Modern Engines - what should I be looking for?

[Chris-B]

Back to the OP, I can't think of any modern engine better than a Beta. Basic proven Japanese engine, good quality British marinisation, easy to carry out routine maintenance.

 

But then I've got one in my boat...

And I could sit here and counter that by extolling the virtues of the Lister Canalstar

( But then we marinise them and sell them)

Chris

 

 

Drool. Whimper.

 

MP.

You could always say to Sarah how nice that would look in Chertsey !!!

 

C

COAT !

[MoominPapa]

You could always say to Sarah how nice that would look in Chertsey !!!

Can you get 'em in pale green?

 

MP.

[RLWP]

[Guest]

Our boat has a Vetus; nice engine (Mitsubishi) agricultural gearbox. I would not recommend one unless it has had a decent box fitted (PRM or similar)

[WotEver]

Our boat has a Vetus; nice engine (Mitsubishi) agricultural gearbox.

Does yours clunk heavily into reverse, Catweasel?

 

Mine does.

 

Tony

Edited May 25, 2010 by WotEver

[Guest]

Does yours clunk heavily into reverse, Smelly?

 

Mine does.

 

Tony

Yes, forward and reverse TBH, but I think reverse is a little worse. Oddly it is very smooth going into gear when started from cold,but the clunk soon develops as things warm up a bit. I know that member Dor has fitted a PRM on his Vetus and is very pleased with it. Thorneycroft use the same base engine, but use a PRM box. I am definitely doing the PRM conversion when I sell the house.

[WotEver]

Yes, forward and reverse TBH, but I think reverse is a little worse. Oddly it is very smooth going into gear when started from cold,but the clunk soon develops as things warm up a bit. I know that member Dor has fitted a PRM on his Vetus and is very pleased with it. Thorneycroft use the same base engine, but use a PRM box. I am definitely doing the PRM conversion when I sell the house.

Yeah, I don't think mine alters as it gets hot - it's just clunky. Sorry for calling you Smelly earlier - brain fart.

 

Tony

[Guest]

Yeah, I don't think mine alters as it gets hot - it's just clunky. Sorry for calling you Smelly earlier - brain fart.

 

Tony

I have been called worse ;-)

[Natalie Graham]

I have been called worse ;-)

I think him calling you brain fart was worse.

[Guest]

I think him calling you brain fart was worse.

[WotEver]

I think him calling you brain fart was worse.

[~ HD ~]

maybe a bit ott for a nb .. ;-)

 

hundested single .. looks to be in running order :-))

~ http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3317/347371..._93557e9cfb.jpg ~

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

small steam twin .. ( 4 / 5 ft in height ? ) ..

~ http://fremonttugboat.com/blog/wp-content/...04/scan0023.jpg ~

[Chertsey]

You could always say to Sarah how nice that would look in Chertsey !!!

 

C

COAT !

I may be mad but I'm not a complete masochist

 

Anyway, it just wouldn't be right.

[OldGoat]

This thead is a month old, and as such is probably "dead", but here goes anyway.

 

I was an early convert to Beta kit, having been put off by Lister Canal Stars (smokey). Anway the original Beta MD was ex Lister, so that made it OK.

I put a 2203 in my NB - we intended to do some continental cruising. It's done over 4000 hours and been used for ten years.

I'm happy with it, very quiet and smooth, relatively low revving, and a good power curve.

 

Recently I've heard good reports of Izusu engines; one hire fleet I know has moved away from Kubota kit to them. Someone said the units were based on a Mitsubishi design, which develops its power at higher revolutions - that doesn't please me; shades of automotive engines which don't adapt too well to canal use.

 

Whatever you buy, if you want to do any serious river use (Thames, Trent) in a large NB, then you should consider a 1900 cc engine or greater to punch the flow.

 

Gas is a complete NoNo, quite apart from the issues discussed above it would work out horrendously expensive.

The same applies to electric propulsion - unless perhaps you could acquire a quantity of NiFe batteries (they last forever; my battery bank is at least 30 years old) but lead acid are unlikely to last more than 5 years and are expensive.

[Night Hawk]

Oh...my Lister Canalstar's never been smokey...dead easy to change the oil...and easy to obtain spares eh Baldock!

[mrsmelly]

Consider electric propulsion? - there are a few people selling the kit for narrowboats now.

Not the old electric idea again, yes you could join the 1 percent ( actualy less ) that go down this road but you will still need your er, diesel engine to charge the batteries anyway................

 

Back to the OP, I can't think of any modern engine better than a Beta. Basic proven Japanese engine, good quality British marinisation, easy to carry out routine maintenance.

 

But then I've got one in my boat...

 

Absoulutely right..................

[mikevye]

I've found that the Barrus Shire in Hakuna does exactly what it says in the tin. Low reving, good fuel economy, reasonably quiet, easy access, recommend it to anyone.

[Rick-n-Jo]

Not the old electric idea again, yes you could join the 1 percent ( actualy less ) that go down this road but you will still need your er, diesel engine to charge the batteries anyway................

 

 

 

Oooh, It's nice to be a member of such an exclusive club

 

 

Yes, a diesel, but it's a small (and frugal) one-500cc, and we don't have to crawl over it to get out of the back doors. And when it's running we can't even hear it from outsise the boat. Then there's the side benefits. Electric kettle? No problem! Telly, 'puter etc. Lights on all day .....

Edited June 19, 2010 by Rick-n-Jo

[Guest]

Oooh, It's nice to be a member of such an exclusive club

 

 

Yes, a diesel, but it's a small (and frugal) one-500cc, and we don't have to crawl over it to get out of the back doors. And when it's running we can't even hear it from outsise the boat. Then there's the side benefits. Electric kettle? No problem! Telly, 'puter etc. Lights on all day .....

An interesting concept like a hybrid car. I need no convincing that there are electric motors up to the job. A smaller engine working at its peak torque in order to charge batteries as efficiently as possible, and as much leccy as you want on tap. It must be pleasant to cruise without the noise of the diesel engine.

 

I do wonder how the economics shake down over time though. What life expectancy do you expect from your battery bank, and will it prove to be a more expensive means of propulsion when the day arrives? How does the red diesel split work out for you?

[Smelly]

I have been called worse ;-)

 

I suspect there should be a "harumph" somewhere in this thread!

[WotEver]

I suspect there should be a "harumph" somewhere in this thread!

Harumph!

 

There you go.

 

Tony

[barge sara]

An interesting concept like a hybrid car. I need no convincing that there are electric motors up to the job. A smaller engine working at its peak torque in order to charge batteries as efficiently as possible, and as much leccy as you want on tap. It must be pleasant to cruise without the noise of the diesel engine.

 

Sara is electric drive, not hybrid. I beleive Rick-n-Jo's is similar.

We then have three options for charging:

Mains if available,

Generator (needs to run for about 50% of cruising time unless we are sure of a mains hookup at the end.),

Solar (particularly for the last 10% for which the generator is so inefficient.)

 

I do wonder how the economics shake down over time though. What life expectancy do you expect from your battery bank, and will it prove to be a more expensive means of propulsion when the day arrives? How does the red diesel split work out for you?

 

10 years life for the battery bank if looked after properly. Replacement cost at present £4K and falling as battery technology improves.

Some cost there, but a significant amount offset by what you would spend on your domestic batteries in that time.

 

Diesel split -100% discounted. There is no propulsion engine and therefore no propulsion rated fuel purchases. That's the way I interpret the slightly woolly guidance and my fuel supplier agrees.

 

But I take great care not to justify it on cost grounds - its just something we wanted to do, in the same way as some people see their boat as a container for a historic engine....

Edited June 22, 2010 by barge sara

[Morat]

OK, so the conclusions I'm drawing are:

Beta Marine or Barrus Shire.

Not exactly revolutionary but it does give me a bit more confidence I had also heard that Isuzu were pulling out of the canal boat market, but that was only a rumour.

 

Earlier in the year I was on the Thames in a Beta 35 equipped 70ft hire boat and was a bit surprised by how many extra revs we needed to get back up to Oxford. OK, the yellow boards were out but we were up to 2200to2400 revs to get to 3mph according to the speedo on my phone. She did well though, a very sweet handling boat that forgave my cack-handed approach to Benson Locks.

[gilby]

Beta, Nanni (both based on kuboto engines which you find in many mini diggers and small dumpers etc) are good. Barrus Shires are good (shanks range new, unproven and chinese).

Vetus, (dutch?) Thorneycroft (british) and Sol (spanish?) all marinise mitsubishi of which my boat has (no probs excepting aged hoses being replaced, it's 15+ yrs)

Isuzus through a new distributer aren't as quite as some of the others,(heard that there are many washers/spacers to be lost if there is anything major need doing).

And listers are fine british engines with good reputations.

Don't need a big engine as your 70ft 35beta hire has proved unless the vast majority of boating is tidal. It does your engine some good to be worked hard now and then.

Tbh, I look at how accessable filters, alternators, belts are for basic servicing rather than what brand it is when viewing narrow boats.

[bargemast]

Vetus, (dutch?) Thorneycroft (british) and Solé (spanish?) all marinise mitsubishi of which my boat has (no probs excepting aged hoses being replaced, it's 15+ yrs)

 

 

Vetus is dutch and they use Mitsubishi for their smaller engines, Hyundai, Fiat and Deutz for the more powerful, all marinised by them.

 

Peter.