Engine size

[Woodman]

Hi we are looking to buy our first narrowboat. We are interested in a 48ft with a beta 37 hp engine. We want to be able to cruise all the system including the rivers . Advise please as to suitability of this engine. Thanks in advance.

[Neil2]

You should be OK with that, it's the 1.5 litre is it?

 

Horsepower isn't really that important with narrowboats it's all about torque, especially on canals, and the Kubota engines are very good in that respect.

[bottle]

Woodman welcome to the forum

 

From the horses mouth so to speak: http://www.betamarine.co.uk/inland/inland_engines.html

[Capt Ahab]

I use a Beta 38 to power my 42 foot boat, and tow this 27ft butty! See my blog title photo.

http://captainahabswaterytales.blogspot.co.uk/

Answer - yes

[FadeToScarlet]

Depends on torque, my boat used to get along fine with a 10hp engine, even with a 30 ton load, on the Severn when it wasn't in flood.

[Eeyore]

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Edited May 25, 2014 by Eeyore

[Eeyore]

Hi we are looking to buy our first narrowboat. We are interested in a 48ft with a beta 37 hp engine. We want to be able to cruise all the system including the rivers . Advise please as to suitability of this engine. Thanks in advance.

Will be fine as long as it has a well matched propeller. A quick ( and dirty ) check is to compare max revs out of gear to max revs in gear. Typically 3000 rpm out of gear and 2700 - 2800 in gear would be about right for a Beta 38. (2700rpm out of gear and 2400- 2500 in gear for a Beta 37)

The 4 cylinder 1500cc Beta 38 is very common and well regarded.

The 3 cylinder 1700cc Beta 37 is less common, and only produced for a short while. As with most Beta models it is based on a reliable Kubota base engine, but can suffer vibration issues if not well installed.

Edited May 25, 2014 by Eeyore

[peterboat]

I had the 37 3 cyl Kubota in my 60 ft narrowboat and it did the trent and thames with no problem was economical and very very reliable and quiet as well. I is used extensively for powering fridge/freezers in lorries

 

Peter

[John V]

As Fade to Scarlet posted, the horsepower is not the whole answer. My barge is an ex tanker and used to carry about 90 ton and tow a 80 to 100 ton dumb barge with a 48 hp engine.......(I must confess it is now fitted with a much bigger engine, but that was only 'cos I got a good deal)

[Chalky]

Although its a different engine to the one you ask about We have a 35Hp Isuzu in a 40' boat. More than adequate in terms of power - if anything it's over powered and we could do with something smaller. The bigger engines often come with additional items such as 2 alternators, or travel power. Look at where items such as filters are fitted - can you reach them easily to change them when the engine is installed?