engine size...

[lee b]

hi all,i am just finalizing buying a sail away and the only real thing i am looking at now is engine size,the boat i am looking at is 57ft with a canal line 35 in it... i have been told that this is the norm for the boat size, i could have a 60ft boat with a 42 engine in it for £800 more but the extra 3ft is in the front,not internal space and theirs only lickle old me on it anyway,i'll only sit in the front when the boat is parked up, does size in this case really matter?... or is it the norm in life... its not how big it is its the job it does...? any advice... would having a 42 engine create any major benefits ?

[nebulae]

Depends on whether you plan for any river cruising. Theoretical power requirement for canal cruising is very low.Some allowance for power required for alternator load. I was advised to go for 42hp for a 50ft for river work.This has proved to be about right,especialy with river flows as they are at the moment.Sometimes the extra 1/2 mph can be very useful.Extra fuel used will be marginal,unless you are using the engines full power.

[MtB]

No. 35hp is plenty for any 57ft NB.

 

The diameter of the prop is of equal if not more importance. Bigger the better. How big is yours gonna be?

[lee b]

hi mike,im not sure on the prop size but its built in liverpool, i believe several marinas sell the same boat...

two reasons why i was opting on the 57ft...one is i will for the most of the time be on my own and if i get stuck 57ft is less of a lump to move i would think...

the other is so i am not restricted with boat size on any of the canals... i know theirs just 2 i believe that 60ft wont go...weather they are worth seeing is another thing...

if the 3 ft was internal space i think i would go for it but i may be better putting the extra 800 squid towards my webasto...

[MtB]

if the 3 ft was internal space i think i would go for it but i may be better putting the extra 800 squid towards my webasto...

 

I agree. And bear in mind tha 100 years ago one horse power was found to be adequate.

 

 

MtB

[lee b]

the first comment... the only river as far as i know that i will spend time on is the weaver and i fish it regular,unless its really pissed it down'' like most of last year'',the weaver moves slower than a canal as its restricted with a wopping great big lock...i have family near the weaver so would use it without any doubt...its a very deep stretch of water so you have less drag...wouldn't like to fall in pissed up,its as deep as 16ft at the sides where i live !

...if its rivers like in liverpool,london or running through other cities that would need a larger engine then i'm not interested in those...i wouldn't pass water over most cities in england...i have always been a country boy...don't like lots of people running around like headless chickens...that's another reason why i want a narrow boat lol....i used to live in the south west of france,if i had 3 cars in front of me on the way to work it was a traffic jam !!

[NB Lola]

I have a 42 canaline for 57 ft boat, I reckon it's just right for us but we do rivers a lot. Beware of engine weight, it matters!

[Chalky]

Ignore BHP - look at the torque, this is a more accurate measure of the engines power.

 

We've got 33hp in a 40' trad. Should have been 25hp but the builder fitted the wrong engine by mistake. They usually fitted the 33 in a 58' hull, so I suspect someone's got our 25. Great on rivers however even on tickover we tend to swim a bit quick, especially if the hulls just been cleaned / blacked. In our case the bigger engine came with a better control panel and twin alternators rather than a single.

[lee b]

the canal line 35 has twin alternators.... and a starter battery,i have been looking at a 4 leisure battery bank... whats the best batteries to go for? i was looking at 110amp deep cycle numax... are they any good?

[Grace and Favour]

the canal line 35 has twin alternators.... and a starter battery,i have been looking at a 4 leisure battery bank... whats the best batteries to go for? i was looking at 110amp deep cycle numax... are they any good?

They're 'average' batteries.

 

But - before you decide what battery bank you want - - you should first decide, in detail, what you wish to power with it, (i.e. - do a power audit), and don't overlook things like solar panel(s)/generator either - - there's a fair bit of detail to the subject of boat electrickery

[lee b]

i have already done that,i wont bother with a washing machine...to bloody noisy,creates to much moisture and uses too much water and electric...i dont mind washing my skids and socks,t-shirts and shorts by hand and a launderette cost a fiver to get it dried too...

i dont nuke my food so a micro wave wont be on either...

i have no hair to dry so thats the air dryer out the window...

12v fridge...12v tv dvd...no sky,too expensive and i dont like paying 60 quid a month to watch programs my dad paid for in the 70's...

i will have a radio...12v...i like reading,so the night light will spend more time on than the tv...

i will have a inverter but for charging tool's when needed or if i need to use a 230v tool...

i have been told 4 batteries will be ample,i am considering solar power but have heard mixed reports...ive seen a bosh 80amp kit for 130 squid so i may try one of those...? i want to keep things simple,im not one for remote control revolving panels and remote sky dish...

i am using 10mm for the fridge,10mm for the 12v tv, my lighting will be 6mm x 3 runs so if one goes down i wont be left in the dark before i can find the falt, ''with 3.5 short tails for the led lights''...

6 mm for the tunnel light...

6 mm for each pump...might stick a reading lamp outside on the bow...just trying to keep it simple...the french electrical system is like a mad house,you cant ring main so i am no stranger to lots of cables and lots of spurs...its a far more complicated system than in england but much better and safer...at least when you re-wire in france you dont need to rip the property apart cause everything haves to be in conduit...

[mrsmelly]

hi all,i am just finalizing buying a sail away and the only real thing i am looking at now is engine size,the boat i am looking at is 57ft with a canal line 35 in it... i have been told that this is the norm for the boat size, i could have a 60ft boat with a 42 engine in it for £800 more but the extra 3ft is in the front,not internal space and theirs only lickle old me on it anyway,i'll only sit in the front when the boat is parked up, does size in this case really matter?... or is it the norm in life... its not how big it is its the job it does...? any advice... would having a 42 engine create any major benefits ?

Hi

 

35 is tons of power. We owned a 57 footer with 37 horses and did and pushed the tidal trent on a spring. I now have a 50 foot widebeam with 42 horses again tons of power as the boat is heavy and draws nearly 3 feet but still no problem, we use the Trent a hell of a lot.

There is a trend for bigger and bigger engines that I have noticed in the past twenty odd years. Just use the boat and gain experience, Experience and good boat handling skills far outweigh the need for horses. My first boat which I lived on for 5 years was 56 feet and had a 9 horses engine, we did most of the uk on it more than once including Trent, Thames, Ouse and others...........twas interesting at times though I must confess but taught me boathandling far more than a big engine would have

 

Tim

Edited May 24, 2013 by mrsmelly

[Proper Job]

The trend toward larger engines is in part the desire to run them at lower revs

 

The Beta 35 is 35hp @ 2800rpm.

 

For comfort, most people don't want to run at more than 2000rpm (about 27hp) which is also around the max on the torque curve

[blackrose]

I've got a 55hp engine that only delivers 45hp, pushing a 57 x 12ft boat and I just went across the Bristol channel. I went too far out at Portishead to avoid a ship and had to push back against the tide. If I can do that on a fat boat with 45hp then I don't think a 57ft narrowboat with a 35hp engine would be short of power. Mind you, a lot of canal boats with modern high-revving engines don't actually deliver their rated max hp because they're overpropped and can't reach max rpm (the point of max hp), hence my confusion at MtB's "bigger is better" comment.

 

Look at the rpm/hp curves for most modern engines and max hp is achieved at max rpm, not max torque. Here is the Isuzu 55.

 

Edited May 29, 2013 by blackrose