Beta Tug engine

[Leap of faith]

I can always email them about them and ask " Is access to the gearbox easy/straightforward to do an oil change on the gear box and lip seal if it becomes an issue on the gearbox selector" do you think it is something the previous owner /s will no? As someone on here mentioned that it has a 2015 and 2019 survey on it which may mean 2 previous owners in the last 8 years or there about.

 

I have never owned a plastic boat called "Leap of faith" ... I will have a look at the other boat on with ABNB but I suspect it is a higher price and out of my budget...

Just looked at the ABNB boat its now Sale agreed...

[ditchcrawler]

4 hours ago, Leap of faith said:

I have not looked at it yet..thanks for the information regarding part supplies and offer of a copy of the operators manual....the question I need to ask is as a complete novice engine wise apart from the basic looking at oil, water, coolant etc.. which of course I did on my previous boat which had A BMC 1.8. Is it a doable option for me?

Also would canal and river trust be able to get it going if needed e.g would they have spares/parts?

I bought mine second hand 20 odd years ago. I change the oil and oil filter every 250 hours, I have adjusted the tappets once and fitted an exchange set of injectors, also a new water pump last year. You can get all the bits from Lister or the tractor companies 

[Tonka]

42 minutes ago, Leap of faith said:

I can always email them about them and ask " Is access to the gearbox easy/straightforward to do an oil change on the gear box and lip seal if it becomes an issue on the gearbox selector" do you think it is something the previous owner /s will no? As someone on here mentioned that it has a 2015 and 2019 survey on it which may mean 2 previous owners in the last 8 years or there about.

 

I have never owned a plastic boat called "Leap of faith" ... I will have a look at the other boat on with ABNB but I suspect it is a higher price and out of my budget...

Just looked at the ABNB boat its now Sale agreed...

It is best to look at the gearbox yourself and work out can you reach the selector where it goes into the box. Can you put a spanner on the plug. The ABNB was similarly in price. We bought our boat at 5 years old and we were the 3rd owners so change of ownership is not a worry. 

You really need to go and have a look in the flesh.

[ditchcrawler]

I once got waved down at Napton when the RN were holding a rally as they thought I was attending with an RN, I have also had the suggestion its a Gardner, I wish it was, much smother.
The trouble with having a vintage engine is you have to have the engine hole doors open all the while, even if you don't plan to move. Mine stay shut

[MtB]

That's strange, I near always get asked "Is it Lister?"

 

I think Lister in the name most people who don't go boating have vaguely heard of, and rises to the surface when they are having a guess. 

 

I once answered "Only if we all stand on one side..." but got really blank looks. 

[Leap of faith]

I am viewing it tomorrow  in reference to the comment "gearbox can I reach the selector where it goes in the gear box - can I put a spanner on the plug"? 

To be honest I have to admit I understand the word you are typing but I do not know what a selector looks like and I would not know where the plug is!! I will have to see if anyone is about who may be able to show me this!!

 

I have to say that the guy I spoke to on the phone to arrange the appointment  did sound quiet miserable, maybe I caught him at the wrong moment... I will try my very best!! wish me luck...

[1st ade]

4 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

I find them a bit noisy but that is probably because most are sat on the floor with no covering in the middle of the boat pretending to be vintage.

I presume talking about RCR rather than the engine the OP mentioned?

[Tonka]

14 minutes ago, Leap of faith said:

I am viewing it tomorrow  in reference to the comment "gearbox can I reach the selector where it goes in the gear box - can I put a spanner on the plug"? 

To be honest I have to admit I understand the word you are typing but I do not know what a selector looks like and I would not know where the plug is!! I will have to see if anyone is about who may be able to show me this!!

 

I have to say that the guy I spoke to on the phone to arrange the appointment  did sound quiet miserable, maybe I caught him at the wrong moment... I will try my very best!! wish me luck...

[Leap of faith]

Hypothetically if I am unable to do the following "gearbox can I reach the selector where it goes in the gear box - can I put a spanner on the plug"? what impact will it have on the boat's potential purchase for me? 

[Tonka]

Just now, Tonka said:

The selector is the silver bit top right on the photo. The plug is bottom left of the photo again silver

1 minute ago, Leap of faith said:

Hypothetically if I am unable to do the following "gearbox can I reach the selector where it goes in the gear box - can I put a spanner on the plug"? what impact will it have on the boat's potential purchase for me? 

Some people empty the oil via sucking it out via the dipstick hole. Probably find there is more room to get around the engine from the oil filter side. Just can't tell from the photos 

[Leap of faith]

Thankyou so much! I will take a photo of the pics and see if I can borrow a spanner from someone at the marina and have a go.....

[GUMPY]

37 minutes ago, Tonka said:

Some people empty the oil via sucking it out via the dipstick hole.

Is there another way?

Cleanest simplest way to do it and despite what people say 99.9% of the oil is removed.

I haven't removed a sump plug in 20 years 

[Tonka]

Just now, GUMPY said:

Is there another way?

Cleanest simplest way to do it and despite what people say 99.9% of the oil is removed.

But you will not see the metal that has stuck to the magnet. 

[Leap of faith]

So correct me if I am wrong and have got the wrong end of the stick. It is not the end of the world if I cannot reach the gearbox so can I reach the selector where it goes in the gear box - or put a spanner on the plug"? 

[Tonka]

1 minute ago, Leap of faith said:

So correct me if I am wrong and have got the wrong end of the stick. It is not the end of the world if I cannot reach the gearbox so can I reach the selector where it goes in the gear box - or put a spanner on the plug"? 

no not the end of the world as you can always pay somebody else to do it

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Leap of faith said:

So correct me if I am wrong and have got the wrong end of the stick. It is not the end of the world if I cannot reach the gearbox so can I reach the selector where it goes in the gear box - or put a spanner on the plug"? 

 

I would factor in some money to pay for altering the boat interior so there is excellent and spacious access all around the gearbox. 

 

The drive plate fails periodically on canal boat engines in this format and the gearbox has to be removed to change it. If you can't even access the drain plug with total ease, I would imagine disconnecting the prop shaft and getting the gearbox right off is going to be near impossible. Mine failed at about 3,000 hours and two of us had a right struggle to remove and replace the gearbox with plenty of access. Mainly because the PRM D160 usually fitted to a BD3 is so f-ing HEAVY! 

 

But yes, do take some photos and post them here for better opinions. 

 

 

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, MtB said:

Mainly because the PRM D160 usually fitted to a BD3 is so f-ing HEAVY! 

 

About 50kg (110lb) which is a bit lighter than my batteries (55kg) and are almost impossible to handle.

 

Manual here ..................

 

Sorry - its too large to attach, but if anyone wants a copy drop me a message with your email and I'll forward it onto you.

 

[GUMPY]

PRM160.pdf

[Mike Tee]

Ask the owner how they access the gearbox for maintenance etc - if they don’t know you have the answer as to how much regular maintenance the boat has had.

[Tonka]

10 minutes ago, Mike Tee said:

Ask the owner how they access the gearbox for maintenance etc - if they don’t know you have the answer as to how much regular maintenance the boat has had.

It is on brokerage so may not be able to ask the owner.

Also if they are desperate to sell will they tell you the truth

[Alan de Enfield]

1 hour ago, GUMPY said:

PRM160.pdf 1.37 MB · 1 download

 

The manual I have is a very different version to that,

Mine is the 'original Newage' manual and is 50 pages (compared to the 30 pages in the above pdf) and is 5.8MB

 

It is not just 'part'of the manual as the same page numbers cover different subjects. Just another version I guess.

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Alan de Enfield

[GUMPY]

3 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

The manual I have is a very different version to that,

Mine is the 'original Newage' manual and is 50 pages (compared to the 28 pages in the above pdf) and is 5.8MB

 

 

I have another version as well but it's too large to post.

 

 

There will be many versions out there

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Mike Tee said:

Ask the owner how they access the gearbox for maintenance etc - if they don’t know you have the answer as to how much regular maintenance the boat has had.

 

^^^This^^^

 

More specifically, ask them if they've ever changed the drive plate and how they did it. If they say they've never had a drive plate failure, check the engine hours recorded on the rev counter hour meter and remember my drive plate failed at about 3,000 hours. If this one has a few thousand hours on it, a failure may not be that far off. 

[nealeST]

14 hours ago, Leap of faith said:

I am viewing it tomorrow  

I hope you come back to mention what you found or think…looks interesting. I’m looking at boats all the time online so I’d be curious about impressions you have after seeing it in ‘real life’…

i would also be happy with a JD3 ‘pretending to be vintage’ in an engine room if I liked the boat overall. You can’t always get what you want…but not standing on top of an engine is a must for me…

[Tonka]

27 minutes ago, nealeST said:

I hope you come back to mention what you found or think…looks interesting. I’m looking at boats all the time online so I’d be curious about impressions you have after seeing it in ‘real life’…

i would also be happy with a JD3 ‘pretending to be vintage’ in an engine room if I liked the boat overall. You can’t always get what you want…but not standing on top of an engine is a must for me…

JD3 is a totally different engine to the BD3