what engine for my launch?

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burgundyben

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For a fairly light 16ft open launch, I reckon somewhere between 6 and 10hp would do.

I do not want a single cylinder diesel going donk donk donk.

Neither do I want an outboard.

So a petrol. Not averse to a 2 stroke. Perfer a twin cylinder I think. Bit smoother.

Stuart?

Vire?

Sole?

Brit?

Is there anything new?
 
What do you intend to use you launch for?
Some of that size get used for towing and run surprisingly big engines.
So a small diesel twin or triple might not be completely out of the question.
OTOH on flat water pottering along the power needed will be quite small.
For river use, a petrol-electric hybrid might be worth considering?
Batteries if weight is not an issue.

The 2 stroke engines you list are the domain of vintage engine enthusiasts. If you are not the kind of bloke who is happy fettling old motorbikes, probably best to avoid?
But if you like old engines, this route is likely to be cheaper than any other.
You might find a marinised small car engine?

Personally I find a slow 'donk donk donk' kind of diesel less intrusive than most other engines unless they are really quiet.
 
Nothing new apart from electric which is a possibility if you can live within the range restrictions and have a means of charging using 240v.

None of those petrol engines are satisfactory by today's standards although you can make an ST 8ME work well with coil ignition or a Dolphin 12 if you can find one with a gearbox. You need a dentist prepayment plan if you fit a Brit!

Best would be a Beta/Nanni 10-13 which is what current launch builders usually fit.
 
burgundyben said:
For a fairly light 16ft open launch, I reckon somewhere between 6 and 10hp would do.

I do not want a single cylinder diesel going donk donk donk.

Neither do I want an outboard.

So a petrol. Not averse to a 2 stroke. Perfer a twin cylinder I think. Bit smoother.

Stuart?

Vire?

Sole?

Brit?

Is there anything new?
Click to expand...

Oh, you got to track down an Albin! Side valve 4 stroke petrol. No hammer blow on the launch, a smooth quiet, donk, donk, donk. When you accelerate it, it will still just go donk, donk, donk.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...FEE07CB9AB30350ADBBDFEE07CB9AB30350&FORM=VIRE

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...CF4D040D34BF8C1FD00CCF4D040D34BF&&FORM=VDRVRV

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...FF06A70139A9C130EEE3FF06A70139A9C&FORM=VDRVRV
 
Not planing on towing, well maybe tow the Duckling. Home port is Yarmouth, would like to be able to get round to Colwel and Totland Bay, Keyhaven and Lymington. That's probably it.

I looked into electric before, its too costly and too much unknown for me. I know where I am with an engine.

Fiddling with an engine that's virtually an antique would be fine. I'll be carrying an outboard too.

Perhaps a Ford Kent from an Albatross?
 
Actually the comment wasn't entirely in humour. I replaced the Stuart with an Albin 021 - that's the two cylinder version - many years ago. Frankly it was fabulous. The idea of a modern small marine engine industrially based is frankly.... noisy and vibration soaked.
 
ProDave said:
Wasn't that originally fitted in the Anglia? Looks strangely familliar from my childhood when dad had an Anglia van.
Click to expand...

From Wikipedia: The Ford Kent is an internal combustion engine from Ford of Europe. Originally developed in 1959 for the Ford Anglia, it is an in-line four-cylinder overhead-valve–type pushrod engine with a cast-iron cylinder head and block.

The Kent family can be divided into three basic sub-families; the original pre-Crossflow Kent, the Crossflow (the most prolific of all versions of the Kent), and the transverse mounted Valencia variants.

The arrival of the Duratec-E engine in the fifth generation Fiesta range in 2002 has finally signalled the end of the engine's use in production vehicles after a 44-year career, although the Valencia derivative is still in limited production in Brazil, and produced as an industrial use engine by Ford's Power Products division, where it is known as the VSG-411 and VSG-413.
 
scottie said:
Great old engine but did suffer from sticking valve if you idle too much
Redex down the guides helps
Click to expand...

Also prone to sucking water vapour back causing the aft exhaust valve to stick and eventually corrode. An anti syphon valve in the water injection pipe solves this but not commonly fitted.
 
Very good engine for boat is conversion Peugeot 106 diesel to marine with outdriving to stern. Many power, not noisy, smooth, no catching fire like benzine, can easy buy boaty parts to convert in your country I think. Also - not so heavy huh?
 
If you want something really traditional - a make or break 2 stroke petrol. As used in generations of Newfoundland dories.


OK it's a single put-put.
 
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