II would check out the possibility of rebuilding your engine. Parts are generally available, although pricey. I would look at both marine engine folks and non-marine diesel shops. They really are pretty simple engines and very rugged. A shop manual, available on line goes through all the steps. Because you have a sail drive putting in a Beta is more complicated than with an existing shaft drive. There are lots of modern sail drive engines available , but have not done any research on them.
We bought our Bristol 45.5 from someone in Watch Hill. He seemed not-poor.
Bruce Clark
’Nonsuch’, N30 Classic
WhitbyYC, Lake Ontario.
I replaced my ancient Westerbeke W52 with a Yammer 57 this winter. The Yammer is more powerful, less bulky, more energy efficient, and parts are universally available when cruising. I can’t say enough good things about Merri-Mar Yacht Basin in Newburyport, MA, for their thoroughness and the overall quality of the installation, which included new hot water and refrigeration systems.
I’m not a mechanic but have owned my first sloop since 1989.
AND
I have owned a tartan 40 and now on my third a N30U #300
I’ve been at the replace it three times.
Each time it was much cheaper just to fix it.
It may not be so in your case
BUT
If at all possible get a couple of quotes on a fix it path.
I sold the Tartan having replaced the head/valve assy
The new assy fully assembled and pressure tested was less than $800
If I did the work myself I could have saved $12,000
Rebuilt the tranny once
The engine is still running perfectly
My first boat is for sale now with her 1977 engine
I had her rebuilt in 91, it was on bad advice as it turned out to be a faulty injector.
I’ve Had the tranny rebuilt once, replaced the voltage regulator
And replaced the ex riser, twice, rebuilt the heat ex once
And personally replaced the head gasket (that was a trip)
She still runs like a top.
Each time the first choice seemed to be replace the engineI have no idea how H2) gets into the Injector
BUT
It could be coming from the fuel tank Get another opinion!
Yeah, I agree, get a few more opinions, and make sure they are real mechanics. I had a power boat a few years ago, engine was making a funny popping sound. First mechanic told me it needed to be removed and completed rebuild, $8000. Second mechanic said it needed a new head gasket… $12, plus about $200 labour.
My W27 was nearing the end. The engine leaked oil but ran smooth. It was the stuff around it I was worried about. Our plan is to sail As You Wish for at least another 20 years and we knew the Westerbeast was not going to last that long. We cruise 3-4 weeks at a time and did not want to get caught on a trip with a catastrophic issue.
Like you, I went to my marina. They do great work. They are a Yanmar dealer. They priced a 30 hp Yanmar at over $21,000. That does not include shipping and sales tax. The removal and install estimate was about $3,200.
I checked with Beta. With a “sale” (10%) the 30 hp was under $14k and the 25 hp was under $11k. This was last August. In September we went to the Newport Boat Show. The boat show price was 20% off. With tax and shipping it was about $10,300 for the 25. My hurth transmission was just rebuilt, so they sent the mount for that, as well. The rep at the show and in the office both recommended the 25 hp.
I have about 10 hours on it. 2,000 rpms I’m at 5.8 knots. 2,600 rpm, 6.5. Max rpms is 3600. Recomended cruise rpms is 2800. The money I saved went to a dripless shaft seal (PSS) and a 3 blade, folding MaxProp.
So far, so good and no stress.
Chuck Garbarino
As You Wish
N30U, #292
Sodus Point, NY
The early 30Cs had a VP11C engine and the 110s saildrive. If you replace the engine with a new or newer VP, Beta or Yanmar the 110s saildrive will also need to be replaced as it it not compatible with newer engines. I currently have the 11c/110s setup and dislike the noise and the fact the cold start button isn’t readily accessible. Given the few hours I put on the engine each year I couldn’t justify the $30k for a new Beta and saildrive even recognizing that a future buyer would discount their offer to cover the cost of a new engine. Out of curiosity I looked into the used engine market and found a 2005 VP2030d with a 130s saildrive that “looked good” and discussions with the private seller seemed to confirm it was in good working order, had been serviced regularly and had 2000 hours. I had the package shipped from British Columbia to Toronto. I’m in the process replacing all the wear items and getting the injectors serviced while I have easy access to the engine. The 110s sailbed will require some mods to fit the 2030d, but nothing major. I intend to do the engine/drive swap myself. The total cost of the switch will be about $5kUSD. While its true that the “new” engine is 20 years old, it is 25 years newer than the 11c. My observation from looking through VP 11C parts lists is that most parts are discontinued. Filters, belts etc are readily available on an after market basis, but the only source for many engine parts is ebay where the supply is limited, the product is used and the price is high. So my advice is, before going the new engine or the rebuild route, to check what is available on the used market. It will take some effort, but you might get lucky. The VP 2030 and D1-30 with a 130s are good replacements for the 11C from a fit perspective. They are also quieter, smoother, more fuel efficient and have fresh water cooling. The max rpm is 3600 vs 2500 for the 11c, but from what I can tell the existing prop will still be ok and the 130s gear ratio is different than the 110s ratio so the prop speed at max rpm is the same for the 11C and the 2030d I plan to do the engine swap as soon as I have crane access, which hopefully will be August 2025. Worse case is that it will get done after the fall haulout. At that time I’ll have a fully functioning, fresh water used 11c and 110s weighing a combined 540lbs that I’ll have to deal with
Martin
N 30C ZENO #33
Toronto
Rebecca
Re: " Water coming from the fuel injector", as someone pointed, taken literally this means there is a fuel issue, and would not require engine replacement and should not require any mechanical work. It seems more likely that the diagnosis is that the seal between the injector well and the cylinder wall has corroded and that each compression stroke is forcing water past the seal into the engine compartment. If the engine has spent its life in fresh water or is fresh water cooled it might be possible to remove the cylinder head and reseat the injector well. If the engine has once thru cooling and has been in salt water for 45 years its likely that is a lot of corrosion in the coolant circuit and the diagnosis suggests there is insufficient material left to form a good seal with the injector tube. To be certain that the problem is as diagnosed and that a fix isn’t feasible, the cylinder head would need to be removed. The 11C has separate cylinder heads so a bit less work to remove than for a more conventional set up, but should be less than 1 hr labour to remove.