea? What sort of bracket / reinforcing of transom might be needed? I'm anticipating 10 - 15hp, but unsure of this too. The old inboard was supposedly 23hp (but that was when it was new)

Any ideas much appreciated
 
Reckon you are in the right hp range. In their time various engines were offered in the Centaur from the 10hp MD1B to a 25 or even 30hp Watermotor.

Secondhand 2 stroke or a 4 stroke is your choice I think.

You'll need a long-shaft (20") at least, an extra-long shaft (25") if can find one. You'll need to stick the prop deeper than it should be or it'll lift out in a chop and you'll go nowhere. An extra-long shaft will get the top and the controls within reach.

A finer pitch prop than standard would be best for a slow displacement hull.

You'll need a fairly meaty lifting bracket. Remember that this size of engine is going to weigh 30 to 40 kilos.

I live with an outboard on a small boat because an inboard is not a serious option but I'd hate to have one on a boat the size of a Centaur
 
I went from inboard to outboard on a Snapdragon 23 .... that was initially great, but I soon got fed up with the weight of engine lifting on / off ... and the prop even with the extra leg length coming out of water ....

Volvo's are not cheap to repair .... but if you get hold of another 2nd hand one and built a good from the two ?

I had a real ancient Perkins that siezed and I looked at various replacements eg Beta / Yanmar etc. But prices were out of my pocket. So I bought a 2nd hand Perkins for 250 quid ... started it up .. found it ran OK ... fitted it as a drop in direct replacement for the 4-99 ...... years later still running and actually given a good few runs - is much better and running like a good'un ... in fact I think guy who swapped it out wasted good money !! I'm the winner !

I did consider an Outboard solution when the Perkins seized........ but believe me I'm glad I didn't do it !!
 
I think you need to be looking at doing a swap for a rebuild...

new 15hp longshaft mercury is around 2k anywyas... and if you get a used one are you just going to be buying more problems???

New Beta 14 is what?? 3400 pounds or so......

and 50kg on the back end aint gonna help either.......

/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Even if you achieve a financial and practical solution you'll have motive power that is inadequate when you most need it because the prop isn't driving down below where it counts.

Stop deluding yourself: the Centaur is a real boat which deserves better than a half-arsed attempt to get you home.
 
i had a centaur with a yamaha 4hp 4 stroke outboard on a tilting transom bracket the the boat would do 5 knots in flatish water . small squares of ply had been glassed on the inside of the transom to beef it up but centaurs are built like tanks anyway, just make sure the engine bracket is suitable for the outboard size. yes the prop can come out of the water now and then in a swell but if you keep the revs low it wont harm the engine . if you want a motor boat buy one if you want a sailing boat the centaur is fab and the engine after all is an auxillary piece of equipment sail the bloody thing! if there is no wind then the sea state wont be too bad to motor , i sail in the bristol channel so know all about tides and 4hp was enough for me . if you felt happier with a little more power a two cylinder 8hp two stroke weighs about the same as the yamaha but i prefered the reliability of the four stroke
 
There was an article in the latest Westerly Owners Association magazine where the owner replaced his MD2B with an Orion Diesel engine from a car breakers. With the marinising parts bought from Lansing Marine, he saved himself a fortune.

He reckoned that he could afford to replace the engine every year for the next 40 years before he equalled the price for a new Volvo replacement.

Worth a thought?

Alan
 
A couple of points.

My Centaur had a re-con Watermota put in by the previous owner. You don't have to get new.

A rebuild, if done properly should be almost like a new engine.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned above is electrics. Some manual start engines don't have an alternator as standard so adding it adds cost. The electric start models are more expensive but do have an alternator. You need to think about you electrical consumption. If it's small, then an outboard will keep the battery topped up with minimal useage. But if not, you'll need to run the outboard far more than you run an inboard diesel. The Merc 15 for instance only has an 11A alternator. Most small diesels have at least 3 times this. A Beta 16 for instance has a 40A alternator as standard.

There are of course other charging systems like wind or solar that can top up while you're not usingthe boat. But, that adds cost of you haven't already got them installed.

You may not have a problem, but do the sums first.
 
You will end up paying for a replacement diesel engine one way or another.

If you put an outboard on it then it will be worth far less when you want to sell it and you will end up paying the cost in terms of a much lower sales price, assuming you find a buyer at all.

You might as well pay it now and get the benefit of it.

I once had a Hurley 22 with an outboard in a well, which is the best possible arrangement and it wasn't that great. Motoring in to any kind of sea was the devils work. Consider:

Good: Low initial cost and servicing

Bad: Everything else you can think of:

1. Poor fuel consumption
2. High cost of petrol
3. Limited range
4. Refueling at sea
5. Risk of theft
6. Berthing harder as prop ahead of rudder
7. Inferior drive in any kind of sea
8. The higher pitch noise gets right on your tits after a couple of hours.

Outboards are only for lightweight racing boats that can sail well in anything except the lightest winds, when there will be no sea.
 
If you are happy to only use it for no wind or getting on/off the berth, a 4hp outboard will get you sailing this summer at reasonable (and partly recoverable) cost. The season is upon us, blink and you will miss it.
Realistically, if you start an engine rebuild/swap now, when will you be on the water?
You may be a bit limited by an outboard, maybe the odd day wasted waiting for breeze, but I'm not one for planning to motor very far anyway.
What sailing have you planned for the summer?
In the long run I would want either a new Beta/similar or get the volvo apart and see if it can be rejuvenated to be good for another 5 years. Depending if you want to trade the boat up of course.
 
Check out the Sabre 27 Owners association forums as well. They are a very similar sized boat and Ken Endean has used a 10hp outboard on his Sabre (London Apprentice) for over 10 years and speaks highly of it. Not least the amount of stowage space opened up under the cockpit.

Personally I wouldn't do it - for all the reasons listed above.
 
I was in the same situation last summer when my engine went phut on the first day of my holiday. I borrowed my brothers 6hp and bought a bracket for £50. Not ideal but it got me through the season. I was going to buy a second hand outboard for about £100 until my brother stepped in.

It will buy you time to think and if you are looking at second hand engines time for the right one to come up at the right price.

The repair or replace debate is always tricky and hard to be objective when you are still angry at the ruddy thing. Been there. Some more info on the problems with your MD11c may help.
 
Hello all

Thanks for continued advice.

For those intersted the inboard stopped due to lack of oil pressure (the light remained on) and then eventually began to overheat. Cooling water intake / impeller / thermostat fine. I had only just renewed oil and filter - suspicious that I stired up the crud inthe bottom when I added new and this blocked things up? I've managed to take top end apart in the boat and get things turning again now - although there is a nasty squeal as it does so - maybe just 'cos I've pumped out most of the oil again now? I can't get all the bolts for the bottom end inspection hatches undone - suspect I never will even with the engine out - they are either completely rusted or rounded/chewed up or both. My knuckles tell the tale well!
At the moment I've only mamaged 3 out of 4 mounting bolts - but I have faith!

Eventually I do want to replace the inboard, but glad to see a few people don't think an outboard is such a bad idea. Not ssure about size though. 4hp seams jolly small! although the weight would be fairly insignificant - and of course my wallet likes that idea! I think I'd want remote controls though and an electric start - don't think I could get a sensible angle on a pull cord? A 9.9 'sailpower' with high thrust prop seems like a good idea - but of course they are more expensive and significantly heavier..

Decisions, deciscions......
 
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