Perkins 4.236 / M130c thoughts.

[Sandy Bottom]

Short version;

1. I have a 1990 Perkins 4.236 with PRM 2:1 fitted in our sailing boat.
2. I also have a second identical engine and gearbox which I bought as a reserve replacement / spare (never needed).
3. I stripped the engine down on purchase of the boat and it was like new (probably only done 500 hours or so). Changed all hoses/ seals / bearings on ancillaries as a precaution and also changed gearbox seals / clutches for the same reason (dirt cheap parts).
4. The original engine has just done a 300 hour run to Portugal and back (no wind) without missing a beat. The proverbial sewing machine.

So I have a reliable, cheap to service engine and gearbox with a complete replacement unit for both in reserve. So far so good.

But; At 80HP max and with a 33 ton boat I can only get close to hull speed in calm water for intermittent periods and with a headwind / sea I can very easily be down from 7.5 knots cruising to 5 or less. No problem in the solent but I am now doing fairly regular 1,000 mile hops often to a schedule. We regularly average 9 knots under sail but the Portuguese coast is not always conducive to this.

I have always thought that 120hp (ish) would suit the boat better, give me a constant 8 knots in anything up to F6 or so on the nose and I really have no issue with the fuel consumption (3mpg average).

The dilemma (at last);

1. I have been offered a Perkins M130c with very low hours - it is all up-together but I would strip and examine it anyway.
2. It's a sensible price.

Up until 5 years or so ago, I would have made the decision myself, fitted it by now, and nobody would have been consulted. But I am now approaching retirement and cannot make a decision to save my life.

So what do I do?
1. Sell the utterly reliable but underpowered devil(s) I know and fit the correct size engine, or,
2. Live with what I have got and keep looking at that damn GPS which should be reading 25% more!

Anybody have actual experience of the M130c in action? - It would only be expected to kick out 80 - 100 hp most of the time. The stern - tube / prop are due for update anyway and it's easy to upgrade it so no real cost issues there. What are up-together Perkins 4.236's with boxes worth these days?

 

[NOHOH]

That's a VERY clever advertisement. Good luck

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I have the Perkins 4236 with Borg Warner velvet drive gearbox. I was considering changing down size as this is the larger of the two options for the Rival 41C. At the time I made an enquiry and a local marine engineer (fits and services bigger engines to various workboats) advised the following (last year): -

It's hard to put an exact cost on an engine as it is very dependent on condition etc. in the spec you mention I would estimate it to range from £900 for a poor example to about £1500/£1600 in good order without the gearbox and perhaps as much as another £300-£500 for the gearbox. Again this is quite speculative based on current prices online and dependent on power as they had a range of something like 60-80bhp. These are well regarded engines and due to their fitment in numerous JCBs, tractors and industrial plant they are quite easy to get parts for but being common also keeps prices down.

My personal opinion is that you should keep the engine if it is reliable if you will not be doing the long distance stuff. However, if long distance cruising is what you are going to do now, then it increases the probability that you may one day need that power for a tricky situation. In my own case, when I bought the yacht, I did not immediatly connect that she had the larger Perkins and I was motoring into a F8 to turn a headland and approach my marina. I remember thinking at the time that she pushed into the waves and wind effortlessly and kept up her 6kts without blinking. 33 tons is a heavy boat to be underpowered, so if you are sure about the long term cruising becoming the norm, then fit the larger engine, after all 25% increase ground speed is not a small figure, especially if you have a schedule to keep. One other thing to keep in mind, which I am sure you know, the reliability falls dramatically if you have to gun the motor, which may be more tempting if you are under powered and working to tight schedules. Hence this reliable motor, might become unreliable after a couple of seasons where the engine is occasionally thrashed; another argument for the larger engine, it just opens up the margins for the 33 tons.

So, in your boots, upgrade, it makes sense. No comments on the engine model, no experience.

 

[Sandy Bottom]

I have the Perkins 4236 with Borg Warner velvet drive gearbox. I was considering changing down size as this is the larger of the two options for the Rival 41C. At the time I made an enquiry and a local marine engineer (fits and services bigger engines to various workboats) advised the following (last year): -



My personal opinion is that you should keep the engine if it is reliable if you will not be doing the long distance stuff. However, if long distance cruising is what you are going to do now, then it increases the probability that you may one day need that power for a tricky situation. In my own case, when I bought the yacht, I did not immediatly connect that she had the larger Perkins and I was motoring into a F8 to turn a headland and approach my marina. I remember thinking at the time that she pushed into the waves and wind effortlessly and kept up her 6kts without blinking. 33 tons is a heavy boat to be underpowered, so if you are sure about the long term cruising becoming the norm, then fit the larger engine, after all 25% increase ground speed is not a small figure, especially if you have a schedule to keep. One other thing to keep in mind, which I am sure you know, the reliability falls dramatically if you have to gun the motor, which may be more tempting if you are under powered and working to tight schedules. Hence this reliable motor, might become unreliable after a couple of seasons where the engine is occasionally thrashed; another argument for the larger engine, it just opens up the margins for the 33 tons.

So, in your boots, upgrade, it makes sense. No comments on the engine model, no experience.

That pretty much mirrors my thoughts - Thanks BOB.