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Old 30-09-2012, 02:29   #1
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Repowering with Petrol engine?

Hi all,

I was just thinking about this this evening. I have been seeing quite a few Sydney boats with engines seized,with fresh water of course :-)

Marinised desiels seem insanely expensive to recco or replace which is of course why these boats go unsold.

Is it feasible to replace a diesel inboard with either small marinised 6 or 4 out of a car or new crate motor. I realise that fuel consumption would increase but the price difference in purchase, servicing and parts buys a lot of juice?

Is there a reason - engine size, safety or it's just always the way things have been done?
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Old 30-09-2012, 03:07   #2
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Re: Repowering with Petrol engine?

if you are going to maranise an engine from scratch,you are not going to save any money by using a petrol engine,the components are the same.

further more if the boat was equipped with a diesel before chances are you will have to alter your fuel tanks,engine room,add gas sniffers,extinguishers etc

then at the end of the day you are one spark away from a very loud bang,having seen a boat explode next to me i for one are extremly careful never to store petrol,acetone etc inboard.
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Old 30-09-2012, 03:37   #3
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Re: Repowering with Petrol engine?

OIC

I can see how it could happen certainly in a live aboard situation as you have the enclosed spaces, cooking food etc.

I was thinking more larger engines v6/v8's etc would prob never fit rather than you might explode if you act like a goon.
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Old 30-09-2012, 03:49   #4
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Re: Repowering with Petrol engine?

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Originally Posted by Jryder View Post
OIC

I can see how it could happen certainly in a live aboard situation as you have the enclosed spaces, cooking food etc.

I was thinking more larger engines v6/v8's etc would prob never fit rather than you might explode if you act like a goon.
much better suited to a high speed power boat,if you are interested there is a company in the uk who specialises in all types of engine marinization,with great info,and ship world wide.
hopefully this will help make an informed decision,mike was the uk offshore powerboat champ for many years

Welcome to Lancing Marine
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Old 30-09-2012, 04:07   #5
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Re: Repowering with Petrol engine?

The usual cheap kaput engine "fix" is.........an outboard. A petrol one .

Obviously performance trade offs and boat size and design dependent, but as long as not intended to be used for long passages then could be a compromise worth making. or not.

Or as a wild alternative - what about an Electric Repower! A few good threads on CF. Compromises to be made (mostly around range), but could start cheaper than a conventional re-power and then develop the system (and boat useability / range) as budget allows......
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Old 30-09-2012, 14:31   #6
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Guys,

Thanks for the info, I not have a boat or are thinking about a reporter. Was just curious as I come from a power boat background (wake boarding, water skiing).

I would assume that if I did have a diesel go bad that I would look at the electric option but I doubt my first yacht will be that much of a basket case,
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Old 01-10-2012, 02:42   #7
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Re: Repowering with Petrol engine?

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Originally Posted by Jryder View Post
Guys,

Thanks for the info, I not have a boat or are thinking about a reporter. Was just curious as I come from a power boat background (wake boarding, water skiing).

I would assume that if I did have a diesel go bad that I would look at the electric option but I doubt my first yacht will be that much of a basket case,
Yeah, overall better off getting a s/h engine already installed (unless boat is priced cheaply and it is a longterm keeper - so you get the value from a new engine, not someone else ).

I am guessing that given your power boat background you have encountered plenty of stories of engine problems (hopefully the stories all secondhand!) - that make the bills on a yacht engine seem like small change .
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Old 01-10-2012, 03:11   #8
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Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Yeah, overall better off getting a s/h engine already installed (unless boat is priced cheaply and it is a longterm keeper - so you get the value from a new engine, not someone else ).

I am guessing that given your power boat background you have encountered plenty of stories of engine problems (hopefully the stories all secondhand!) - that make the bills on a yacht engine seem like small change .
It's interesting really, engines are expensive but sails, rigging etc doesn't appear to be very cheap either.

It would appear that the majority of small yachts that I have checked out in Sydney even in the early stages are very poorly maintained vs my experience with power boats of similar size and price..I am not sure why that is but it makes me quite nervous about the expensive bits.
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Old 01-10-2012, 03:59   #9
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Re: Repowering with Petrol engine?

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Originally Posted by Jryder View Post
It would appear that the majority of small yachts that I have checked out in Sydney even in the early stages are very poorly maintained vs my experience with power boats of similar size and price..I am not sure why that is but it makes me quite nervous about the expensive bits.
I would say that on sailing boats engines do suffer from "out of sight and out of mind", at least until stuff stops working.

Obviously exceptions do apply (and IMO a visually nicely maintained engine and compartment is a very good indicator of the care and attention someone has given to the rest of the boat)......but on the lower budget (for boat size) end of things I would say that most engines would look somewhat less than cared for (mine does ) even if still fundamentaly good (touch wood!)..........but at the end of the day, have to take a punt - the more a Vendor can say about maintanence (and have bills?) the better. Some folks don't know where the dipstick is........albeit lack of use probably (and simple old age) as much an engine killer as lack of maintanence.
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Old 01-10-2012, 13:36   #10
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Re: Repowering with Petrol engine?

You are right, most people from what I have seen can't bring themselves to give the whole thing a wipe over on the interior, a wet buff on the deck or a little oil on the teak so you can pretty much tell if you are going to get a POS that hasn't seen a spanner in a while.

I have decided to ditch the idea of cheapo project boats and look for one ready to go.

Saw a nice little triton 24 which has had everything done, 12hp inboard for $7K asking which seems pretty cheap if the vendor's condition report is anything to go by.

He doesn't ever sail and just motors along, wants to buy a little runabout instead so might be an option for me to go doing a bit of weekend boating for the summer.
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