What small marine petrol engins are there??10 to 30HP size??

[James_Calvert]

Aah, the Britt.... Salcombe Harbour Master's launch - when Lawrie Prynn (sorry if spelling wrong) was the man and only needed one launch - had an 8 hp Britt. About 10 yrs later I had a summer job on the harbour and used this launch (among others) to mooch around the anchorages to collect harbour dues.

Near silent on tickover - made a hissing/ ticking sort of noise - when it pushed the 2 ton launch along at about 2 knots, just right for stemming the tide. Not so quiet at full speed (6 knots).

Only problem was that the gear lever, which emerged through the bottom boards, was about two large paces forward of the the tiller, and it had to be pulled hard back to hold it in reverse - which had a horrible whine.

But if you knocked it out of gear at the right moment during your approach, you could glide near silently alongside with the minimum of disturbance and fuss.

Nowdays their launches have at least 7 times the HP and the wake to match...

Don't know how much work was involved in keeping the Britt in good order. not my problem. All I know is that it always started first time (by hand - no electric start) and never gave a moment's worry in the average 8hr day.

 

[colinlewis]

As far as I know, Britt made a few different models. The Minor is a single cylinder 4 stroke, big flywheel at the front, Villiers carburettor, Lucas magneto, and runs very smoothly. It's only about 5 or 6 hp so it's not going to win any races. I took it out of a gaffer that I owned until last year (replaced it with a Yanmar) and when I put it in the shed I was thinking that one day it would look good in a little varnished clinker harbour launch. I don't know whether this is called a daydream or a pipe dream.

. Would please confirm the Brit minor 4hp water cooled engine is a 4 stroke ,and would you know where I might get a manual? I have been told maybe it is a two stroke engine. Regards Colin

 

[jwilson]

Looking at current small petrol car engines, from about 900cc or so, they are very compact, very smooth quiet and ultra-reliable, fuel injection with no open-topped carbs dripping fuel if a needle sticks. Add a completely separate heat exchanger/water pump unit and reduce power output in the ECU - just a thought.

Open the bonnet of my son's 12 year old Yaris car at tickover, dead quiet, smooth, 1300cc, my Yanmar in the boat of similar cc makes quite a racket if you open the heavily padded engine box.
For a sailing yacht auxiliary (not high fuel costs whatever) could it be petrol might make a comeback?

 

[Ludd]

Looking at current small petrol car engines, from about 900cc or so, they are very compact, very smooth quiet and ultra-reliable, fuel injection with no open-topped carbs dripping fuel if a needle sticks. Add a completely separate heat exchanger/water pump unit and reduce power output in the ECU - just a thought.

Open the bonnet of my son's 12 year old Yaris car at tickover, dead quiet, smooth, 1300cc, my Yanmar in the boat of similar cc makes quite a racket if you open the heavily padded engine box.
For a sailing yacht auxiliary (not high fuel costs whatever) could it be petrol might make a comeback?

No way Jose! Can you imagine the result of an injector pipe fracturing (they are fuel injection after all!) ? Petrol all over the hot exhaust and pyrotechnics in the sky!

 

[Tranona]

. Would please confirm the Brit minor 4hp water cooled engine is a 4 stroke ,and would you know where I might get a manual? I have been told maybe it is a two stroke engine. Regards Colin

It is a 4 stroke like all Brits. Good luck with finding a manual - yours could be one of only a handful still around.

 

[Poignard]

Perhaps there a fount of all knowledge out there who recognises this, but I sailed a Hurley 22 with a 2-stroke of indeterminate age. If you wanted to reverse, you had to stop the engine and re-startit going in the opposite direction....no propper gearbox, just a reduction gear. Thi spost reminded me of it.

I used to be an engineer on ships with engines like that (well, except for the reduction gearing)

 

[jwilson]

No way Jose! Can you imagine the result of an injector pipe fracturing (they are fuel injection after all!) ? Petrol all over the hot exhaust and pyrotechnics in the sky!

I think you'll find that diesel will also ignite (though less explosively) if sprayed on a hot exhaust manifold. And most of us live with very explosive gas on boats....... (until present boat I would not have gas on a boat I owned).

 

[DownWest]

I thought for a fleeting moment that Trouville had surfaced once again. But sadly not.

 

[[163233]]

No way Jose! Can you imagine the result of an injector pipe fracturing (they are fuel injection after all!) ? Petrol all over the hot exhaust and pyrotechnics in the sky!

Aye, modern cars are exploding left right and centre, it was like a bad day in Aleppo on the way in to work this morning with the bloody things going off everywhere.

 

[oldsalt]

No way Jose! Can you imagine the result of an injector pipe fracturing (they are fuel injection after all!) ? Petrol all over the hot exhaust and pyrotechnics in the sky!

Luddite?

 

[Arcady]

My wife had one of the early Smart cars. The Mercedes engine was a work of art: 3 cyl, 600cc or thereabouts, turbocharged and intercooled, but not much bigger than a small suitcase. Max output was 50 - 60 hp (dependent on spec) at 6000 rpm. At 2000 rpm you'd probably have 20 hp or so with very quiet delivery. Interestingly, each cylinder was double-plugged, aircraft style. I often thought it could make a very compact and interesting small boat engine. It almost made me look around for a suitable hull to try.

 

[ex-Gladys]

My wife had one of the early Smart cars. The Mercedes engine was a work of art: 3 cyl, 600cc or thereabouts, turbocharged and intercooled, but not much bigger than a small suitcase. Max output was 50 - 60 hp (dependent on spec) at 6000 rpm. At 2000 rpm you'd probably have 20 hp or so with very quiet delivery. Interestingly, each cylinder was double-plugged, aircraft style. I often thought it could make a very compact and interesting small boat engine. It almost made me look around for a suitable hull to try.

I've thought the same about the ford 1.0 triple...

 

[lukedh]

The Mercedes engine was a work of art. I often thought it could make a very compact and interesting small boat engine.

The engine has a known design fault in the oil ways leading to premature wear and needing an engine rebuild every 100k or thereabouts.

 

[Arcady]

The engine has a known design fault in the oil ways leading to premature wear and needing an engine rebuild every 100k or thereabouts.

Ahh - not so good then. Mrs L. swapped it for a newer one at about 30k miles. At that point all was well.