volvo penta vs yanmar

[Goodxcharly]

I would find out what engine Volvo uses in that model. It could be a Kubota or Shibaura diesel. Both are good.
While smaller Volvo engines are actually Perkins diesel with new paint. Perkins uses Shibaura.

I think either would work fine.

[Tanqueray]

Originally Posted by Tincatinca

There seems to be considerable aversion to the Volvo Penta engines amongst sailors. I am not sure why, given their widespread use. Is it more than the very high prices of spares, or is there some other fundamental reason? What goes wrong with VP's that doesn't with other makes? Unfortunately I have no experience with marine VP engines, having only re-ringed a tractor/TLB Volvo engine which had done 12 000 hours...and then ran flawlessly.

I think that part of the aversion is the cost of parts for anything Volvo.


Greg

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by nmccubbin

In our experience, Volvo marine engines are poorly engineered relative to Yanmars

We have owned two Volvos, both of which suffered serious failures while quite young.

Spares prices are obscene and service poor.

Another poster said Volvos must be OK because so many builders install them

A builder friend tells me that Volvo sells to builders at much lower prices than Yanmar, Beta, Nanni etc



On the issue of power for these boats, the smAller engine is fine.

I agree with your builder friend, with some manufacturers there is no option. Swan Nautor and Halberg Rassy are 2 that spring readily to mind, try asking them to supply a boat with a Betamarine and see what response you get. We did ask for a Yanmar in a new build HR and was told that they’d supply the vessel un powered and the engine of the owners choice could be installed by a nearby shipyard (but not in their’s). Others give you a choice but the VP is the cheapest option and the one that the sales team endorse.

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by Elie

I had only Volvo Penta on my different boats engines. Tne present one is MD50 50 hp that run perfectly.

But...Volvo Parts are so expensive that it look like highway robery. My luck is that I discovered that present engine is in fact a Perkins camouflaged into a Volvo. What a difference in parts price...

Beside that my engine is perfect and very, very reliable.

Hi Elie, thats a bit confusing, I remember the MD50 as a six cylinder heavy duty marine engine and a good one at that but with no connection with Perkins. The MD22 and the Perkins Prima were the same base engine and the MD2010-2040 were Perkins Shibaura as are the later D series lineup

[Elie]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

Hi Elie, thats a bit confusing, I remember the MD50 as a six cylinder heavy duty marine engine and a good one at that but with no connection with Perkins. The MD22 and the Perkins Prima were the same base engine and the MD2010-2040 were Perkins Shibaura as are the later D series lineup

My mistake!. Thank you for the correction. Yes it is a MD22L witch is a 4 cylinder 2.l engine that has a long history. Started its life as a gas engine for a little british made truck, then the block was converted by Perkins to produce to diesel engine with a belt driven overhead cam shaft wich is a rarety for a marine diesel engine. But is has many applications, for pumps, tractors, generator under many names. And Volvo used it also, with a serious price increase for part, as expected, naturally.

[MVDarlin]

IMHO Yanmar is preferable. Volvo is notorious for poor parts availability.

[jipcho]

My 2 cents: I have no experience with Yanmars. I bought a 25 year old sailboat that had a brand new Volvo Penta 50 HP engine installed just prior to my purchasing the vessel. It had less than 300 hrs. on it. I lived aboard that vessel for the next 15 years, circumnavigating from NZ. I had an engine driven fridge/freezer, so I ran the engine for at least an hour every day. I think I had around 5000 hours on her when I sold her. I never had any major problems with my Volvo. When I met other cruisers, they would shake their heads feeling sorry for me because I had a Volvo. I listened to their stories about the expense and difficulty in getting parts, but having no such experience, I never understood. Maybe I was just lucky?

[team karst]

My 4 cents. ( i have 2x VP). One must develop a new mindset when obtaining parts. Forget local US dealers. My experience is to use UK stocking distributors. Shipping cost and delivery times are not bad, usually a week. I would give VP engineering a fair, middle of the road, mark. I would NOT buy a complex, electronic VP system.