Sealine 215

[LiamS]

Considering looking at a sealine 215.The boat in question is fitted with a BMW 150hp diesel.The year of build is 1989.Was this an original engine option or should I tread carefully?

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[longjohnsilver]

No personal experience of the bmw marine engine, but everything I read and hear warns they are not good. Spares are also apparently in short supply and expensive.

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[Kawasaki]

Hi Liam S My experience of BMW marine engines is of the VM based units which a lot where used in the 1992 to 1996 era then BMW stopped being interested in the marine side, is of cylinder head gasket problems.Check if the engine has individual cylinder heads ie as opposed to one casting.This should indicate if the engine is one of the VM units.The motor was used in early Range Rovers Where the cooling system was inneficient causing over heating if a sharp eye was not kept on water levels and radiator condition etc.There is a firm specialising in the spares for BMW marine bits you will find in the boaty books The Sealine boats i have looked at of that age look ok. They seem to have aged well just make sure about the engine is it a shaft or a leg ? good luck Kawasaki.

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[martynwhiteley]

The problems with BMW units now are perhaps more leg that engine related. The legs were typically a very good design when new, and have a wet multiplate clutch similar to motorbikes, so none of the clunking when chaning gear. However parts are now very scarce or very expensive, and you could be lucky, but if you get a dof of a drive it will be a huge money pit.

I'm more familiar with the B130 petrol BMW, and the engines were good, but manifolds and risers corroded fiercly, and cost about £1200 for a manifold and £400 for a riser! Some pattern parts are available, a company in Canada V12 I think, specialise in parts, so does a guy in Wakefiled at West End Marine. PH Marine supply parts, but at full 'BMW' prices.

One of the smaller diesels was based upon the same block as a Mercruiser model, and may be a safeish bet if the leg seemed sound.

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