In need of new engine - What do you think/what is your opinion?

[Xthewater]

This engine is going to require a complete overhaul of reliability is the objective.
The crankshaft could be refurbished but be aware if not done right and reassembled correctly could end up with a broken (cracked) crank from stresses and micro cracks from the refurbishing process, stresses from incorrect timing.
New oil pump essential, I suspect may have contributed to bearing worn out or run dry?
This can be an opportunity to learn diesel but may be an expensive lesson.
Best wishes.

[Cadence]

I am afraid you will find 6HP inadequate. I had an Oday27 an OMC 9.9HP was iffy and the hull on her is probably much like yours.

The last OB I bought for a sail boat was a Honda 15 four stroke with the 28" leg. Great quiet engine but your pockets need to be deeper.

[fred4936]

Hi, I have a Thunderstruck kit in my Tartan 27-2, which was installed three years ago. I have zero complaints about it. The only caveat I would add is that we only use it to get in and out of the creek we keep the boat at. If you need to motor for many hours, then stick with the diesel. For what we do, the electric has been great. Very reliable, no winterizing, quiet, no vibration.

[grjfield]

I converted to electric last year..very pleased with results. I used Electric Yacht (10KW) system. Good support but higher priced than yours. Good luck!

[GrowleyMonster]

My Cal 2-27 built in '76 originally had a tired old Atomic that had been underwater for a few months after Katrina. I did manage to get it running, but I do have issues with gasoline engines. I added electric fuel pump and electronic ignition and an outboard duplex Racor fuel filter, but I had planned to go electric eventually, all along, or else diesel. When the 37 year old aluminum fuel tank sprung a leak (two leaks, actually) I had to pull the engine anyhow to replace the fuel tank, so I decided to go electric. My motor is a ME0201014310 5kw motor, and my controller was in a Kelly kit and is rated at 300 amps peak. Later I bought a ME0913 and a 500a controller. My bank is 8 golf cart batteries in series from Sams, $85/ea, 6v and 220ah. Total cost after selling the old Atomic for $300 I think, was just over $2k I think.

If you do not need long range, electric is far superior to infernal combustion. Instant power. No hydrocarbon purchases or emissions. Quiet. Simple. Easy. Perfect if you only motor in and out of a marina or have it on standby for clearing bridges, anchoring, etc. Not so good if you might have to motor 40 miles. If you go with the Thunderstruck kit, get rid of the phase wires. Too small. Go with at least 1/0 stranded copper welding cable. I use 2/0. Use this for your batteries too. 48v is the standard for thsi size boat. Less voltage means higher current, and line losses are directly related to current. Plus at lower voltage, a given amount of line loss is a bigger percentage of battery voltage. Over 48v is considered lethal and there is a different set of electrical standards involved, even though 48v is quite capable of killing you. I have welded with 48v worth of old car batteries. But anyway 48v is standard and there is no reason to go with anything else for this size boat. Lots of chargers, inverters, dc/dc converters, etc available for 48v. I suggest redundant dc/dc converters to take care of your 12v nav lights, electronics and such, and ditch your old 12v bank. Separate charger for each battery is a good idea... keep their grounds isolated, of course. If you use 12v, get a 4 bank 12v charger of sufficient amperage rating. You want a bare minimum of 10% of your amp/hour rating for the charge current rating, and 20% is better. Big chargers can be hard to find. For just ins and outs, 4 group 31 12v batts would do you fine. That is I think about 110ah at 48v, of which you can use about half of that when discharging if you want your batteries to have a long and successful lifespan. For serious electrocruising, you want TWO banks like I have, 220ah, and some way to charge them, such as a Honda i2000 or similar hanging off your stern. Do yourself a favor and keep it out of the cockpit, and gas cans, too. Fumes suck. Dont go with brush type motors if you will have propane or gasoline accessories aboard. The two motors I mention are brushless. Charging from shore power is MUCH cheaper than buying gas or diesel, so this is perfect if you only need the motor for ins and outs.

Beta diesels are pretty cheap, owner-install friendly, and simple to maintain. They exactly fit Atomic 4 beds, btw.

If you go electric, you need to build a motor mount, which is a misnomer actially, because you actually use the motor mount to mount the reduction gear, which contains the thrust bearing to transfer the forward push of the prop shaft to the hull. The kit you mention does not include a reduction gear. You will want to change your prop, too. I am using a 14x10 fixed 3 blade with good results. The original folding prop was woefully inadequate. Still, for just ins and outs your original prop is probably okay. You will want a modest reduction ratio for a small folding sailboat prop, maybe 1.5:1 or so. Maybe as close as 1.2:1. Get someone knowledgeable to crunch the numbers for you. Meanwhile hopefully you have made a chart of prop rpm vs boat speed, which is extremely valuable for calculating reduction ratio desired. I am using 2:1 but with the new big prop I might try a 3:1 gearbox soon whch might or might not be more efficient for me. You can use an enclosed gearbox, a ready built belt drive, or roll yer own belt or chain drive. I suggest a gearbox but belt drive does allow you to experiment with different pulley sizes. Chain drive is pretty clunky. Makes more noise and makes a big mess but it has been done. My gearbox was made by Belden and bolts directly to any C face motor. No coupling needed, just a shaft key.

[GrowleyMonster]

oops typo I meant ME0201014201 motor.

[GrowleyMonster]

I forgot something. Outboards. If you go with an outboard, make sure the foot is deep enough in the water. Common mistake is to have the prop running too shallow. The deeper the better, just keep the engine high and dry. 6 to 9.9 hp will gitter done. No need to go higher IMHO. Also the new 4 stroke motors are heavy beasts when you get up to the 10hp mark. Always rig an idiot rope or cable so if you drop your motor in the drink while mounting or dismounting, you can get it back. Don't ask me how I learned this.

[Scout 30]

As much as I want to support electric & really want electric in my boat the best thing you can do is install another diesel.

[Kalinowski]

I would vouch for electric. No pollution, no smell, no noise, no vibration, no winterizing, no maintenance. I've installed electric on my 42' ketch and enjoy it. The motor generates juice while the prop freewheels. Solar and wind also contribute. UK Sails also is offering sails with built in solar panels that are totally flexible and part of the material. Diesel will go the way of steam.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by Kalinowski

I would vouch for electric. No pollution, no smell, no noise, no vibration, no winterizing, no maintenance. I've installed electric on my 42' ketch and enjoy it. The motor generates juice while the prop freewheels. Solar and wind also contribute. UK Sails also is offering sails with built in solar panels that are totally flexible and part of the material. Diesel will go the way of steam.

True. Just as soon as there's a revolution in battery technology. Here's a thought: try motoring up the Columbia River with electric. The only way to have reliable power with an electric drive system is to have a large generator.

[Kalinowski]

No river sailing for me on my ketch. I sail Hawai'i. Always good wind here.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by Kalinowski

No river sailing for me on my ketch. I sail Hawai'i. Always good wind here.

I learned to sail when I was 5 in Kaneohe Bay in an 8' El Toro back in the 60's. Then we got ahold of a 30' wooden sloop named Rebel a guy had sailed there from Australia which we kept at the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor. I still remember racing to Pokai Bay & spending the night there. Truly paradise on earth.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Kalinowski

I would vouch for electric. No pollution, no smell, no noise, no vibration, no winterizing, no maintenance. I've installed electric on my 42' ketch and enjoy it. The motor generates juice while the prop freewheels. Solar and wind also contribute. UK Sails also is offering sails with built in solar panels that are totally flexible and part of the material. Diesel will go the way of steam.

Originally Posted by Kalinowski

No river sailing for me on my ketch. I sail Hawai'i. Always good wind here.

Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Diesel will go the way of steam for some folks who live where there is ample wind and sun... and then only for those who don't require reliable (in all weather and solar conditions) power for longer distances.

If you avoid those awkward issues by postulating an onboard generator, well, the diesel is still there, but with an added loss of efficiency.

It's always unpleasant when reality gets in the way of the idealism of new ideas.

Jim

[Lepke]

AS Cheechako said: a crank shop can hard chrome the journals and grind to standard. Hard chrome is a much harder metal than shiny chrome or the original journal surfaces. I've had it done to a number of engines much more powerful than yours and never had a failure.
When you consider all costs in an engine change, it's cheaper to rebuild the existing engine.

[DRS]

I sent you a private message. I have a 20 HP FWC Kubota diesel for sale $700 USD and it yours