sabb 10hp marine diesel

[scrimshawbill]

This is my first post but I have been looking round this forum for some time now. I have been looking at a boat with a sabb 1cyl 10hp marine diesel with the feathering prop the boat was built in 1969. this engine was fitted as standard so this must be the original engine. There seems to be only one dealer in the UK they have told me some spares are getting hard to get. The owner wants £6000 for the boat but it would cost that to have a new engine fitted. The engine seems to run OK and I am in a quandary as what to do. Any help or advice about this engine and feathering prop. would be appreciated.

 

[scrimshawbill]

sabb 10hp marine diesel Reply to Thread

I hope no body minds me re submitting this

 

[vyv_cox]

Have a look at this page of my website. It doesn't answer your question as I suspect nobody can, but it will give you an idea what to look for.

 

[Tranona]

You are right. The engine is very old and has been out of production for years. It does, however, have a reputation for simplicity and long life. By today's standards it is rather crude and unrefined, but the variable pitch prop makes very good use of the limited power. As you rightly say the potential problem is lack of spares should it really go wrong and the high cost of replacing it as you need to replace the whole drive train, not just the engine.

As to whether it is worth buying, you have to recognise that £6k is not a lot of money for a good functioning boat so you have to accept there is some risk in whatever you buy. For example a replacement rig can cost just as much as an engine so you have to weigh up how long the boat will last before it becomes uneconomic to carry out major repairs.

 

[NickRobinson]

Lovely antique engine with (probably) workable hand starter- no electric needed, though obviously desirable.

V pitch prop and dog clutch should work fine, just a little more mechanics in connection with water.

Bit issue for me was fillings rattling vibration- worse than my old Yanmar YSM.

The Sabb I ran was an open wooden clinker safety boat on solid engine mounts.

I think one would be very very tiring in a GRP cruiser.

Make sure you get a sea trial-

Nick

 

[Fascadale]

I have some good friends who have sailed a very long way with a Sabb 10 in their 1969 Trintella 29. They like the engine's simplicity and reliability.

 

[sailorman]

I have some good friends who have sailed a very long way with a Sabb 10 in their 1969 Trintella 29. They like the engine's simplicity and reliability.

I might have fitted it too

 

[chrishelen]

Hi scrimshaw.

I have a Sabb 10hp in my boat but it has a fixed prop, the advantage you have with your feathering prop is you can, err, feather it when sailing and reduce drag, the mechanism is simplicity itself.

The engine.... you have a proper marine diesel there, 10 norwegian horses, lots of low down torque and simplicity itself.

hand start so if you batt runs flat,you got no problem.

Splash lubrication to roller big end and main bearings, so no oil pump to go wrong, cooling water pump is a rubber thingy that lasts forever and can be run dry with no ill effects, i could go on.... you can strip the engine in situ and put it back toghther in a few hours with a couple of spanners if need be.

real good engines, and bullet proof.

spares... try www.sleemanandhawkin.co.uk just google them. good luck.

 

[bikedaft]

if you can fix them now and again, they will outlast you

(1973 same engine on dad's boat)

we have just changed the head after 38 years

rewound dynostart once

cleaned water pump once

new silencer once

we call it NB tho (noisy b......)

 

[AntarcticPilot]

My Dad's boat (a Halcyon 27) had this engine, and it is an amazing bit of kit. EXTREMELY basic; the sort of engine that really can be taken apart and put back together by anyone who can use a spanner. It revs slowly, and once going will just keep going. You can count the strokes quite easily at tickover; it is very low revving. Seriously, I reckon you could maintain one with a spanner and a screwdriver - and a hammer!

You definitely can hand start them - my Dad, my brother and I all could (my brother and I both middle teens at the time); it was a bit much for Mum who was only 5' and light weight. Simply open the decompressor, wind the handle until the flywheel is going pretty fast (you'll raise sweat doing this), then drop the decompressor bolt.

Of course, it is an old engine now - but they are so completely over-engineered and under-stressed that I wouldn't be surprised if they are still fine. Certainly, if it starts, I'd expect it to keep running.

It is the sort of engine that will appeal to lovers of Seagull outboards - it is an inboard diesel engine off the same kind of drawing board! But like Seagulls, I doubt if it really has a "use by" date, and will keep going forever.

If the engine runs, then I wouldn't be concerned about it. Of course, they can be killed - but if it starts, then I don't think it is near that stage.

 

[Blueboatman]

Things to look out for will be the cast iron exhaust manifold box/seawater mixer box which does not have an indefinite life ( and gets carbon clogged reducing power). And excessive play in the propellor blades/hub assembly. There is a remote greaser thst lubricates the prop and if you are having difficulty changing pitch from forward to reverse without really slowing the revs down and/or winding in some grease then it is v v tired.
So I would say take along someone who has experience and/or have a sea trial.

Having owned one myself I thought it was a fantastic real 'marine' engine, rugged and durable.

 

[Gypsy_Tinkerer]

I have one of these on my 1973 yacht (and a seagull on its tender!). 10hp G I believe, but with a big fixed prop. I love it; it starts first time, every time. I once missed a year's sailing while my boat underwent structural repairs; when launched in the following Spring after a year and a half idle, the Sabb started immediately.
It's noisy, but in a kind of reassuring, relaxing way, that you get used to and come to like.
The PO rebuilt the head and injector 15 years ago, but I have not had to touch it since. The compression on mine is still really good; as a party trick, you can run it down to an astonishingly slow 30rpm in neutral and it still fires.

Some tips:

The water pump failed once and the engine got warm - I anchored, pulled the pump apart (two bolts) and found a broken barnacle had jammed it. I added an extra transparent plastic inline filter to my water intake and have never had trouble with cooling since.
One nice thing I have on my boat that other boats often lack is an accessible stainless fuel tank with a sump and bleed cock at the bottom. I always fill the tank to the brim with diesel before winter layup to prevent moist air in the tank condensing on the inside as dew. However, every spring, I turn the bleed cock and out comes a teaspoon of condensed water before it runs clear with diesel. I dread to think how much rusty water collects over the years in diesel tanks that don't have this facility. I'll definitely require/add this feature to my next boat - I am sure it's why my Sabb is still going strong after 45 years. This'll apply to any engine.
Watch out for the clutch/gear select behaviour. As a new owner I first had problems with it jumping out of gear. It took me some time to read the manual and understand that once you push it into forward/reverse gear, the whole propshaft slides forward/back and the prop action then keeps the clutch pressed into gear for you.
If you engage gear feebly, and give it feeble revs, the prop will not push/pull hard enough. The clutch will then start to slip, and in a vicious cycle, the prop action will weaken, you'll get more slippage, and you'll burn the clutch and flip out of gear.
Instead, boot it firmly into gear and give it some welly, holding it in gear for a second or so, if need be. Once you have been in gear for some time (just a few seconds really), the clutch/gear select grips nicely and you can then drop the revs down if you want to go very slow e.g. as you come back into a harbour

They definitely don't make engines like this any more, but in a good way if you own one - it's how Sabb got into making lifeboat engines - they were the only people who made engines that could be ignored for years, but always still started when needed. Maybe if they built engines that smoke and break down after 15 years like other Scandinavian manufacturers do they would have sold more and made more money.
Bit of a museum piece maybe, but only rip it out of it's definitely broke. If it's working OK I'd leave it in - it'll probably still be there in a decade while you get on with fixing the other 101 things that need seeing to on your boat, and you'll come to a grudging respect for the clanky old workhorse down below that always sees you right.
Maybe I am a bit sentimental and nostalgic, but if mine ever breaks, I'll have it refurbished rather than replaced.


- JD

 

[macd]

JD: scrimshawbill has only posted once since this thread, and that was three years ago, so I doubt he'll see your post. But thanks for a fascinating read.

As you may guess from the timestamp, I couldn't sleep. Otherwise I wouldn't have had the chance to chuckle at this fitting contribution to Sleeman and Hawken's testimonials page:
"Please pass on our thanks to Michael for his help and advice. We have been attempting to repair this Cement Mixer for over six months."

 

[QBhoy]

These are great engines. I used to take care of 4 of them fitted to life boats on a ship. Used to be a popular choice. They could be started by a few ways on these boats.
Either by hand crank and compression lever or by a pneumatic accumulator that would fire air in at high speed. Also by starter too I’m sure.
Spares used to be readily available.
There was also a.more modern 2 cylinder model fitted to life boats too.
I may be wrong but I thought I read somewhere that another company had taken them over a caters for parts now.

 

[macd]

I may be wrong but I thought I read somewhere that another company had taken them over a caters for parts now.

Sleeman and Hawken's website currently describes them as the sole UK Sabb dealer and agent for parts.

 

[coolgaz]

Hello, I'm an Australian, new to the forum and a new owner of an older 10hp GG marine engine. It has been pushing my motor/sailer along beautifully until now it has a manual F-N-R lever, however it is now stuck in reverse. I have looked for all the obvious problems with no solutions. Can anyone advise please?

 

[VicS]

Hello, I'm an Australian, new to the forum and a new owner of an older 10hp GG marine engine.

You would do better to start your own new thread rather that hijack a very old one ( and delete this post)

Also generally inadvisable to post your email addy.

Otherwise welcome to the forums

 

[Gypsy_Tinkerer]

Never had to do any work on the gearbox, but you should be able to undo some inspection plates somewhere to get into it. Do you have the engine and gearbox manual? That shows how to pull it apart - it's got a complete mechanical diagram
I can scan it if you need it.
One thing it might be, before you tear your box apart: The clutch works in a funny way. I think there are two of them. Anyhow, as you push the gear lever forward, the whole prop, shaft and plate slide forward a little until the clutch engages. Once that happens, and the prop turns, the prop continues to push the whole assembly forward and keeps the clutch / forward gear engaged. You can then take your boot off it!
Reverse is the opposite, the whole thing (prop, shaft and clutch) slides back a little until the reverse clutch engages, the prop turns, pulls back, and the backwards force then holds it in all in gear.
So, check the prop can slide back and forth. If you have something caught round the shaft (rope, oversized ring anode or newly-installed rope cutter, barnacles?) the prop may not be able to slide forwards enough
And you need to push it home gently, but firmly and hold it there for a second or so until the prop picks up speed and pushes. Don't run the engine in gear too gently at first or there will not be enough force from the prop to keep you locked in gear. Once it starts slipping you'll burn your clutch and it'll pop out into neutral. If you need to manoeuvre slowly just use short bursts so you don't pick up speed

Hope that helps -GT

 

[coolgaz]

GT, thanks for your advice. Will have a closer look at the options you have given me. I do have a manual, thanks for your offer of a scan copy.
Cheers, coolgaz