Beta or Westerbeke for repower?

[BozSail]

Considering replacing my leaky old Perkins 4.108 with a new engine that would (hopefully) last me a very long time. Don't want a Yanmar. What is considered the better/most reliable engine between Beta and Westerbeke, and why?

[Engine man]

Westerbeke currently has no Westerbeke engines for sale in the USA. They do have 2 Universal engines available, 20 hp and 26hp.

We have sold MANY Beta Marine engines to replace the old Perkins 4.107M and 4.108M engines. [ we are Beta Marine dealers ]

Note that Perkins specified that if their engine was installed in a displacement hull, it MUST BE derated to 3000 rpm, where it made 40 horsepower.

The comparable engines would be a Beta 38, that duplicated the Perkins power while weighing about 275 pounds less than the old Perkins. You can also consider the Beta 43, which weighs about 125 pounds less. The correct engine for your application depends upon several factors, such as prop diameter, where and how the boat is operated, displacement, engine driven options, etc. Joe

[Mickeyrouse]

I replaced my Westerbeke 107 (almost identical to the Perkins 4108) with a Westerbeke 55B, which is really an Isuzu 4LE 2. I’m thinking the Beta also uses the Isuzu short block. This is my third Westerbeke, and most likely my last. The short blocks, which Westerbeke of course doesn’t manufacture, are rugged engines. My complaint is Westerbeke itself. 50-60 years ago, before Yanmar appeared, Westerbeke was almost the exclusive engine supplier to American-built sailboats 30 to 55 feet. I know of no builders anymore that spec Westerbeke, though there are surely some.
Except for their Universal line of engines, Westerbeke is basically out of the propulsion market, other than 1 or 2 low power models, concentrating on gen sets.
Consequently their dealer-distributor network has seriously withered. In the Houston-Galveston Bay area, there are no dealers that have any meaningful (if any) stock of parts. The dealers I find online often are back-ordered.
To make matters worse, Westerbeke has never had any kind of manufacturer product support, purportedly relying on their dealers to do that. Many of those dealers no longer carry Westerbeke, if they exist at all.
It is sad to say this, but I would encourage considering anything other than Westerbeke. I would also encourage re-building that 4108. It is probably the most widely-used auxilliary sailboat engine of all time. For anything on the engine itself, Perkins (now part of Caterpillar) has complete parts availabilty. If you’re satisfied with the power it provides, you don’t have to worry about things matching up. You will on anything new.
The Last 30 years or so, Westerbeke has used Hurth ZF marine gears. Those are generally about a 1.96:1 output ration, which means that the Borg-Warner or Paragon gearbox (1:1) output shaft is on a different level than now found on the Hurth gear. Meaning, the engine will have to be elevated to offset the difference.
Gear shift, throttle, water, exhaust, etc. will also be different. Changing all that takes a lot of work and time. You hope it gets done right.
I was shopping engines a couple years ago, and I was encountering quotes in the $15k-16k range, uninstalled. About the same amounts for installation. Then there’s the engine lead time, accessory parts availability, etc etc. i was told (Houston area) to expect to loose a season. If you can do the work, good for you.
But that won’t reduce the engine cost or the work to be done. Good luck with it all.

[DirtPete]

Beta is a Kubota block, marinized by the folks at Beta. I do a few repowers a year, usually comes down to Beta and Yanmar. I have no idea what kind of boat you have so it's hard to make a reccomendation but based on the Perkins I have a feeling it's not a race boat so Beta is likely best option. Go on Beta's website, they have a whole list of boats that they have repowered.

Find a local Beta dealer and ask them about their experiences ordering from Beta, and pre/post sales support.....you won't find a better outfit in my opinion than the people at Beta in NC.

[sailingunity]

I just rebuilt my Westerbeke circa 1974. Rebuild kits are still available through tractor parts dealers, stuff like cylinder sleeves, pistons, gaskets, etc., but anything specific to Westerbeke (mainly the heat exchangers) is not available anywhere. I've had to have some custom manufacturing done to fix some of these parts, but it's still cheaper, and less time consuming than installing a new engine. Some parts can be found used from places like TransAtlantic diesel.

I would always go the rebuild route if possible, unless you're interested in other factors (warranty or weight reduction).

[Mickeyrouse]

Actually after market heat exchangers are available. They may not be a perfect fit, but as long as the shell O.D. is the same, often the ports are quite similar, and since it’s hose-to-hose, there isn’t anything super critical. You’d just want to be sure the capacity is within about 10%. A little larger is okay if everything else more or less lines up- the thermostat will just open less. And heat exchangers can often be found on ebay.

[skipperpete]

Here’s one more vote for Betamarine from a fairly dedicated Yanmar fan. Beta do a good job with the whole process, marinisation , deelivery, special requests re footprint, even after sales service is above and beyond what I would normally expect, my only negative is the technodrive gearbox but Betamarine have a few other options regarding the choice of transmission if you choose to avoid the “ Techno”

[Searles]

Unless you want to throw money at the vsl and repower ,re build the Perkins parts are easily available almost if not entirely world wide full re build kits for the 4 108 and the 4 107 plus the 4 236 are readily available ,you can do most of the jod yourself and learn a lot about the drive system of your vsl ,good knowledge to have ,Beta are good ,I like the marine Isuzu small engines ,once again plenty of after market parts ,but your call ⚓️⛵️

[stormalong]

I replaced my 4-108 with a Beta 50 twenty years ago. The 4-108 was under powered for my 44 ft 15 ton displacement sloop. I still have the boat and the engine has about 4500 hours on it. I am still happy with my decision to go with Beta. I installed it myself with just the hire of a crane to lift out the old and lift in the new. The factory sent a mechanic to inspect the install and approved it for warranty coverage. Except for an inspection by a factory authorized mechanic shortly before the warranty expired I have done all maintenance. Beta can do custom engine brackets that make engine installation much easier and faster - well worth the price. The only repairs I have done in twenty years was a water pump">raw water pump rebuild, hose replacements, injector replacements and I replaced the copper piping with hoses. The same block is available as a 43, just smaller bore cylinders.

I had a Westerbeke 27 on my last boat, a 34 footer. If you want to be held hostage for parts go ahead and get a Westerbeke. Although that was about 35 years ago and the company may have gotten better, I doubt it based of issues I have read about on this and other sailing forums.

The Beta is a Kubota and is a simple engine compared to the current crop of electronically controlled engines. If you plan to cruise you want an engine that can be fixed anywhere by any decent mechanic. Not a factory authorized service tech that comes with dedicated computer to figure out what's wrong.

If you would like to discuss Beta engine details further send me a PM.

PS. I do not have any affiliation with Beta, just a happy customer.

[SkipD]

A vote for Beta. I re-powered a trawler type 27 footer with a Beta 50 a few years ago. Did the work myself and getting price/tech/sales support from Beta was great. Engine proved to be great too, never an issue over a number of years use. Parts cost from Beta very reasonable. Cannot say the same for Westerbeke now having a Universal Diesel (also Kubota based, owned by Westerbeke).

[boatpoker]

We have 464hrs on a Beta 50 we installed in spring of 2023. We are very happy with the engine and what little contact we've had with Beta has been positive.

The engine we replaced was a Westerbeke 55A ... These people are useless parasites !

Beta has an owners Facebook page where a common complaint is galvanic corrosion and Beta do have a couple of issues in that area and don't seem very educated on the issue and neither are many of the posters on FB. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1724515170928877

As a retired Certified Marine Corrosion tech I have addressed each of these issues and have no major concerns altho' I do monitor routinely.

[GrowleyMonster]

There is a thriving market in used or rebuilt 4-108 and 4-107 engines. You can probably find a rebuild at half what a new Beta costs, and no question about it being a drop-in replacement. Some guys get a used one and just eat the core exchange, take their time rebuilding it, do the swap, then rebuild their old one and have a whole engine ready to swap out in another 40 years, or sell, or put in another boat.

On the other hand, so many Perkins/Westerbekes have already been replaced with Betas that the procedure should be pretty painless. The Beta is a great engine and it is optimized for user maintenance. Parts are fairly cheap, usually, especially the parts of the engine itself, since it is basically a tractor engine. I am pretty sure you can get a Beta 38 with the same footprint as your old Westerbeast. Beta will also, unlike some makers, ship directly to an end user.

I have a 4-107. What would I do? Probably rebuild in place unless I had a spun-out bearing or some other problem requiring the attention of a machine shop on the block. I am reasonably confident I could do a pretty fair rebuild on a $2k budget. Having a milling machine and a lathe in my workshop would probably come in handy at some point.

For Perky/Westerbeast engines and parts, TAD is a great source. I have got a few hard to find parts from them.

[Kijit]

When I was captain of an engineless Chesapeake Bay skipjack, we built a new push boat and used a Beta 43. Original engine was a Westerbeke 4-107. Very pleased with the Beta and the thing that sealed it for the Beta was that there were no electronic controls.

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by Kijit

Very pleased with the Beta and the thing that sealed it for the Beta was that there were no electronic controls.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by Mickeyrouse

Actually after market heat exchangers are available. They may not be a perfect fit, but as long as the shell O.D. is the same, often the ports are quite similar, and since it’s hose-to-hose, there isn’t anything super critical. You’d just want to be sure the capacity is within about 10%. A little larger is okay if everything else more or less lines up- the thermostat will just open less. And heat exchangers can often be found on ebay.

SenDure and Seakamp make heat exchangers. Off the shelf and custom.