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michaelmrc · 04-08-2008, 18:59

has anyone had any experience with the beta marine diesel ? am looking at a 28ft sunstar in great shape with a brand new 2 cyl 16 hp beta marine diesel engine. just wonder if anyone has any opinions on this engine or even the sunstar 28ft boat. thanks

**GordMay** · 05-08-2008, 03:30

Beta Marine, based in England, marinizes Kubota industrial diesel engines. These engines have an excellent reputation.

The Sunstar 28 was a Robert Perry designed performance cruiser, built by Spenser Boatworks of Richmond, BC .
information

“Annie” may be a good value.
1981 Sunstar Sloop Boat For Sale

**Hud3** · 05-08-2008, 03:51

A friend of mine installed one in his Bristol 41.1. He is very happy with it, especially the good access to the various serviceable parts.

S/V Antares · 05-08-2008, 05:23

As Gord mentioned they are Kabota based. Nice looking marinezation. The US operation is in Arapahoe NC. Just a few miles from Oriental or New Bern. I have no idea on pricing but I think the Euro/Pound is hurting their US sales.

Talbot · 05-08-2008, 06:23

If I was re-engineering, a beta would be my choice. Kubota are available all round the world, and their spares are a good price. Furthermore, the Betas are made with mountings designed to work with the mountings fitted for other engine designs.

michaelmrc · 05-08-2008, 06:39

thanks everyone for your help and gordmay "annie" is the one we have been looking at. thanks again

never monday · 05-08-2008, 07:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Talbot

If I was re-engineering, a beta would be my choice. Kubota are available all round the world, and their spares are a good price. Furthermore, the Betas are made with mountings designed to work with the mountings fitted for other engine designs.

The problem with this thought is. It's not the Kubota parts that fail. It's the custom marinization parts. Any engine can be put into any boat.

OP,
The Beta will last as long as any other well known marine engine. They do have a smaller dealer network for specialized service and parts availability.

S/V Antares · 05-08-2008, 08:43

"If I was re-engineering, a beta would be my choice. Kubota are available all round the world, and their spares are a good price. Furthermore, the Betas are made with mountings designed to work with the mountings fitted for other engine designs." Talbot

Talbot, Beta's famous claim is to have a direct replacement for the venerable Atomic 4 gas engine. While this is basicly true it does require some modification. The mounts on the Atomic 4 are on 11.5 in centers (292mm)and many including myself feel this is too narrow a footprint for a diesel given the torque. One will also need to clearence around the bellhousing as the the flywheel on the Atomic 4 is on the front allowing the narrow mounting.

Talbot · 05-08-2008, 08:58

I have never even seen an atomic 4!

I was thinking a more conventional diesel for diesel upgrade such as volvo or yanmah

S/V Antares · 05-08-2008, 09:12

Talbot, Medalist Marine made over 40,000 of the 4 cyl gas engines and many are still running.

Many diesels have very similar footprints. I would bet Beta would work with you to get close if you have one of the older production marine diesels like Perkins, Westerbeke or Volvo. Mounts are important but there is little plug and play in the replacement engine biz.

Talbot · 05-08-2008, 10:16

You seem to have misunderstood.

In my first post on this thread, I stated that "if I was going to be replacing. . . . ."

Furthermore my profile shows that I have no boat at the moment!

Han · 05-08-2008, 12:04

We've just recently re-powered with a Beta 28 mainly because of their custom feet option which let us avoid modifying our engine bed. They'll make these custom feet for any engine stringer arrangement, not just the atomic four configuration. We emailed all our questions directly to Beta in England and they were very prompt and helpful with their replies.

jack311 · 25-02-2010, 01:02

I'm looking to replace my atomic 4 with one of those beta engines but i can not find prices anywhere to see if it would be worth it. i have a newport 27 and live in portland, OR. anyone have a ballpark price?