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Old 04-06-2009, 22:05   #1
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Put a Car Engine in a Boat - Dumb Idea?

Why are boat engines so expensive compared to car engines? What separates the two? I always wondered why you couldn't put a cheap car motor like a Honda civic motor on a boat.
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Old 04-06-2009, 23:19   #2
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It costs a lot to marinize a car engine. Here's what you have to add:

- water cooled exhaust manifold. Not an off the shelf item unless that block is commonly used as a marine conversion
- replace radiator with a heat exchanger
- add a water pump">raw water pump
- engine mounts that can take propeller shaft thrust
- a marine gearbox that can take prop thrust to the bearings
- wet exhaust mixing elbow - again a custom item
- with gas engines, you need the alternator and starter motor to be spark proof (ignition proof)
- a damper plate to connect flywheel to marine gearbox

The list goes on and on. It's not simple or cheap or everybody would be doing it. Gas V-8's are pretty cheap in the marine world, small diesels are not (market in the 1000's instead of the 100,000's for car engines)
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Old 05-06-2009, 11:18   #3
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Most of those are easily solved except Exhaust manifold and adaptors for a marine reduction gear.

Who knows...you may start a revolution.
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Old 05-06-2009, 11:37   #4
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Not so long ago (when I was a child), gasoline car engines were marinized and installed in boats. Diesel car engines were rare in that time. Everybody complained about reliability and sometime a boat burned.

Also keep in mind that low-power Nanni and Beta engines are marinized Kubota. I agree, it should be gold-plated at that price.

Alain
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