Which new engine for repower

[robert sailor]

Well I have finally come to terms with the fact that we need to repower. I have decided on one of two 50hp engines, Yanmar and Beta. Both are easy installs in our Moody. The Beta is $1500 more which is a surprise as in the past they have been cheaper but maybe its the British pound. Which one would you choose and why???

[Randyonr3]

what do you have now?????????????????/

[robert sailor]

Not sure what that has to do with making a choice but a Thornycroft T98.

[Jesse]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Not sure what that has to do with making a choice but a Thornycroft T98.

When choosing a replacement engine the closer it matches the original the less expensive the conversion will be, some will bolt right up without major fiddling around, others won't.

[colemj]

I would go with the Beta. Being Kubota-based gives you many more options for parts and consumables, and Beta's support network is superb.

Mark

[travellerw]

Have you looked into Nanni? When I was pricing engines, they came out the cheapest. Same Kubota blocks as Beta engines..

[MarkSF]

Over here, people seem to speak highly of Beta Marine's support. They are based on Kubota, so if you are looking for a part that is not peculiar to the marinisation, the price tends to be reasonable. The main criticism I hear of Yanmar is spare part prices.

[Suijin]

Are you sure a new tranny is not included in the Beta but not in with the Yanmar? Different salesmen assume different things when pricing.

The Beta may be the less expensive install given their engine mount system which is pretty flexible. Yammer, you might need to modify the mounts to make it fit.

Beta also does not have all the computerized nonsense on it that Yanmar does. The Yanmar will likely run a bit smoother and more efficiently, but be more expensive to fix when something goes wrong.

[Jim Cate]

The Yanmar will likely run a bit smoother and more efficiently

This sounds very unlikely to me... can you back your statement up with some facts? If they are both 4 cylinder normally aspirated diesels there will be little difference in either smoothness or efficiency. The Kubota based engine will run at somewhat lower RPM in most cases and be of a bit more displacement and weight. Some folks think this is a good thing!

And not having to deal with the highly structured and restricted Yanmar corporate architecture is an advantage IMO. I've found the Kubota folks pretty good to deal with re engine parts, and experienced vicariously some dramas with Yanmar reps via posts here on CF.

Jim

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Not sure what that has to do with making a choice but a Thornycroft T98.

The Beta will run with a 2" exhaust, but the Yanmar requires 3".

[S/V Antares]

Just turned over 3500 hrs on my Beta 38 I installed 4 years ago. looked for every reason not to buy one but could not find one....Access is the deal maker. The Beta is hands down the best if you have front access. Yanmar got their head up their ass a few years ago ... no tellin why.

Fixing or changing mounts or rails is worth the effort to get a stable platform. Do not skimp on this issue when repowering. It is so easy when the engine is out.

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by Jesse

When choosing a replacement engine the closer it matches the original the less expensive the conversion will be, some will bolt right up without major fiddling around, others won't.

Actually they will both fit the existing beds needing only small risers, easy refit. Both engines include the transmission and all the associated bits to make the conversion. I am so used to Yanmar being more expensive than Beta that it doesn't seem right to pay more for a Beta. Anyways I am carefully reading each of your opinions and I appreciate you taking your time to give me them. R

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by travellerw

Have you looked into Nanni? When I was pricing engines, they came out the cheapest. Same Kubota blocks as Beta engines..

Yes I did check the Nannie out and it is more expensive than the Beta

[robert sailor]

Originally Posted by donradcliffe

The Beta will run with a 2" exhaust, but the Yanmar requires 3".

Yes you are correct, I have priced in the the exhaust mod. The base engine price before discounts is Yanmar around 12000 dollars and Beta is 16000 and change. Beta offers a 15% discount which puts it at 13,800 dollars so quite a difference.

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

This sounds very unlikely to me... can you back your statement up with some facts? If they are both 4 cylinder normally aspirated diesels there will be little difference in either smoothness or efficiency. The Kubota based engine will run at somewhat lower RPM in most cases and be of a bit more displacement and weight. Some folks think this is a good thing!

And not having to deal with the highly structured and restricted Yanmar corporate architecture is an advantage IMO. I've found the Kubota folks pretty good to deal with re engine parts, and experienced vicariously some dramas with Yanmar reps via posts here on CF.

Jim

The only fact is my own experience, which is newer Yammers run a bit smoother and are slightly more efficient. I've always assumed it was because of the electronic controls, but it may not be that, and my experience is hardly comprehensive and is ad hoc, but I have heard the same comments from a few other folks...and not as a ding against Beta. As an aside, I never considered turbo diesels to be normally aspirated, but you learn something new every day.

FYI my Universal is a normally aspirated Kubota block and it does not run as smooth as either a Yanmar or a Beta, so I don't think those two aspects guarantee comparable performance in and of themselves.

That said, I'd take the Beta for a variety of reasons.