Opinion on Nanni Engines??

[skipperpete]

The Saildrive can be a problem at installation. The surface on the bed has to be extremely level because the sealing ridge on the diaphragm is very small unlike volvo and Yanmar which have a seriously large sealing “0ring edge” and are way more tolerant of an imperfect sealing surface. Apart from that I’ve had no problems with the Saildrive. However, I’ve replaced 4 Technodrive gearboxes of various sizes for several different failures and only one of those failures was avoidable... poor selector adjustment.
Twindisc was a pillar of quality US marine engineering until they bought out this Italian manufacturer..... Kohler went the same way (down) when they embraced Lombardini’s engine range.

[chasfgr]

Originally Posted by ABJ87

They are based on Kubota Diesel engine and use Twin Disc transmissions like the Beta engine.

Many are based on the Kubota, but a high proportion on Toyota diesels.
Essentially Nanni are marinising others' engines.


Perkins is, of course, owned by Caterpillar, so the options for diesels (either marinised or as powerplants) is reducing daily.
The top 5 manufacturers are:-
Caterpillar
Cummins
J C Bamford
Kubota
Yanmar


Nearly all are for the construction sector - small, high rpm diesels for marine use are a declining sector.
I'd advise anyone to brush up on their sail handling capabilities.

[Ozzlawrence]

I have an N4.60 in a Fraser 41. Enquiries about parts through Nanni Australia indicate there are no problems. Finding alternatives was initially a bit of a problem as Nannis weren't listed on too many parts lists, so I took consumables like the oil filter, fan belt, raw water impeller, o-rings etc to various shops. The fan belt ended up being a commonly available belt I found at a hydraulic shop, the oil filter is the same as a Nissan diesel car, the salt water impeller is a Johnson 1028BT-1. Apologies for not listing the actual part numbers of the fan belt and oil filter but my spares are on the boat.
The engine has also proven to be very economical.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by chasfgr

Many are based on the Kubota, but a high proportion on Toyota diesels.
Essentially Nanni are marinising others' engines.


Perkins is, of course, owned by Caterpillar, so the options for diesels (either marinised or as powerplants) is reducing daily.
The top 5 manufacturers are:-
Caterpillar
Cummins
J C Bamford
Kubota
Yanmar


Nearly all are for the construction sector - small, high rpm diesels for marine use are a declining sector.
I'd advise anyone to brush up on their sail handling capabilities.

Not forgetting John Deere ( lugger)

[Elleroo]

Originally Posted by skippehttps://www.perkins.com/en_GB/products/sectors/marine/product-range.htmlrpete

All good points Elleroo but the OP isn’t buying or installing the replacement and the seller is going to go for the softest option.
Caterpillar parts are really expensive and as far as I know they only use the Perkins/Shibaura range in generators and skidsteers, I haven’t seen a marine offering yet.
I totally agree with marinising a known base engine if you have the skills and the time but I suspect most of the forum would prefer to be out sailing, not slugging it out with a welding machine and lathe in a workshop.
Either Nanni or Betamarine will be just fine but I’m wary of the Twindisc (formerly Technodrive) gearbox

Google, need I say more? I've been n the marine industry for a lot of years.


I'd be going with a Perkins, given the choice. If a bigger engine, then Gardiner. Run all day on fumes.

The old Perkins 4.108 and 4.154 are bulletproof yacht engines.

https://www.perkins.com/en_GB/produc...uct-range.html

Perkins seem to be very much in business still. Same with BW gearboxes.

Most, if not all, industrial engines can be had with an adaptor with ISO bolt pattern, to fit gearboxes with ISO circular patterns.

A number of new french yachts come from the factory with Perkins engines.
Ford supply their diesels for marinisation, and the ISO adaptor as well. The older Bowman boat engines were Ford. but I don't know about now.

[LittleWing77]

Hi Lauren,

Stumbled across this thread just now:

Warning! Do Not Buy Nanni Diesels in USA
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...sa-162474.html

Thought you'd be interested to read.

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Hi Lauren,

Stumbled across this thread just now:

Warning! Do Not Buy Nanni Diesels in USA
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...sa-162474.html

Thought you'd be interested to read.

Fair winds,
LittleWing77

If it were me I’d start with a Kubota engine to begin with. Kubota engines all use a SAE bellhousing which means starter motors are available for them at a reasonable price on eBay. Possibly Nanni cast their own bellhousing so they could put their own starter motor on the engine. That would be a reason not to buy a Nanni, ridiculous price for a starter.

[MVDarlin]

Go Yanmar

[sailingfarmer]

Originally Posted by chasfgr

Many are based on the Kubota, but a high proportion on Toyota diesels.
Essentially Nanni are marinising others' engines.


Perkins is, of course, owned by Caterpillar, so the options for diesels (either marinised or as powerplants) is reducing daily.
The top 5 manufacturers are:-
Caterpillar
Cummins
J C Bamford
Kubota
Yanmar


Nearly all are for the construction sector - small, high rpm diesels for marine use are a declining sector.
I'd advise anyone to brush up on their sail handling capabilities.

KUBOTA is the best diesel engine in the world... the trick is in marinising it.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Not forgetting John Deere ( lugger)

For many years Alaska Diesel provided "Lugger" engines in a wide range of sizes/HP ratings suitable for smaller yachts that were based on engines from Japan.
The "John Deere" engines were but a small portion of their offerings, but were made "famous?" because they were used in Nordhaven boats.
Today, "Lugger" is but a shell of its former glory when it comes to smaller engines.
And, parts availability for the former engines is almost non-existent, (ask me how I know).
If I had a large enough boat with sufficient space, I would be tempted to get a rebuilt GMC/Detroit Diesel,, Billions of parts everywhere, easy to work on. Oh, and wear ear-muffs while it's running, (supposed to be a joke).

[sailingfarmer]

There are plenty of good engines out there... it's the "marine-izing" that is the tricky part. Marrying the correct transmission to the motor is second part... so far Perkins and Yanmar have it down pat when it comes to sailboats...

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by sailingfarmer

There are plenty of good engines out there... it's the "marine-izing" that is the tricky part. Marrying the correct transmission to the motor is second part... so far Perkins and Yanmar have it down pat when it comes to sailboats...

I would add Volvo to that list you simply can’t overlook one of ( if not the biggest) players in this area. I’ve had yanmar , nanni , Perkins , in 7 boats. The Volvos were faultless. The Perkins snapped a injector pump shaft , the nanni broke a con rod ( 50 hours from new ) and the yanmar was fine except parts were harder to get then Volvo