Sea trailing Perkins Sabre M225TI

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Pugwash81

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Evening all, I think I know how this is going to go but need confirmation and ideas.

Finally found the dream boat / engine combo. She needs work as not been in the water since COVID kick off but very aged owners with sadly rapid onset dementia of the owners wife prompting the sale.

The engine in question is a Perkins Sabre M225TI, viewed and bilges clean, fluids clean and levels correct. Engine layed up properly. Not run under load for nearing 3 years. Huge amounts of receipts and spoke with the engineer who had been maintaining the engine for the last 15-20 years with encouraging news. Same engineer recently ran her up on the hard to de winterise and informed she performed well, started first few compressions, turbo not stuck, no smoke, gearbox engaging etc.

The issue is the elderly gentleman is unable to sea trial her as shes in a sailing club hard and is too fragile to have her put afloat and tend to her and is unable to move her to somewhere more accessible for viewing and trialling. In effect he would like the boat viewed, put on a low loader when the crane comes to the yard to launch all the boats and sold. There is very limited facilities at the Sailing club, just a few swinging moorings.

As a previous boat owner and seafarer, first impressions were very good of the engine and systems however, being unable to sea trial, would this in your opinion be a no go even with an engineer inspection, service, engine/gearbox oil analysis and off load run out the water? Obviously a full survey too?

Your thoughts please?

Thanks in advance,
 
I’ve got this engine. I’d not run it for 2 bloody years mostly thanks to our over-reaction to the covid pandemic. Started up on first crank within 2 seconds. Its a great engine and if reasonably well looked after, I’d not worry too much about it.
 
This sounds like a boat I know of. If it is that boat, it is in the same yard as my blue, slightly smaller, sea angler. I am not aware of T**** having had any problems, and if she had less cabin and more deck space I'd be interested to buy her myself. If this sounds as if we are on the same wavelength, and you would like a telephone conversation about it, you could pm me with contact details. I can't pm you, because I have not posted enough.
 
I have one, my fourth.

I'd just buy it and launch it.

Undo the velcro straps on the turbo and check to see how rusty the turbo is, they tend to be in a right mess.

Also check the metal oil feed pipe to the turbo, they rust and fail.

There will be other old boat stuff to attend to.

If you can get insurance cover without a survey considervit, save the £500 the survey might cost in your maintenace budget.
 
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Have had a pair the less powerful M135 in a boat. A proper diesel engine.
Suspect you will launch, turn the key and if the impellor has any blades left on it , cruise off into the sunset.
But..................
Its a cruel world out there and of course have sympathy for the sellers circumstances but pay only what the boat is worth bearing in mind what might have gone wrong with the engine and the probable lack of buyers for the boat.
Helped four skippers bring back "new to them" boats last year . All of them were of course ,much loved fully maintained boats which have merely lain idle during Covid and previously perfect runners according to the sellers.
Two conked out on the way back due to lack of basic routine servicing.
Outright Fibbers or Sellers Selective Amnesia?
 
Thanks for all your advice and comments, very interesting. Service engineer did say heat exchangers stripped and cleaned recently and money any niggles always sorted. Is a very good price for the boat I believe mainly reflected by being scruffy and needing an update. The engine bay was lovely but obviously not cleaned to sell last minute so not too clean.

Do you think I am covering my bases by full inspection, oil analysis etc?

Have a positive feeling for the boat after years of viewing viewing! Is just the guts to take the plunge without the sea trial!
 
Based on what you said above, including the fact that the boat is at a good price, I'd be inclined to risk it without further inspection. Oil inspection won't be any help as 1 sample without context of others its a bit useless. In my experience surveys and engine inspections rarely discover the faults that appear 1 month down the road. I'd be more concerned with crawling all around the inside of the boat, making sure the tanks aren't rusty, seacocks work, all ancillaries work as they should etc, as that is the stuff that can really cost you. If you're not comfortable with doing this, then it would be worth engaging a surveyor to inspect on the hard.
 
"Do you think I am covering my bases by full inspection, oil analysis etc?"


Oil analysis on a couple of 1000HP Manns makes sense ..................on a Perkins 225, perhaps not ?
If the oil was changed prior to laying up, your "test" will be on brand new unused oil.
Pay as seen and lying money.
 
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Absolutely concur with all the above, I bought a boat with the non turbo version of that engine, didn’t bother with an engine survey or oil analysis and I was working on oil analysis systems at the time!
 
New impeller, heat exchanger O-rings, full engine service, check stern gland, plonk in water, start motor, build up load/speed gently. Back to berth, lift hatches, inspect bilge, check fluid levels and assuming all good, go and enjoy.
 
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