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Dawncraft Inboard Conversion


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5 hours ago, jimpailing@gmail.com said:

Not sure if I have 'navigated' to right place ?

Am interested in a 'Highbridge' Dawncraft but most seem to have outboards.

Is it possible that the sterns are the same and conversion to inboard a practical idea ?

Jim

I suspect the inboard versions had a Z/Stern drive so not a lot better damage and maintenance wise than an outboard.  If that is the case and there are sufficiently strong engine beds in place then fitting a Z drive-engine combination would be doable as long as you don't mind having to cut a dirty great hole in the transom.

 

If its a shaft drive you want then I suspect (as per a recent topic) the answer is that its doable but probably expensive and not very practical for DIY. Probably far too costly for what the boat will be worth to have it done professionally. Especially true if you have no engine beds.

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1 hour ago, Tony Brooks said:

I suspect the inboard versions had a Z/Stern drive so not a lot better damage and maintenance wise than an outboard.  If that is the case and there are sufficiently strong engine beds in place then fitting a Z drive-engine combination would be doable as long as you don't mind having to cut a dirty great hole in the transom.

 

If its a shaft drive you want then I suspect (as per a recent topic) the answer is that its doable but probably expensive and not very practical for DIY. Probably far too costly for what the boat will be worth to have it done professionally. Especially true if you have no engine beds.

Dawncraft/Highbridge cruisers that I have seen with inboard motors do normally use a Z drive, as you suggest. It was an option when my late dad bought his Dawncraft some 50 years ago. That is not to say that some have possibly had traditional shafts fitted.
I helped a guy wrestle a Z drive into a GRP boat a few months ago (Enfield IIRC) and I was not overly impressed with the setup. Manoeuvrability should prove to be good though, plus easy to lift the prop if fouled. Also the advantage of an inboard diesel for fuel availability (for now anyway), battery charging, water heating etc. 

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Thanks for replies. Not an enthusiast of outdrives having wrestled with a pair in a Project 31 which we are selling as a wife finding sea going disconcerting !

Lots of alloy to corrode and pipes to leak and heavy on the steering and not, in fact, very maneuverable ?  However the advantages of inboard wins over outboard and I can always fit a rudder plate ?

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  • 9 months later...

Did you manage to fit an inboard or did you go with an outboard? Asking as it would help with any planning for modifications for mine.

On 04/09/2019 at 10:19, jimthesail said:

Thanks for replies. Not an enthusiast of outdrives having wrestled with a pair in a Project 31 which we are selling as a wife finding sea going disconcerting !

Lots of alloy to corrode and pipes to leak and heavy on the steering and not, in fact, very maneuverable ?  However the advantages of inboard wins over outboard and I can always fit a rudder plate ?

 

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Hi !

Glad the system works !  Lot of water under the proverbial !

Wife disclosed (?) not keen on diesels !  To be honest,the twin screw jobbie is 'on its way' as it is not too pleasant driving 150hp of diesel up and down the estuary !

Narrowboat, Dawncraft Rover is fabulous ! 32ft and bags of room so am loth to change anything and thereby speaks an ex steel narrowboat builder !

The secret is that as a GRP shell it has no internal framing to speak of so is 8" wider than any other narrowbeam.  Wife loves it !

However to your query !  Loads of probs. with outboards.  Diesel transplant tempting but difficult due distance (Essex/Cheshire).  Would have to be Beta Twin/Triple (had one before, silent !)

But the one moment, Thursday, when I at last got the 'bugger' going was a joy !  The original fit was the Yamaha 'High Thrust' 9.9hp which I suspect was simply a low geared/big prop job specifically for canals.  Went like a rocket, manoeuvres well astern (you can suck yourself backwards by pointing engine in the right direction)  Even as we are 'continuous cruising' I suspect the fuel cost v. diesel will be close.  The technical probs with o/b's boils down to knowledge of the kit if second hand or buy new (££££££££££££££££)  Remedy, I think, is to get two Yam 9.9's and keep one as a spare. Find a good engineer, two on EBay that sell spares around Manchester and I suspect will put them together; so you have back  up!  Why not three ?

My thoughts, buy me a pint when we meet ?

Jim

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Hi Jim, I have A Highbridge 32. It has had an inboard diesel conversion. Its done in a metal pod (box) that just fixes inside the outboard hole (the middle of the back lockers). I would think it could be made, engine installed off the boat and then just slid in place and bolt the pod in. Mine has a mitsubushi 14HP twin in and an early sonic 100 outdrive.(good thing about the sonic is that the rubber bellows are totally out the water).

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9 hours ago, bodysnatcher said:

Hi Jim, I have A Highbridge 32. It has had an inboard diesel conversion. Its done in a metal pod (box) that just fixes inside the outboard hole (the middle of the back lockers). I would think it could be made, engine installed off the boat and then just slid in place and bolt the pod in. Mine has a mitsubushi 14HP twin in and an early sonic 100 outdrive.(good thing about the sonic is that the rubber bellows are totally out the water).

That sounds interesting.

Could you post some pictures please?

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Why didn't I think of that ?  Only disadvantage I can see is leg sticks out back but if you are careful should not be a problem and it is no different to the normal set up.

Leaves space under deck free for storage too.  Also thought that holes and rubber bellows under water not a good idea !  Like it !  Pics. would be good ?

Have not come across a Sonic, I think I will keep eyes open and start looking for another Romer/Crusader.

On a different point we fitted the Lee Sanitation aircraft 'suck and blow type toilet' in the port side quarter bunk space; tank aft.  Put a mall bulkhead under rear bulkhead, then bog.

Cut down aft loo bulkhead and erected new ply panel on inboard edge of bunk between aft bulkhead by rear doors and loo door.  The wife just loves narrowboating !

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 17/06/2020 at 18:45, PaulJ said:

Have you thought about a hydraulic setup?

Possibly a better solution than a sterndrive.

That helps for the positioning problems. I looked at a wonderful Sea Otter that did this to allow for easy access to the bedroom and a bathroom where the engine normally would be, with the engine under the centre cockpit (thus step up/down between the front and rear of the boat). Alas, I've not got myself mobile quickly enough to snap up that one.

 

So a hydraulic system would allow the engine to be in relatively the same place on a Dawncraft while putting the prop else where. But you'd still need to cut a hole for the prop, right?

 

A V drive might work, if you had the stairs non-removable, and put the v drive gearbox under the stairs of the dawncraft, as their entrance is very high (IMO compared to other narrowboats).

Edited by Techy-Ben
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20 minutes ago, Techy-Ben said:

That helps for the positioning problems. I looked at a wonderful Sea Otter that did this to allow for easy access to the bedroom and a bathroom where the engine normally would be, with the engine under the centre cockpit (thus step up/down between the front and rear of the boat). Alas, I've not got myself mobile quickly enough to snap up that one.

 

So a hydraulic system would allow the engine to be in relatively the same place on a Dawncraft while putting the prop else where. But you'd still need to cut a hole for the prop, right?

 

A V drive might work, if you had the stairs non-removable, and put the v drive gearbox under the stairs of the dawncraft, as their entrance is very high (IMO compared to other narrowboats).

Why can the stairs above a V drive not be removable?

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 28/06/2020 at 20:20, Tony Brooks said:

Why can the stairs above a V drive not be removable?

I mean if the stairs go over the drive. My current boat my stairs are in front of the engine (it's a Z drive setup). But if it was a lower down engine, I could just step up it. ;)

I'm basically getting at, different engine/gearbox setups are different sizes. So some take up the whole cabin (some offset narrowboats I've seen have them on one side of the rear cabin, and not even shelf space above them), others are lower down, and have a panel/decking above them, and others might be so low or hidden away (hydraulic/shaft transmission etc), that you don't have to worry about them.

 

As said, with the center cockpit Sea Otter, the engine was in the middle of the boat, and the hydraulic link up to the prop meant it took up a little bigger than a shoe box in the room the prop was connected to, but nearly the entire deck area in the center of the boat (for the hydraulic fluid tank and the transmission pump). Meant you lost space in the center, but got a big double bed with no engine in it's way.

Edited by Techy-Ben
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I’ve done all that on a water bug. A bit different I know ,but I fitted z drive first with bellows  well out the water  and cavitation plate 30 MM under then fitted engine to suit. I fitted z drive transom plate in with a 3 deg angle on to allow for touque steer. It reverses and steers perfect. And them little 3 cyl diesels only sip fuel. I couldn’t keep up with petrol when it had a 20 hp mercury outboard on 

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