princess 25 ft

[paul jackson]

hello all,
been offered a Princess 25 ft at very reasonable money (volvo 130 petrol 270 leg)condition unknown, boat is sound but does require internal update (not a problem retired joiner) If the engine is a runner is it worth keeping or would it be best to deisel,if so what would be suitable, The boat will only be used for river, mainly the Broads so do not need a large HP any help advice would be welcome, many thanks PJ

 

[PCUK]

It's an ancient engine so I would have the outdrive fully serviced and fit a diesel. A marinised Transit diesel at 70hp would suit your needs perfectly and not cost much money.

 

[PaulGooch]

The Transit is a heavy lump, but bulletproof. I had a Princess 32 fitted with Peugeot diesels. Should be really cheap to marinise a 1.9 non-turbo and they are much lighter and more compact than the Transit.

 

[David2452]

A bit contraversial I know but personally I would have thought that provided the motor is servicable then it would be possibly better than diesel for broads use. Quiter, cleaner running and smoother, economy is not such an issue as 6 MPH is top speed limit and 5 or even 4 are not uncommon. Provided you’re on the southern broads there are two bankside filling stations for petrol. Of course the whole thing from tank to carb must be fettled to a high spec for safety.

 

[PCUK]

Good point David!

 

[Dave_Seager]

If the petrol engine is useable then I would suggest that you try it for your first season and see how it goes.

If you do decide to change the engine for a diesel then remember that the gear ratio in the outdrive will be set up for the petrol engine. Legs for petrol engines usually have a lower ratio than those for diesels. You can fit a coarser pitch propeller to compensate but it would need to be very coarse to compensate for the difference in gear ratios.

 

[Bassplayer]

A bit contraversial I know but personally I would have thought that provided the motor is servicable then it would be possibly better than diesel for broads use. Quiter, cleaner running and smoother, economy is not such an issue as 6 MPH is top speed limit and 5 or even 4 are not uncommon. Provided you’re on the southern broads there are two bankside filling stations for petrol. Of course the whole thing from tank to carb must be fettled to a high spec for safety.

These are a very good engine - B19 Volvo as fitted to many cars. I would suggest a good service, especially the carb and fit electronic ignition and off you go. You'll never get your money back from converting to diesel. I have had a number of petrol engined river boats with no problems and it will be nice and quiet too....

 

[rr_123]

I bought a P25 with the same engine and leg about two months ago, principally for Thames use, very happy with it so far!

Boats of this age are always going to be a bit of a punt, but then to be fair newer and even new boats can give you problems. The fact that the engine has give so many years of service could be looked on as a good thing, it may well be fundamentally sound and could easily continue to give good service if you look after it. A friend of mine in the motor trade won't buy a car with fewer than 150k on the clock!

I've always been firmly in the anti-petrol-on-boats brigade, but it is nice and smooth, it is nice and quiet and when petrol engines "hiccough" I feel a latent understanding that I don't have with diesels.

Seeing how it goes for now (and you're never too far from the bank on the broads), my best advice would be to buy a couple of 20l jerry cans from eBay and buy the juice in a petrol station - they'll pay for themselves after just two uses!

R

 

[PCUK]

>>>>>>>>>
If you do decide to change the engine for a diesel then remember that the gear ratio in the outdrive will be set up for the petrol engine. Legs for petrol engines usually have a lower ratio than those for diesels. You can fit a coarser pitch propeller to compensate but it would need to be very coarse to compensate for the difference in gear ratios.
>>>>>>>>>



I don't know of any drives that offer different ratios specifically for petrol and diesel. It is all about revs and the correct propeller will make the difference. Torque is the problem which is why drives are much higher rated for petrol engines than diesel. Anyway, it looks as though the consensus is to stay with the petrol and see how it goes and I wouldn't argue with the very sensible reasoning behind this.

 

[macnorton]

Volvo Penta do!
One for the high revs four pot petrol engines and one for the diesel/slow reving petrols.

 

[PCUK]

Hello Mac,
Quite happy to believe you, but I always thought the different ratios were to account for different boat size and displacement. Do the outdrive specs' actually say this is for petrol and this is for diesel or just quote torque handling capacity?

 

[scottie]

Drive ratios

Yes vp have 4 ratios a-d 1:61-2:3/1 I think

Most likely reason is to be able to get a suitable prop dia into the space below the cavitation plate. Other ways round are long hub & then duoprops giving bigger blade area to absorb greater hp/torque.

 

[PCUK]

Thanks Scottie, I think I was partly right though! A modern high revving diesel could probably use the same ratio as an older lower revving petrol as the revs and torque would be similar.
Sorry if we've highjacked the thread by the way!

 

[oldgit]

Thanks Scottie, I think I was partly right though! A modern high revving diesel could probably use the same ratio as an older lower revving petrol as the revs and torque would be similar.
Sorry if we've highjacked the thread by the way!

VP leg book
SP
1.61:1
1.89:1
2.15:1
DP
1.95:1
2.30:1
1.78:1
1.95:1
2.30:1

 

[paul jackson]

princess 25

thank you to all that replied,
having costed alteration and repairs to the craft it is not a viable propersition. many thanks to all