New engine search

[Steve P]

Hi all,

I'm getting real close to purchasing a new engine.

Does anybody have experience with Beta or Nanni.

How do these compare to universal.

I'm looking for about 20hp and I want to couple it to a shaft issolator like a Python drive or Aquadrive.

[strongsail]

Steve, I see from your profile that you have a Mariner 31 ketch. You may have started the process already, but you should have your boat's waterline length and displacement specs so the engine dealer can help you pick the right engine. Also you should know your prop diameter and pitch, since repitching or getting a new prop is often part of a repower.

I don't know who Nanni is buying its engines from now, and don't know Beta. Nanni is, I believe, an Italian company, and their dealer network has been a moving target here in the Northwest - it's important to have a stable dealer network if you have a warranty issue. Universal is now owned by Westerbeke, and I believe they still use Kubota blocks, and some ISM, which is another Japanese small diesel buillder - they also supply some engines to Northern Lights for their smaller generators.

Most of the small diesel engines used as sailboat auxiliaries these days are Japanese, with the exception of Volvo Penta. Volvos are expensive to buy and service parts are also expensive.

Yanmar makes great little motors - my 34-foot sailboat displaces about 12,000 pounds, and it has a Yanmar 3GM30F, 27hp rated, and I cruise at about 2700 rpm. The motor is 16 years old, with about 1000 hours (not many hours for its age, but that's typical of sailboat engines) and the only problem I had was a head gasket leak when the motor was almost new (but out of warranty) - it was my own stupid fault, I forgot to torque the cylinder head bolts after 50 hours like it says in the manual - duh! I replaced the gasket myself, torqued the head this time, and it has run perfectly ever since, with a couple of oil changes a year and a coolant change every 2 years.

You mentioned using a Python or Aquadrive - they are great inventions, but are expensive, take up a lot of room behind the transmission, and require structural modifications to the hull - you must install a load-bearing bulkhead to bolt the unit to. I don't see many in smaller (under 60 feet) sailboats. You will get a new set of mounts with your new engine, and you will want to replace your shaft coupling anyway, so you can put everything back together nice and fresh, and it should be quite smooth with a 3-cylinder engine. And then don't forget to align the engine again after about 50 hours of operation, since those new mounts will settle quite a bit as they break in.