Upcoming Survey: Westerbeke 40 Repair or Replace?

[boatpoker]

All the "marinization " parts were added by Westerbeke. The chances of getting any of them from Westerbeke are slim.

[kenbo]

Originally Posted by mabowers

What model V-drive transmission ?

I believe it has a Walter v-drive not a v-drive transmission

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by kenbo

I believe it has a Walter v-drive not a v-drive transmission

Yes, it is a V-drive transmission.

You can buy one here ...
https://www.tadiesels.com/used/tran/tranw-1122.html

[mcon12000]

Re-Powering with a Beta 38 will cost $25k minimum if you have someone do all the work.

I just replaced a Perkins 4108 with a Beta 38, did all the work myself and still spent $22k plus.

The reason to go with new vs rebuild really boils down to how you plan on using the boat. If you’re not planning on extended cruising then definitely rebuild the current motor. Since this boat is new to you I would avoid re powering until you’re certain it’s going to be your boat for a while.

One trip down the ICW is equivalent to a decade of weekend use so a seller saying “it’s been running great for years” should be weighed against how the boat was used.

Edit. The parts are getting difficult to find contrary to some of the comments here. Trans Atlantic no longer offers rebuilt motors for example because the heads are impossible to find and many of the other parts have to be custom fabricated now. The block will live on for another twenty years BUT all the items bolted to it will rust away and fail.

The way I would look at this purchase is to find an older boat with a recent re power and skip this nightmare by simply not buying the boat with the westerbeke. You will save $10k off the inevitable and when you go to sell you’ll have a broader audience. Anyone who has been through this process will walk away from an older boat with one of these Perkins blocks.

[rls8r]

Why can't you start the engine - even if it's on the hard? Just use a hose to fill a bucket and put the raw water intake hose into the bucket. A municipal water faucet should be able to keep up with the engine's cooling water flow.

I agree with everyone who says keep the Westerbeke and rebuild it if it needs it. Parts are (relatively) easy to come by. Others have mentioned sources, and I'll second the reference to Trans-Atlantic Diesels (TAD) in Hayes, VA if you're on the East Coast.

On the other hand - I have friends who have replaced their Westerbeke 40s with Betas and Yanmars (can't recall the models, though). The engines were about the same size and the motor mounts were in about the same places - so replacing the engines were (relatively) painless - except for the costs.

Good luck.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by vabchbrewer

Hi everyone,
I'm a newbie to this forum and am in the process of buying a Pearson 40. I'm waiting on a survey and sea trial of a 1980 Pearson 40' that I hope to buy. It is currently on the hard so we couldn't run the engine. As far as I know, it has the original Westerbeke 40-37hp diesel and I am told that it runs.

Looking online, I am concerned about parts availability and high pricing if you can find them. Is repowering with another brand feasible, and at what price range? Same for the V-drive.

Thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated!

Years ago when I did my boat search (which took five years) I listed the boat ratios and characteristics I wanted and those to avoid: a V-drive was on the avoid list. While there are always tradeoffs in selecting a sailboat, there are many boats out there for sale. I would be patient and keep looking.

Good Luck.

[cottonsail]

Originally Posted by Mickeyrouse

I went through the “repair-replace” dilemma last year with another series Westerbeke. The shop cost at a diesel shop that wasn’t “marine” was $2700 to replace all gaskets, bearings, rings, and a valve job. Quotes from” marine” shops were at least two times, plus a 3 month lead time, or they just wouldn’t quote until the engine was in their shop. A suitably-sized Yanmar was $16,000, also with a 3 month lead time. This is in the Houston market. I handled removal and installation, and the engine quotes were without installation.
Our previous engine was a Westerbeke 40. Westerbeke has used various designations on what I understand is the same basic block. In addition to the “40” name, they have also referred to it as “99”, and “4-107”. All of these are marinized versions of a Perkins 107 engine. Variations involved the marine gear attached, which could be a Warner, Paragon, and possibly VZ-Hurth. There may have been other gear options.
I always felt that the basic block lent itself to extreme longevity. The cylinder liners and valve seats are removable, which are two of the most wear-prone parts on an engine, not excluding the crankshaft. Though Perkins introduced the engine in the early 60’s, hundreds of thousands were built and distributed world-wide for use in anything a 40 horse diesel would be suitable for: stationary uses like pumps and compressors, construction equipment- even marine propulsion! Parts are generally available today if sourced as Perkins. Westerbeke, on the other hand, seems to be making efforts to make it difficult to buy parts- I think there may be only a couple “ stocking distributors” for Westerbeke, and they seem to be back-ordered or just out of stock on anything I need.
I would encourage re-building the Westerbeke, but I would also encourage getting the Perkins parts manual for the engine and getting parts sources lined up. Mack Boring and Mid-Atlantic Diesel are two that are on the East Coast. Diesel Parts Direct in Baton Rouge is also a source. I am sure there are others. It will be a LOT cheaper. Besides things like engine mounts, cooling water, fuel lines, exhaust, controls, etc. are already in place for that engine. A conversion to a different engine is a big job. It will be lengthy and expensive.
I see no advantage in a specialized marine engine shop, unless they have a service dock and capable crane. What makes a diesel “ marine” is the cooling system and gear. Once its out of the boat, it’s just an engine. Almost all marine propulsion diesels ever installed are marinized versions of general purpose engines.
I feel your pain. Good luck with what ever you decide.

I bought a new D2-50F Volvo Penta complete power train from a distributor in England. With shipping, taxes and delivery from Port Everglades to the Indiantown marina the total price was $10,200. The engine is just sweet, but I would NEVER buy Volvo Penta again. Dealing with Volvo is near impossible.

[billcrowley]

Vabchbrewer - you did not say your planned use of the boat. If it will be a daysailor or local cruiser, you might consider conversion to electric auxiliary propulsion. Many advantages over diesel, the biggest being quiet operation!.

[Razor458]

A few years ago I bought a 1988 Cabo Rico with a supposedly freshly rebuilt Westerbeke 46 but it was toast, even though it ran fine on the survey but with a serious oil leak. What everyone involved thought was a simple and only estimated $4,000 repair ended up being a repower with a Beta 43. Way more money than I wanted to spend but the Beta has been a very good choice and works great with the Max Prop. I was told that was the far better choice than to rebuild the Westerbeke. Parts for the Beta are easy to find and the engine came with a 5 year warranty.

[rls8r]

You know - now that I've thought about it for a while, several of the older Pearson 40s that I've run across were originally powered with Atomic 4 gasoline engines. Perhaps your boat has already been repowered - and the Westerbeke is not as old as you may think. Look at the serial number - usually located on the block bracket that holds the high pressure fuel pump - and see how old the engine actually is.

See: https://www.westerbeke.com/userfiles...may%202012.pdf

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by vabchbrewer

Hi everyone,
I'm a newbie to this forum and am in the process of buying a Pearson 40. I'm waiting on a survey and sea trial of a 1980 Pearson 40' that I hope to buy. It is currently on the hard so we couldn't run the engine. As far as I know, it has the original Westerbeke 40-37hp diesel and I am told that it runs.

Looking online, I am concerned about parts availability and high pricing if you can find them. Is repowering with another brand feasible, and at what price range? Same for the V-drive.

Thoughts and advice would be greatly appreciated!

We have westerbeeks, 70 hp and 115 hp; 1983. Parts is an issue but not impossible. Keep parts on board. Ours are red British Layman tractor engines. Very reliable.

I found a New York firm dealing in used parts.

[vabchbrewer]

Originally Posted by billcrowley

Vabchbrewer - you did not say your planned use of the boat. If it will be a daysailor or local cruiser, you might consider conversion to electric auxiliary propulsion. Many advantages over diesel, the biggest being quiet operation!.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'm based out of Virginia Beach/Norfolk and plan to use it in the Chesapeake bay and for coastal cruising.

[Goodxcharly]

I would buy a new one if you can afford it and if you’re in the boat for the long run, 5 to 10 years or more.
Rebuilds are as good a the expensive part you didn’t want to replace to save a buck. When I look at listings and see rebuilt I see a used engine which I don’t want to buy to see how well it was rebuilt.
New you get the benefit and piece of mind of a new engine with hours and years of service ahead. Most likely trouble free. New helps quite a bit with the resale value too so you can get some of your money back.
Rebuilds are built with a hourly inefficient wage, one part a time which can’t compete with a factory assembly line unless you do it yourself and get most of it right.
Beta is real popular and you can probably contact their service/sales department to help you out in making a choice and adapting to your old engine parameters.
I always wanted one of those red engines.

[cottonsail]

In your consideration's remember that a new engine is a huge jump in technology. Your W40 Westerbeke does not have a rear crankshaft seal. It has a 2-piece packing, like 1955 Buick technology.

[caffel]

You can test it out of the water.
Buy a rubber drain blaster at the hardware store similar to this:

https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/s...rWjTejmZ_YbKtA

Attach to a garden hose and insert into engine raw water through hull.
Works the same as the earmuffs on an outboard.
Will clear out some of the salty crust in the heat exchanger as well.

Also enables pressure testing of the rest of the through hulls (eliminate that embarrassing moment when you launch, discover a leak and have to immediately take it out again.)