Beta Marine Engines

[Target9000]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Jeez, I practically teared up there for a moment.

A 38 HP in a Westsail? I will assume you are either running a honking big feathering prop or you carry a load of batteries and run a really big alternators.

Regardless...great work. Sounds terrific...the tapdance of the sea!

Thanks!

I wish I had a feathering prop. And I wish I had giant battery banks. Actually its just sort of what it takes to push a 10 ton boat like a W32 into a chop with ANY hope of making it.

[SabreKai]

Originally Posted by S/V Antares

SabreKai, I made a up a jig to use when cutting down the rails. The drawings from Beta were perfect. After you get the tube and shaft in place you can attach the jig to the coupling and it makes it easy to fine tune the cutdown of the rails/stringers

he he, Your's isn't quite as detailed as mine will be (in progress even as we speak, should be done this weekend) as mine will have the entire bottom of the engine roughed in. The bearers and shaftlog will be set together as one solid stiff unit with the shaft log long enough to project out the bottom and become the new propellor bearing housing. I plan on tacking the shaft log to the prop struts, and then mount the jig on the bearers, then start cutting away at the old Volvo mounts. (they look like locomotive parts, they are massive) until I can get minimum clearance on the engine bottom. I want to decrease the shaft angle. Once I have the height set, I'll start firming up the mounts and then weld both the prop strut, and the bearers. The shaft log is going to be a bit of a box shaped deal as the angle is too acute to get a good weld between the skin and the lower part of the tube. I will box it in and have room to do decent welds.

Once its all welded in, I'll take my trusty sawzall or my angle grinder with an abrasive cut off disk and remove the bits I don't need between engine and log and log and prop shaft.

[MarkSF]

Originally Posted by Target9000

A moment of supreme satisfaction for anyone that has ever installed their own motor.

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Jeez, did you have to cut the cockpit sole out to install the engine?

[Target9000]

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Jeez, did you have to cut the cockpit sole out to install the engine?

Nah, the W32 comes with a removable hatch as the cockpit sole, which is rather nice.

[SabreKai]

damn right it is. I saw their's, got hatch envy and hired a welder to come cut a huge hole in my cockpit sole. Now instead of multiple lifts and shifting the tackle half a dozen times, plus removing part of the engine so it fits out my hatch, it will be a simple one shot lift with only a snubber to the front of the engine as it comes light on the skids.

[Puregravy]

Originally Posted by Saltyhog

Am in the middle of repowering our Bayfield 32 with a Beta 20HP. Engine seems well engineered and and yard where I'm at has done two repowers with Betas this summer and are really impressed. Stan at Beta has been a great help.

So 7 years later how has your experience with the 20 hp been? Looking at the difference between rebuilding our Volvo Penta or replacing with a new Beta 20. Would appreciate hearing from you.