What to look for when buying.

[Tigerr]

Looking at a 70’ with a Gardner 2LW. One of the S Africa engines I think. From those with more experience, are there things I should look out for? Any ‘common issues’ that should be checked up on? Is the 2LW powerful enough for a 70’ - it will be used on rivers as well as canals. It looks very well maintained but I am sure any motor of that age will have ‘issues’. 

I am ‘literate’ on a beta 43, but this is a slightly different game.

[john.k]

Owning a couple or more Gardners,I can say that if you have to buy new spares from an agent ,prices are beyond astronomical......ive also picked up a couple of LWs where the water jacket around the cylinders has proven paper thin.....but I only paid scrap price for them............They do run very quietly,and have lots of metal bits you can polish...but I think they've had their day.

[Split Pin]

If it’s a South African repatriation then it will have been fully overhauled by someone, unless it sounds like it’s falling apart and burning oil when running there is little to be bothered about. Minor oil leaks from the block to crankcase and block to cylinder head are the most common issue , there are plenty of pipe connections that can leak but once sorted are usually ok. There are quite a few 70 footers with 2LW’s fitted, at 28bhp they are more than up to the job on rivers. Like any old engine there can be issues with corrosion,   The water rails are common areas where corrosion can cause failure. 

[alan_fincher]

As has been said, power should not be an issue.

 

I think it is important to ascertain who rebuilt the engine, then research their reputation in this field.  I'm aware of multiple cases where an engine has allegedly been fully rebuilt, but subsequently suffered a catastrophic failure like a broken crankshaft.  As has been implied, if you happen to get unlucky, sorting out something like that will not come cheap.

Edited July 8, 2022 by alan_fincher
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[LEO]

Lovely combination of boat size and engine. I have owned a 2LW in a 48ft boat 17 years now, more than happy with it. Most South African one were were restored by Walshes. you can tell by the air filter they used, a photo would help. Several useful websites, Engines can dated by numbers found on the block. Useful range of handbooks for the LW range available, as well as some good videos of engines running on Utube.

 

Lovely engines, the combination of 2LW and PRM 260 gearbox is good, the recommended tickover speed is 320rpm, some owners set this too low - not recommended.

 

SP's advice is sound..........