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Inboard to outboard


Alan Hendy

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Good evening,

I would like to convert a Nauticus 27ft from inboard to outboard. The enfield z drive seems passed its sell by date and have been advised this is expensive to change/repair. I have just bought the boat and need to get a safety certificate and  was thinking the outboard will help achieve this. It currently has an 1100cc petrol ford engine. It hasnt been used for 7 years and I have been advised a lot of work will be involved in making it safe for the certificate 

 

regards Alan

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22 minutes ago, Alan Hendy said:

Good evening,

I would like to convert a Nauticus 27ft from inboard to outboard. The enfield z drive seems passed its sell by date and have been advised this is expensive to change/repair. I have just bought the boat and need to get a safety certificate and  was thinking the outboard will help achieve this. It currently has an 1100cc petrol ford engine. It hasnt been used for 7 years and I have been advised a lot of work will be involved in making it safe for the certificate 

 

regards Alan

A pity about the petrol engine (wrong vehicle application), but a petrol outboard please no... 

OK its potentially a cheap(er)  fix  - having an inboard system, it's a step backwards.

The saving in space has already gone, so why b=not see if you can source an inexpensive diesel engine to provide practical motion plus whatever home comforts you may want.

If you want to wear a hair shirt or only do a daily's potter - then continue...

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9 minutes ago, OldGoat said:

A pity about the petrol engine (wrong vehicle application), but a petrol outboard please no... 

OK its potentially a cheap(er)  fix  - having an inboard system, it's a step backwards.

The saving in space has already gone, so why b=not see if you can source an inexpensive diesel engine to provide practical motion plus whatever home comforts you may want.

If you want to wear a hair shirt or only do a daily's potter - then continue...

not sure what the hair shirt quote means, but it will be only a weekend sleepover at the moment, first foray into owning a boat on a canal. I could probably source a diesel inboard, but the enfield 130 z drive will not tilt or engage in gear and i have been advised it will be expensive to replace. That is why i was asking about converting to outboard. 

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2 minutes ago, Alan Hendy said:

I could probably source a diesel inboard, but the enfield 130 z drive will not tilt or engage in gear

 

Try operating the gear selector lever with a stick, to see if it's just cable adjustment.  Do it with the engine not running, but you will need another stick to rotate the propeller so the teeth line up - don't just force the gear lever or it might shear.

 

If that doesn't work, remove the gear selector lever carefully off the shaft, and see if the Woodruff key (little D shaped bit of metal that lets the lever rotate the shaft) is fitted and in good condition.  I bought a Nauticus 27 a few years ago and the Enfield was "broken, won't engage gear".   It took a 90p Woodruff key to make it work acceptably well until it came out of the water for a refurb when it got a few hundred quid spent on it replacing tired bits internally.

 

https://www.chertseymeadsmarine.co.uk/ are the people you want to talk to, as they know these units and sell spares for them. 

 

Bob Knowles at Leicester is the top man to fix these, but he will charge you a fair bit to make it as good as new, rather than just replace the bits that are broken! 

 

If the Z-drive can be made to work without spending thousands on it, I'd say try and find yourself a little diesel engine.  Mine had a 22hp Mitsubishi K3D in it, which is/was one of the base engines used by Vetus on one of their marine engines.  

 

I've only seen one Nauticus 27 converted to outboard, and it handled like a wallowing hippopotamus!  They are a lot heavier than people think, so you need a fairly chunky outboard to stop one when it's moving along.

 

 

 

 

 

Added:

 

Tilting: have you released the locking pin before trying to crank it up?  They are either on a cable pull from the inside or a stiff prod with a boathook from the outside while wiggling the crank a bit. 

 

Don't forget to release the gear cable from the clip on the side of the Z-drive first or you will snap the end of the cable and it won't be able to select gears anymore!

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