Selling a working engine

[TiggerToo]

*This is NOT a For Sale ad*

I would like to hear some opinions about this.

Background:
I am planning a "repower": Tigger's VP MD2030B (and saildrive) is now 24 years old. In the medium term, I am hoping to engage in some long-term sailing cruises/wanderings and I think that a new engine (we discussed here a Beta) may be a good thing. I would hope to keep on sailing for at least another 10 years (health and circumstances permitting).

There are several options for what I could do with the existing kit:

1) accept the engineers' offer for what is worth (currently £500-£1000) as is. They would take it off and deal with it
2) take the engine away, split it up into parts and sell these on as "reconditioned". As the engine/SD really is in full working order, there are several bits that could be quite interesting (e.g. newish water pump, alternator, heat exchanger elements, filter units and so on; some of these seem to attract silly prices Perkins Volvo Penta 145506300 Md2030 Perama M30 Marine Heat Exchanger Core | eBay)
3) place the whole thing on ebay (or other for sale platform) for someone to bid for the whole lot. They could see it working, place a deposit, and agree to take it away when dismounted
4) other?

I look forward to hearing what you guys think of these ideas.

 

[robmcg]

eBay - you will get substantially more than the engineers are offering and the whole thing can go as a package, much as you say in option 3.

 

[Sandy]

I wonder if these people would be interested Marine Enterprises Ltd

A pal bought a second hand engine from them and impressed with the service.

 

[Biggles Wader]

It’s all about the hassle and how much a bit of extra cash compensates for this. I would have the engineer do it all and accept less money. Then go sailing

 

[Gary Fox]

Fleabay. You will probably get a couple of time wasters, but the right buyer is most likely to find it, and you will realise the highest sum.
Breaking it is a lot of work marketing and selling the bits, when you could be doing something else.
I'm sure Marine Enterprises will eagerly give you a few hundred, then they will degrease it and spray it green, and mark it up a grand.

 

[Moodysailor]

It's a "what is your time worth" question I suppose. You will always get more breaking it, but then you have the time & effort of stripping, cleaning, photographing, listing, shipping each components, etc. And you will always be left with a few bits that are hard to shift - plus you have to deal with the low-ball offers and time wasters. Doing this is only for those who want to maximise their return, or have the time & inclination for this.

If you would rather be out using your boat and don't 'need' the money, then option 1 is the obvious one to choose. Yes, it hits you in the pocket hardest, but if getting out on the water and making memories is more valuable to you then this is the best way to go.

Option 3 is a good middle ground. You will get more than option 1, and less hassle in the long run than option 2. But will still take some time & effort from you (see comments about option 1 above )

Option 4 could be to sell it to an engine trader, or put a local add in the boatyards, clubs, etc. The problem with a trader is that they usually would rather part-exchange, and as a business will likely have to offer some kind of assurance or warranty so you will get less than a private sale (as you already know). Another option would be to speak to a school or university, but they probably won't have the budget to pay market rate for a working engine - it is giving to the next generation though, so if you are a philanthropic person it may sit well with you

 

[Tranona]

While a Bet a (and other Kubota based engines) have attractions the best replacement of a Volvo saildrive is another Volvo. The latest saildrive unit is a better bit of kit than the one that goes with the Beta and the D1 30 engine is excellent. Although spares may be higher cost, it is unlikely that you will need anything significant for years and consumables are readily available from aftermarket suppliers. The package drops virtually straight in - a day's job for an experienced fitter team and you will be able to use your existing propeller. There is a strong market for secondhand saildrives and the 2030 retailing at £3k+. Volvo do good re-engine packages taking your old engine in part exchange. Talk to your local Volvo dealer, you may get a surprise about how good the package might be.

No connection with Volvo or any dealer, just passing on my experience of when I was considering doing the same on my old boat with the same engine drive as yours.

 

[TiggerToo]

Talk to your local Volvo dealer, you may get a surprise about how good the package might be.

I did, and his offer was not (let's say) fantastic

 

[Tranona]

Try another dealer (maybe!). Even if it is more expensive than a Beta, I still think it is the best "technical" solution to replacing a saildrive. You will need a new prop for a Beta and the choice of props is smaller if you want anything other than a standard fixed prop and you can't fit a rope cutter. Really have difficulty in seeing any significant advantage in going Beta. Different decision perhaps with a shaft drive where the choice of gearbox is greater and most boats require mods to engine beds etc but the Volvo is almost drop in.

 

[Bobc]

Financially, I would say that your best bet is to sell the engine on ebay as a working engine (you can put it up for sale before you remove it so the buyer can see it running if they want. Take a deposit, and then tell them what date it's coming out and get them to collect it and pay the balance). You never know, they may even be happy to help you de-commission and remove it.

Having had Yanmar, VP, and Beta engines, I would rate the Beta engine over a VP every time. The parts are cheaper, the engines are simpler (no silly electronics), and the Kubota base units are strong engines.

When I re-powered (from VP to Beta) 2 years ago, I got a price of £500 for my old engine from the dealer, but decided to break it and put the usable bits on ebay. I ended up with about £1500 in total for all the bits.

 

[Wing Mark]

*This is NOT a For Sale ad*

I would like to hear some opinions about this.

Background:
I am planning a "repower": Tigger's VP MD2030B (and saildrive) is now 24 years old. In the medium term, I am hoping to engage in some long-term sailing cruises/wanderings and I think that a new engine (we discussed here a Beta) may be a good thing. I would hope to keep on sailing for at least another 10 years (health and circumstances permitting).

There are several options for what I could do with the existing kit:

1) accept the engineers' offer for what is worth (currently £500-£1000) as is. They would take it off and deal with it
2) take the engine away, split it up into parts and sell these on as "reconditioned". As the engine/SD really is in full working order, there are several bits that could be quite interesting (e.g. newish water pump, alternator, heat exchanger elements, filter units and so on; some of these seem to attract silly prices Perkins Volvo Penta 145506300 Md2030 Perama M30 Marine Heat Exchanger Core | eBay)
3) place the whole thing on ebay (or other for sale platform) for someone to bid for the whole lot. They could see it working, place a deposit, and agree to take it away when dismounted
4) other?

I look forward to hearing what you guys think of these ideas.

I've been looking at 30 to 35 year old boats recently.
Many have had the original engine still working OK.

What are the costs and risks of keeping your engine for another 'n' years?

I've also looked at a couple of boats which were re-engined, One of them is sweet and I'm negotiating to buy the boat.
The other engine was maybe 9 years old and already looked quite 'secondhand'. I wasn't going to pay a premium for that boat because of its engine being 'only' 9 years old.
Things are only 'new' until you use them.

Another boat I looked at IMHO needed re-engining, old engine old and too small, the outfit in Bridport had some pretty good deals for new or used engines.
A new prop isn't cheap is it? Neither are calorifiers it seems.

 

[dgadee]

I sold one old engine. Lot of hassle. Then, of course, a boat two or three along the hard from me said, "I would have taken it". I would advertise it locally on noticeboards. It will sell and save you the hassle I had, including having to put it onto a pallet. The sort of hassle you get is someone agreeing to buy it and then saying (after it was packed and you were waiting for the money) that he would send 1/2 now and 1/2 when it arrived. Ha! I also sold a previous engine and told the buyer from the south of Ireland to remember that it was sterling we were dealing in. He turned up with Euros - the same number of Euros as I was asking in sterling.

 

[Daydream believer]

29 Sept last year I was quoted £8032 for a new volvo 2030 c/w saildrive from a Volvo dealer ( I wanted to upgrade to more power & drive in chop etc)
No PE. I did not look round for a discount
I did think of advertising the old engine & saildrive (an MD2020) whilst it was still in the boat, so that a new buyer could see it all working fine. Then take a sizeable deposit & have the boat lifted & engine removed & handed over. That way the new owner could be confident of a good working engine
The OP might do a similar thing with his engine. Someone buying second hand would pay a lot more if they could see it running in a boat first.

 

[Mister E]

If you are going to sell it as reconditioned then what inspection and repair work are you going to do?
A link of paint is probably not best described as such.

Splitting and selling will pay more except for your time, shipping and non payers.

 

[38mess]

What's wrong with the engine? Perkins based it will run forever as long as you look after it.

 

[V1701]

All else aside, for your sanity I would avoid ebay. Recently had an ad on there for a portable washing machine/spin drier, collection only from south coast bought by someone in sheffield so had to readvertise. One potential buyer asked if I'd bring it on the train to waterloo FFS. Time before that Brompton bicycle will I store it for several months for a potential buyer - WTF!

Ebay attracts too many idiots, you will alkmost certainly have to deal with some nonsense or other if you try to sell it on there.

Apparently facebook marketplace is the place to sell nowadays, if you can bring yourself to register...

 

[TiggerToo]

OK.

So I have taken the plunge and paid the deposit for a new one (and new saildrive). The engineer tasked with the installation has suggested that we may find a buyer for £1800-2000 (engine + saildrive). If you think it may be worth more than that, let me know what I should do. It is currently running well...

 

[dgadee]

OK.

So I have taken the plunge and paid the deposit for a new one (and new saildrive). The engineer tasked with the installation has suggested that we may find a buyer for £1800-2000 (engine + saildrive). If you think it may be worth more than that, let me know what I should do. It is currently running well...

That sounds a good price. I would grab it if it comes along.

 

[TiggerToo]

That sounds a good price. I would grab it if it comes along.

DELETED... sorry I misunderstood your post.

 

[dgadee]

if you want it, it could be yours. PM me if interested. If not, the engineer will pass it on to a company that does refurbs....

If you look back up the posts you'll see I've sold two old engines and put new engines into both my boats. Very happy with them and you forget the cost (after a bit).