Perkins 4.107 - can I plane a 20 footer?

[Cliveshep]

Having had the Fairey Huntress deal collapse and looking for a planing boat around 20ft on a trailer (with a very limited budget) I'm considering going back to my younger days and getting hold of a Norman 20 and sticking an inboard into it coupled with a stern drive.

Normans are pretty cheap right now which suits me fine, and I've seen cheapish drives of the Enfield 130 variety which I used before and also a Perkins 4.107 previously coupled to an Enfield at a good price.

Now, my old Norman 20 went very well 4-up with a 1600cc Ford crossflow coupled to an Enfield drive, planing happily in all sorts of fairly lumpy water, but I don't know if the 4.107 has the capacity to do the same job as my only experiences of one have been in an Elysian 27 and an old 26ft displacement dutch steel boat which it drove quite well but naturally not fast.

Can anyone offer the benefits of their experience on this engine in a fast hull?

Before anyone offers the obvious alternative, I do NOT want to use an outboard engine on the grounds of cost, economy, and vunerability to getting pooped in bad water (I've had that a few times before).

 

[gordmac]

what kind of power would the Perkins have? maybe 30bhp? A basic xflow could be twice this, a GT spec 80+ bhp. A fair bit less weight too. If you want to go down the diesel route (I would) then look at marinising a more modern car turbodiesel engine. Speak to Lansing marine?

 

[PCUK]

47hp at 3000 rpm. Probably less than the petrol Ford. In any case these engines were rubbish when they were new, forty years old they won't have improved.
The enfield drive is fine but couple it to a more modern engine. A Ford transit 2.5 would be ideal at 70hp that is the limit for an Enfield on diesel.

 

[Cliveshep]

Ah well, looks like petrol then. Thanks for that, I had my suspicions it would be too heavy/too slow, age is neither here nor there as it could be refurbished but I know they are a bit slow revving - it was cheap is all!

Now look for a new post for reccomendations for a petrol engine from a breaker's yard that can be marinised reaonably cheaply!

 

[macnorton]

47hp at 3000 rpm. Probably less than the petrol Ford. In any case these engines were rubbish when they were new, forty years old they won't have improved.
The enfield drive is fine but couple it to a more modern engine. A Ford transit 2.5 would be ideal at 70hp that is the limit for an Enfield on diesel.

I have two 4.107s, Both start without any pre-heat, burn little oil and run smooth.
Yes i get a little smoke on start-up, but they are 40 years old!

They are like any engine, and the people wo have trouble are usually numpties who dont know how to look after an engine!!

 

[PCUK]

They have a well known tendency to crack heads, break their (three bearing) cranks and the raw water cooled versions also corrode through the cylinder liners. No amount of servicing and maintenance will prevent this. It is all down to luck - you are obviously one of the lucky ones!