Walk away from Volvo MD6A?

[Island Time O25]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

A pretty big gamble though.

No one with a brain would repower a boat like that, so if the engine fails beyond economical rebuild, the boat is either scrap, our outboard powered.

Those are pretty tough old engines, though. Are you able to rebuild it yourself, if you needed to? If the answer is yes, and if the engine starts and runs well, has good compression and oil pressure, doesn't overheat at WOT, is not too badly rusted anywhere, doesn't spew too much oil, or smoke inordinately, then it could be a gamble worth taking. You might get 20 more years out of it.

If you would have to take it to a mechanic in the event it failed, maybe not.

Sent from my D6633 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

This is exactly my story. My first boat was a 25 year old 27 footer with an MD5A, a one banger, last installed on boats in 1982. Worked fine next 3-4 seasons until it croaked. We pulled it out thinking to re-power it as I had couple mechanics buddies offering to do it for a good discount. But the killer was the price of the parts and the wait for them as they had to be ordered from Sweden. I ended up slapping an outboard which cost me $50 for the used bracket and $150 for the motor. But I hated the gas on board plus I miscalculated the bracket placement by about 1-2 inches and the prop cavitated at the smallest wave.

BTW, still have that MD5A at a friend's backyard in So. NH (near MA border) so if anyone is looking for one PM me. For the price of a case of Amstel beer or a bottle of Courvoisier (either one is the backyard's owner favorite) you can have it.

PS I'd give it away but the backyard owner has been promised this booze as the price of keeping the motor there.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by surfprimal

...I wasn't comfortable purchasing it, ....

Congratulations on what is hopefully your new boat. Post photos if you have a chance. You made the right decision since you were not comfortable with it. No deal is a good deal if you are feeling uneasy. Good luck with it.

Cheers,

Dave

[LLCoolDave]

Originally Posted by surfprimal

Update: I found a boat I liked more with a 16hp Universal 5416 freshwater cooled diesel, and it's only 30 years old . Offer accepted. Sea trial this weekend.

Thanks for the feedback on the Volvo. I wasn't comfortable purchasing it, but this thread should help others who run into the same engine make their own decision.

Congrats. Hope everything goes well.

[carstendenmark]

Having my boat with an MD6A on the hard for 3 years due to the Wuhan virus (stuck in China for 2 years and then other troubles at the return), I started to fire the engine up, just to see if there were still life.
Water in the pre-filter, some sludge in the tank (especially on the level gauge), and (as on the hard) no water cooling.
After half a minute, the old chunck ran again, steadily. Then a shutdown, as the impeller was unlubed, of course.
I was amazed !
After getting afloat again in end of Oct., she will be taken for some short trips to see if all are working ok.

The mast is off, so the "long trip" just going to do the 30 miles motoring safely to her new harbour, then she will be converted into electric drive (a plugin EYacht !) during the next many months.

I will certainly consider the outboard option (or less) when doing the trip, but also during the DIY installation of the electric drive.
By the way, MUST it be mounted at the stern ? Wouldn't it be easier to operate a tiller outboard over the sideboard, right ?

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by carstendenmark

Having my boat with an MD6A on the hard for 3 years due to the Wuhan virus (stuck in China for 2 years and then other troubles at the return), I started to fire the engine up, just to see if there were still life.
Water in the pre-filter, some sludge in the tank (especially on the level gauge), and (as on the hard) no water cooling.
After half a minute, the old chunck ran again, steadily. Then a shutdown, as the impeller was unlubed, of course.
I was amazed !
After getting afloat again in end of Oct., she will be taken for some short trips to see if all are working ok.

The mast is off, so the "long trip" just going to do the 30 miles motoring safely to her new harbour, then she will be converted into electric drive (a plugin EYacht !) during the next many months.

I will certainly consider the outboard option (or less) when doing the trip, but also during the DIY installation of the electric drive.
By the way, MUST it be mounted at the stern ? Wouldn't it be easier to operate a tiller outboard over the sideboard, right ?

I have an outboard on my 29' because it was not built for an inboard. My own set-up works well but I have a hoist that lifts the engine straight up easily and a hull with not much overhang in the stern so I rarely have any problem with the prop coming too close to the surface. I have photos of the set-up in my albums. I really wouldn't want an outboard any other way. It is possible to hang an outboard on the side as you mention, I have seen it done on large dories but not on a sailboat. As you might imagine, heeling on the engine's side while sailing might be a problem

[carstendenmark]

Thanks, Don
My transom is hanging out to the water, opposite of yours, making outboard steering by tiller a no-go if mounted there. Then the outboard must be teleflex controlled. In general, the motor is only used when the sails are not set, so heeling should not be a problem when mounted on the sideboard. I will need to design a hoist system which will lift the outboard completely up when sailing. A 2-stroke may be lighter than a 4, I guess. 8 HP sounds fine for the purpose. Something for the long winter nights...