Parts for old Bukh and Sabb engines

[DoubleEnder]

I’m looking at older boats, I may buy one. It’s early days.
Talking to a marine trades professional, not an engineer, today; apparently parts for Bukh Dv10 and DV20 engines are now ridiculously expensive, £80 for an oil seal, similar for o ring that is unobtainable anywhere else…. And similar stories about Sabb.
I do not think that my informant had an axe to grind. But is he right?

I know marine engine parts are often expensive. But is there really such a huge difference for these two makes, specifically? Does anyone here have direct, recent experience?

 

[rotrax]

I have been making 'O' rings for years. Loctite used to sell a kit of different size rubber stock which was cut to size and then superglued together by the ends.

I never chuck an 'O' ring out, it goes in my spares box.

I invariably find a suitable one to cut and glue.

For the knockers - bound to be some of them - I have never had a failure.

"An Engineer is a man who can make for a tanner what anyone else buys for a quid"

A truism imparted to me by Bill Hodge, the man who invented Pub Optics.

 

[Tranona]

Would not worry about the SABB as there are very few around. The Bukh had a brief reign from the 70s until early 80s when Volvo with its 2xxx series and the Yanmar GM series came in with more refinement and a wider range of power. Bukhs still have a following and spares are readily available although some unique parts can be expensive. However they are still economical to rebuild at something like 60% of a replacement with a modern engine. Avoid any Volvos pre 1983 as not only are they crude and unrefined by today's standards but spares are virtually unobtainable for some critical items.

You are most likely to come across original engines (apart from Bukh) by Yanmar - 1GM, 2GM and Volvo - 2001 and 2002. all of these are still viable as they were produced in much larger volumes and parts are readily available. However they are mostly seawater cooled and tend to die of neglect rather than wearing out. Still possible to rebuild, by many owners find that once they start they find lots of other bits need replacing and labour costs rack up so a complete replacement with a modern engine becomes increasingly attractive. As you say Beta dominate this market but you will find Nanni, Yanmar, Volvo, Vetus and Sole (last 2 Mitsubishi based) as well. Nothing much to choose among them and much more important is quality of installation and service record.

 

[DoubleEnder]

Yes. I wonder what a realistic price would be to fit a brand new replacement engine, these days. Inevitably it means new shaft, seal, bearing and prop. Plus loom, engine controls and probably modifications to the bearers. Plus any surgery on surrounding parts of the boat that may be necessary. Say to fit a Beta 20 HP 3 cylinder, it’s got to be what? Something like £9000 all in, I bet that’s not far off I guess a recon engine might save a bit.

 

[Tranona]

Yes. I wonder what a realistic price would be to fit a brand new replacement engine, these days. Inevitably it means new shaft, seal, bearing and prop. Plus loom, engine controls and probably modifications to the bearers. Plus any surgery on surrounding parts of the boat that may be necessary. Say to fit a Beta 20 HP 3 cylinder, it’s got to be what? Something like £9000 all in, I bet that’s not far off I guess a recon engine might save a bit.

Just done it with a 30hp Beta. Around £10k of which £2k was labour, although some of the time consuming bits like modifying the bearers, cleaning and painting the bay, some of the wiring and insulation I did myself. Add the new propeller at £1600. If I had re-used the 20 year old engine it would have saved around £3k, but it was the "wrong" engine for the boat and I found a good home to recoup £1500 so net saving would have been £1500.

Of course if you DIY there are further savings and with the smaller engines it is easier. I did two - first was Stuart Turner to Yanmar 1GM then Nanni 14 replacing the 1GM and those engines are easier to handle. Just one crane lift for the Nanni going in.

Beta have stock brackets for most of the popular swaps from Bukh Volvo and Yanmar but all the services, electrics, exhaust fuel tend to be on opposite sides and props go the other way so lots of other minor mods required.

 

[LittleSister]

I’m looking at older boats, I may buy one. It’s early days.
Talking to a marine trades professional, not an engineer, today; apparently parts for Bukh Dv10 and DV20 engines are now ridiculously expensive, £80 for an oil seal, similar for o ring that is unobtainable anywhere else…. And similar stories about Sabb.
I do not think that my informant had an axe to grind. But is he right?

I know marine engine parts are often expensive. But is there really such a huge difference for these two makes, specifically? Does anyone here have direct, recent experience?

Bukh parts are expensive, but then people complain about Volvo prices, especially, and most other marine engine make parts, too!

A Bukh advantage is that most spares for the DV10 and DV20 are still readily available, unlike some other makes. Non-Bukh-specific parts for these engines can be obtained cheaper elsewhere (I'd be surprised if an oil seal isn't).

The Bukh DV24 and DV36 are still being built today (and share some parts with the DV10 and DV20), though they're expensive and primarily sold into the lifeboat market, rather than as yacht auxiliaries, alongside a wide range of much bigger and more sophisticated Bukh engines for commercial craft.

 

[14K478]

I have long hankered after a launch with a single cylinder Sabb. No electrics. But whether I shall do anything about this is another matter.

As Little Sister says, the Bukh DVE 24 and 36 are still made for lifeboats. An engine that has sat in an enclosed lifeboat and been started by an engineer once a week for twenty years might be an attractive proposition.

 

[38mess]

I have long hankered after a launch with a single cylinder Sabb. No electrics. But whether I shall do anything about this is another matter.

As Little Sister says, the Bukh DVE 24 and 36 are still made for lifeboats. An engine that has sat in an enclosed lifeboat and been started once a week for twenty years might be an attractive proposition.

I had a single cylinder Sabb in my boat. It was beautiful engine. It would push me along at 7 knots without any fuss. Maintenance was simple, splash lubrication. No electrics and I could hand start. It would tick over at about 60 RPM. I had never come across this engine before I bought the boat, but I grew to love it. As to spare parts the engine was so well and strongly made I couldn't see anything breaking down. I would love another.

 

[ghostlymoron2]

A sailor in our anchorage has a Saaɓ engine, you can hear him coming from about a mile away!

Oops, just seen the date of the last post.

 

[Bilgediver]

I’m looking at older boats, I may buy one. It’s early days.
Talking to a marine trades professional, not an engineer, today; apparently parts for Bukh Dv10 and DV20 engines are now ridiculously expensive, £80 for an oil seal, similar for o ring that is unobtainable anywhere else…. And similar stories about Sabb.

O rings and oil seals are not exclusive to Bukh. These items come in standard sizes and are readily obtained from various factors in every major town/city. You just have to identify what you want. You can even get some of these items on Ebay and Amazon. Just have to identify what you require.

These are suitable sources for water pump seals and bearings.

 

[Poignard]

O rings and oil seals are not exclusive to Bukh. These items come in standard sizes and are readily obtained from various factors in every major town/city. You just have to identify what you want. You can even get some of these items on Ebay and Amazon. Just have to identify what you require.

These are suitable sources for water pump seals and bearings.

Other parts that can be obtained more cheaply than from BUKH include: water pump by Johnson, stop solenoid by Bosch, injectors by Bosch, fuel pumps by Bosch, fuel and oil filters by Bosch and others, starter motor and generator, etc.