Should I Beta or Volvo ?

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seafox67

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My plan this year is to replace my old Volvo Penta 2002 (18HP) with a brand new engine.

With a bit of research on forums I started leaning towards the Beta 20. However, a local company is offering me Volvo D1/20 for around the same price as the Beta with a 5 year warranty!

He is still willing to install a Beta if I want but now I am wondering...

Maybe the Volvo will fit better, be more reliable, work with existing Prop and exhaust!

What do you guys think? is there really that much difference between the two engines?

Cheers

Paul
 
Measure up and see what work will need to be done so that either engine fits. The cost of modifying the boat to fit the engine will swing it one way or the other.
 
No. You will need to change the prop (as for any other modern engine) and sensible to replace the exhaust anyway. There is little to choose between the different engines now. They are all based on Japanese industrial engines and the footprint plus location of service points such as filters, water pump, electrics etc are much the same, so fitting is equally easy or difficult.

So, the choice is yours - you won't be disappointed with either, but the Volvo looks smarter (in my view!)
 
When I was thinking about DIY on the Beta, they quoted me about 4.5k including the down angled gearbox... they then stopped talking to me after I tried to knock them down more :)

Volvo do a bedding kit for £264+vat for replacing an old penta 2002... I guess that's similar service that Beta do for making up the feet
 
Dunx said:
Worth checking the terms of the warranty i.e must be serviced by approved dealer with genuine spares only
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Beta specifically allow owner servicing (and installation). Can't speak for Volvo.
Not sure stipulations re 'genuine spares' are enforceable: they're certainly aren't for cars, or even washing machines. Nor is the requirement that cars under warranty must be serviced by an authorised dealer. All the manufacturer can dictate is service intervals and tasks to be undertaken.

seafox67 said:
Volvo do a bedding kit for £264+vat for replacing an old penta 2002... I guess that's similar service that Beta do for making up the feet
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Yes, Beta offers the same service, at significantly less cost. Usually much less trouble (so far cheaper if a non-DIY installation) than modifying the old bearers.
 
Last edited:
seafox67 said:
My plan this year is to replace my old Volvo Penta 2002 (18HP) with a brand new engine.

With a bit of research on forums I started leaning towards the Beta 20. However, a local company is offering me Volvo D1/20 for around the same price as the Beta with a 5 year warranty!

He is still willing to install a Beta if I want but now I am wondering...

Maybe the Volvo will fit better, be more reliable, work with existing Prop and exhaust!

What do you guys think? is there really that much difference between the two engines?

Cheers

Paul
Click to expand...

The implication I take from the OP is that he has a dealer willing to instal either engine. This suggests he, the dealer, knows the implications of each installation. Paul only says that the dealer is quoting a similar price for each engine (and I assume this is for the base engine). If the dealer is going to instal and knows the yacht then simply get a firm quote, I emphasise the firm, for both installations - that will then determine which is actually the cheaper engine.

As mentioned all of today's engines are incredibly reliable and dependable. They are easy to service and most service is changing filters, oil and impellers - its hardly rocket science. Longer term servicing might get slightly more complicated but its still relatively easy. The engines all look very similar - they are just painted different colours.

If he cannot give a firm quote then this suggests he does not know the implications of the installation which might mean the cost of the engine is almost incidental.

Jonathan
 
Neeves said:
The implication I take from the OP is that he has a dealer willing to instal either engine. This suggests he, the dealer, knows the implications of each installation. Paul only says that the dealer is quoting a similar price for each engine (and I assume this is for the base engine). If the dealer is going to instal and knows the yacht then simply get a firm quote, I emphasise the firm, for both installations - that will then determine which is actually the cheaper engine.

As mentioned all of today's engines are incredibly reliable and dependable. They are easy to service and most service is changing filters, oil and impellers - its hardly rocket science. Longer term servicing might get slightly more complicated but its still relatively easy. The engines all look very similar - they are just painted different colours.

If he cannot give a firm quote then this suggests he does not know the implications of the installation which might mean the cost of the engine is almost incidental.

Jonathan
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Yes, they are a Volvo dealer and their recommendation was the Volvo engine.

I guess the main reason for this thread was that I've had a few top level quotes from the area and this company is based in one of the more expensive marinas so I didn't really expect much. However, their labour estimate and engine prices are competitive along with very good communication (I get the feeling sometimes that some companies just can't be bothered with the smaller yachts... maybe!) even with an offer to use their rib boat and pop over for a look at my boat.

So I'm wondering if this company can give me a firm quote within my budget, do I go with his recommendations? Is the new Beta 20 and Volvo D1/20 too similar to make much difference!

Cheers guys
 
I don't know the Beta 20 but my guess is that its not as modern as the D1/20. Not suggesting that modern necessarily means better! The D1/20 is simply an update of the MD2020 and though they look different - everything is in the same place. The D1/20 has an automatic 'glow' and kill switch, as opposed to the manual glow and engine stop of the 2020 - so its a bit more user friendly - but (to me) hardly critical. The D1/20 comes with a big alternator as standard (I cannot recall the size - but much bigger than the 2020 - I think 120 instead of the old 60). If you need to charge batteries this is a major plus (but maybe the Beta has a big alternator as well).

If you are considering the Beta then you should also look at the Nanni, they use the same base engine (from Kubota) but Beta are red, Nanni blue :)

The Volvo have some adaptor kits, for different and older saildrives whether they have the same for installation for shaft drives - I don't know, but worth checking.

At the end of the day its installation costs that will determine which way you go - Kubota engines are reliable as are the Japanese Perkins used by Volvo (which I think are made in Korea but I stand to be corrected).

All of these engines are produced in their thousands, or tens of thousands, are relatively simple and totally reliable. Many of the components used to marinise are standard, the water pumps for example. There is little to choose between them - except check the alternators.
 
Neeves said:
I don't know the Beta 20 but my guess is that its not as modern as the D1/20. Not suggesting that modern necessarily means better! The D1/20 is simply an update of the MD2020 and though they look different - everything is in the same place. The D1/20 has an automatic 'glow' and kill switch, as opposed to the manual glow and engine stop of the 2020 - so its a bit more user friendly - but (to me) hardly critical. The D1/20 comes with a big alternator as standard (I cannot recall the size - but much bigger than the 2020 - I think 120 instead of the old 60). If you need to charge batteries this is a major plus (but maybe the Beta has a big alternator as well).
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Thanks for the pointer to alternator... just had a look at the specs and the Volvo comes with a 115A as standard where the Beta is 40A with an upgrade option to 70A
 
I mentioned this in another engine thread, I asked a number of engine repair shops in the Caribbean which engine they had to repair less they all said Yanmar with no other engine close. Generators were Northern Lights with Westerbeke a close second.
 
KellysEye said:
I mentioned this in another engine thread, I asked a number of engine repair shops in the Caribbean which engine they had to repair less they all said Yanmar with no other engine close. Generators were Northern Lights with Westerbeke a close second.
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Why do you keep peddling this nonsense? You have said it over and over again but that does not make it any more helpful. Who cares what a few unknown people in the Caribbean said all those years ago. This is europe and now - and there are thousands of Volvos and Betas giving very satisfactory service as well as Yanmars. These are commodity products and there is little to choose between them.
 
When I chartered in Croatia earlier this year we had a problem with a wrongly installed drive belt on a Yanmar engine. The engineer from the marina who had to find and install the replacement said this was the first Yanmar he'd had to fix a problem with - he reckoned they were the best. Still don't know who installed the wrong belt but it was interesting that the spare was also the wrong size! I don't think it was a Yanmar original fit.
My own boat has a Nanni - great engine, but no-one had cleaned the heat exchanger in 15 years and I've spent the last month trying to extract it and clean it up!
 
Beta..

I re engined my last boat with one and found them very helpful, the engine sipped fuel and ran very smoothly. It fired up first time, every time.

I hope I never have to replace another engine but if I do it'll be a Beta.
 
A friend of mine had a D1-20 in a Bavaria on which I sailed quite a bit. It's a lovely engine, very smooth and quiet. Did 2000+ hours faultlessly. I now have a D1-30, also excellent. I used to have a 2002 - not a good engine. In between I had a 2020 - it was good, yes there are similarities between that and the D1-20, but the D1-20 is a considerable improvement.
You should note that the D1-20 runs about 400rpm slower than the 2002 - 3200 WOT under load recommended against 3600. This helps the noise and vibration I think but will affect your choice of prop.
However I expect you will need a new gearbox and it will probably be a different ratio from your old one so it's unlikely you could use your old prop anyway.
I've no experience of Beta, I have heard that they are a bit rougher and noisier but that could be rubbish.
 
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