Solé diesel inboards

[Tranona]

May ask why you want a rear facing waterpump? That sounds like a real nuisance to get the impeller out and I would have presumed to have be considered a negative. What have I not considered/not realised?

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Have I had a reading and comprehension fail and by rear facing water pump you mean when you face the front of the ending the water pump cover is looking at you with the pump behind?

Some boats, (particularly centre cockpit) have a fixed bulkhead immediately in front of the engine and access only from the side, so a front mounted water pump as on many modern engines including the latest Soles of this size present difficulties. The water pump location is often determined by where the power take off is on the base engine, The Mitsubishi engines used in the smaller Sole and Vetus have the pump rear facing on the starboard side. Many smaller boats which have poor access on this side and one of the reasons why I crossed that off my list. The other major reason was that the notional 29hp is actually only 27 as the engine's capacity is 200cc smaller than its competitors, but physically the same size.

As I said in post#9 you have to look at each installation and determine what the access issues are. Many boats are designed around the original engine and have access accordingly. The Perkins M50 / Volvo MD22 was very popular from the mid 80s up to 2004 and was unusual in having the exhaust and heat exchanger on the starboard side, the water pump at the rear, taken off the aft end of the camshaft and the fuel systems on the port side. Broadly the opposite of most replacement engines. Some boats that originally had the MD22 had a solid bulkhead on the starboard side with a loo/shower the other side, fuel tank in front and access only from the port side where all the service points were. A replacement engine is a challenge in such boats.

 

[Concerto]

Beta probably would have been my preference but their lead time is 20 weeks which scuppers our planned travels to the med this summer through to next. I don't like trying to make poorly considered decisions around deadlines but we'd be very disappointed if we had to postpone for 12 months because we wanted a particular brand of engine in the boat. Perhaps I'm being short sighted!

At the Southampton Boat Show, I chatted with Peter Draper from Navigators Marine Service Centre at Chichester Marina. They are starting to stock Beta engines and can supply most engines either immediately or within 14 days as they get engine deliveries every week, so worth giving them a call on 01243 513336 or 07801 250066.

 

[Piddy]

May ask why you want a rear facing waterpump? That sounds like a real nuisance to get the impeller out and I would have presumed to have be considered a negative. What have I not considered/not realised?

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Have I had a reading and comprehension fail and by rear facing water pump you mean when you face the front of the ending the water pump cover is looking at you with the pump behind?

The 'proper' location is at the front of the engine with the opening for the impellor facing forwards. As my fuel tank is close to the front of the engine (it's a centre-cockpit boat), I didn't want to risk not being able to get at the impellor. Engine Plus mounted the pump facing towards the stern so the impellor is accessible from the cockpit locker opening.
As it happens there is room for 32mm sound proofing and a decent gap. It would still have been very awkward if left in the forward facing position.
Other M376 owners have reduced the tank size and made room but I quite like having a lot of range.
I should also say the fuel consumption during an extended cruise of 3 months last summer came out at 2.7l/hour (brimmed tank to brimmed tank vs hours run) which I feel is pretty good for a fat old lady....

 

[jwfrary]

Sole seem to be making a big push at the moment into the UK.

The base engine is a great bit of kit and very widly used not just in marine applications.

To be honest I'm not a beta fan they are cheaply marinized and if you have a look at the forum people have lots of problems. Especially with the heat exchanger. I'm not convinced this is a purely there's more out there to go wrong factor to this.

Sole are found all over the med but haven't yet made Inrods here.

Personally I would rebuild what you have. Good engine that is easy to work on and cheap to maintain.

 

[Graham376]

Other M376 owners have reduced the tank size and made room but I quite like having a lot of range.

We have original tank. I re-engined with T105, based on Mitsubishi S4L 43hp. Raw water pump is on port side facing stern and can be accessed through the cockpit locker engine hatch. Engine mounts were made to fit the footprint of previous 80D so all 8 bolts just dropped in. Only practical difference is engine+gearbox about 12mm longer

 

[antaris]

I have run a Sole Mini 44 for the past 4 years in my boat. I was installed by the previous owner and just reached 800 hrs. Boat is a ~8 tonne Gin Fizz ketch. The Engine has been flawless, never an issue. It has pushed me through rough weather and long crossings and never coughed. I do look after it meticulously (yearly oil/filer change, service checks by the book, etc). Very happy with it. Never had to purchase a spare, other than said filters.

 

[antaris]

In my mind the biggest limitation is the lack of poly v belt drive to alternator - although that may have changed by now.

Apologies if I misunderstood what you are after; on my installation, I have 2 alternators on the Mini-44. The belt drive is triple grooved - one belt for standard alternator and two belts for second installed on opposite side. Probably a custom or dealer install (by previous owner, that I am grateful of!)

I can send photos if interested.