Beta engine good and/or bad for repower?

[Sojourner]

Hey guys, so the saga of my smoking perkins has me at my wits end. I've decided to try for a repower in the winter here in Palermo. On my radar since I got the boat has been Beta engines. Never heard a bad thing about them, and it happens there is a Beta specialist/dealer right here for winter.

So.... any of y'all got a Beta? Any tales to tell, good and especially bad? I love what I know about them so far: simplicity, no turbo, no common rail, kubota tractor parts.... anything else to watch for?

Thanks in advance!
Davi

[nwdiver]

They will match the feet of your present engine so you don't need to modify the mounting system.......

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Sojourner

Hey guys, so the saga of my smoking perkins has me at my wits end. I've decided to try for a repower in the winter here in Palermo. On my radar since I got the boat has been Beta engines. Never heard a bad thing about them, and it happens there is a Beta specialist/dealer right here for winter.

So.... any of y'all got a Beta? Any tales to tell, good and especially bad? I love what I know about them so far: simplicity, no turbo, no common rail, kubota tractor parts.... anything else to watch for?

Thanks in advance!
Davi

I really wish I could add some negative side to owning a Beta engine but for the last 5 years its been nothing but positive. Maybe the price could be negative as when i purchased ours it was the most expensive but because they are British it would be based on the pound so now might be a great time to buy. Everything is easy to work on, Love the serpentine belt and it's very smooth. Would purchase again without thought.

[Stu Jackson]

I agree, everything I've read about the engines makes it a no brainer as a choice.


Do you have a standard prop or saildrive? If the latter let me know and I'll send you some info.

[SteveSails]

I replaced a 4-108 with a Beta 43 10 years ago, huge improvement. Starts right up with no need of glow plugs, doesn't leak, filters are easy to get to, use NAPA gold filters, no turbo and has been very reliable.
The only part I needed to replace was the exhaust elbow, but even that could be considered normal.

The only negative is that I wish I had put in the 50, same block.

[Exile]

A friend of mine recently repowered with a Beta 70/75 plus new tranny, replacing a 70hp Westerbeke (Perkins design). Only 'hiccup' (if you can call it that) is that his new Beta has a significantly lower torque curve than his old WB (2800 vs. 3600 max rpm). Although the new tranny's gear ratio compensates to some degree, he has had to send his prop out to remove quite a bit of pitch, and may ultimately have to replace it. His new Beta was quite expensive (~$20K for engine alone), but they probably all are, at least in that hp range.

Another factor in Beta's favor is that, in the US anyway, I'm told that Yanmar is focusing more on supplying newly-mfg. boats and its support for repowers has slacked. So much so that the local long-time Yanmar dealer where I'm at has dropped Yanmar (and WB), and is now a Beta dealer exclusively. Don't know much about Volvo except complaints about very expensive parts. WB seems to have largely withdrawn from the recreational propulsion side of things, so wouldn't recommend.

[krivanj]

All good. Beta 14, three years old

[jimbunyard]

Kubota is the Toyota-equivalent for the small-diesel-sailboat-engine world...

[Wainui]

Just done this
Best decision yet
50hp gives me an extra 1 knts
Check the posts in this forum

[hattiews]

I'm looking for a Beta 25 to replace my Atomic 4 with. There is a place in Jakarta selling them cheap ($4k with shipping to US). Has anyone tried this? Seems risky but that's half the price the US Dealers are quoting....

[Pegu Club]

We re-powered with a Beta 16, it has been worth every penny. It was installed one year ago, easy to do all the regular maintenance, and far quieter than the old Yanmar SB -12. We got back to Connecticut a week ago from the Bahamas, and it has been flawless.

Fair winds,

[fish53]

A simple yet expensive way to get a Kubota diesel. You can buy a Kubota engine for less than a third of what a Beta costs and marinize it yourself. That said it's hard to beat a Kubota and the ability to use tractor parts which are about 1/10 the price of marine.

[JayH]

I changed 2 Volvo engines and a Northern Lights generator for Beta about 5 years ago. Engines now have 900 hours each and the generator 1600. No issues and I would do it again without thinking.

[AndyEss]

Hahahahaha
My boat doesn't have a Beta Marine Engine.
But my two tractors have Kubota engines. One's a 4 banger, the other a 3. They're half a continent away so I don't know HP.
One tractor I have abused for at least 20, maybe 25 years. The engine can be a little hard starting because I've never quite fixed a leaky fuel filter housing, and air gets into the fuel system. The other just runs like a top. I've had it for 15 or so years. Other than oil and filter changes, no other maintenance.
One tractor I use to plow snow off of my 1km long driveway in the winter, and In the summer I bushhog brush on my property with it. I've beaten that tractor near to death, and have even rolled it down a hill.
The other has a small backhoe attachment, so I use it for earthmoving operations.
Engine problems? Zilch, zip, nada.
I used to run other, bigger diesel powered equipment, and had problems with Detroit Diesel and Navistar/IH engines.
If the marinized Beta engines are anything like the Kubota tractor engines, they should outlast the hull of your boat.

[Compass790]

ok only problem I know is hearsay if you are a lawyer or watch tv lawyer programmes on tv. fellow yachtie ( sailboat in US english ) who was 75+ in years told me he had a heap of trouble with his Beta 14 heat exchanger, it corroded badly FRM MY MEMORY ( not to be relied on it was aluminium ) & it failed early. Had a big battle with the NZ agent to get a replacement. He had to call in a registered mechanical engineer to certify it was a corrosion problem. He only got a replacement heat exchanger after threatening a court case
I love the fact that Kubota based engines have a tractor equivalent as parts are WAAAY cheaper AFAIK & I'd go for them way above a Yanmar if I could afford a new engine. All I'm pointing out Betas may not be perfect.
So the btm line is yea go for Kubota based but be sure of the dealer AFAIK.
I think Yanmars are kinda fine but they ream you on parts