My 1988 272le needs exhaust repairs to the manifold. It may cost close to $3000. I am thinking of buying a new outboard to replace the diesel. Does anyone have an outboard on their 272? Is it better to throw $3000 at a 22 year old diesel or buy a brand new Honda 9.9 (electric start) with a warranty? Steve (in Cape Cod)
Converting From Deisel To Outboard On 272
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I have installed a 4 cycle Mercury 9.9 outboard on my 1984 Hunter 25.5. I am very happy with its performance. I guess the place to start is - what is the Horse power on your diesel engine. I do not see why you cannot have an outboard. They are so much easier to service.
Ok you're scaring me as I have the exact same boat and just repaired the wet lift exhaust hose. I am in love with the diesel as it just purrs along but $3000 of repairs to manifold is almost halfway to a new one. What about a rebuilt diesel? Can you do any of this yourself or is it a job that has to be done by a marine diesel mechanic (translastion = $$$$expensive)
My neighbor also has the 9.9 outboard on his Hunter 25 and his only compliant is that it is alot noisier than my inboard diesel. Depending on how far you motor that may or may not be significant. I have to motor 20+ mins to the sailing areas by me. The advantage for outboards is ease of access to service and also the heat stays out of the cabin. The little M-12 in our 272LE's is a nuclear furnace. How will you mount an outboard to the transom? Seems like you would have to attach a mounting plate/unit to the hull which requires bolts and such through the area where the fuel tank is. Can you glass a wooden block to the transom with pre attached bolts that would allow attachment??? I'm guessing genuises here have already solved this dilemma. Be curious to see how it's done if that's the route you take.
My neighbor also has the 9.9 outboard on his Hunter 25 and his only compliant is that it is alot noisier than my inboard diesel. Depending on how far you motor that may or may not be significant. I have to motor 20+ mins to the sailing areas by me. The advantage for outboards is ease of access to service and also the heat stays out of the cabin. The little M-12 in our 272LE's is a nuclear furnace. How will you mount an outboard to the transom? Seems like you would have to attach a mounting plate/unit to the hull which requires bolts and such through the area where the fuel tank is. Can you glass a wooden block to the transom with pre attached bolts that would allow attachment??? I'm guessing genuises here have already solved this dilemma. Be curious to see how it's done if that's the route you take.
Not sure if 1988 had the basic 272 model, but I recall it was a tiller and an outboard engine while the LE had a wheel and diesel. Maybe you can find one and check it out for installation possibilities?
$3,000 is not even close to half way to a new diesel installed (mounts, shaft, prop, hoses etc etc). If you are going on be off the coast with an outboard in rough water you may find that it is out of the water more than in.
What parts do you need and what parts are you referring to?
If the diesel is in good shape it may outlast the boat. If/when you decide to sell the boat with a non-operational engine it will devaluate the boat by at least that amount anyway.
Don't forget that you will need to get that old motor out, and remove the stern tube, strut and glass everything over.
What parts do you need and what parts are you referring to?
If the diesel is in good shape it may outlast the boat. If/when you decide to sell the boat with a non-operational engine it will devaluate the boat by at least that amount anyway.
Don't forget that you will need to get that old motor out, and remove the stern tube, strut and glass everything over.
Just be sure that is what you want to do.
From what I have seen, there is a significant difference in the value of two identical boats if one has a diesel and one has an outboard. By not fixing / replacing the diesel you may devalue the boat by thousands of dollars.
Also, an outboard is much less suitable for coastal cruising, so be sure that the change would suit the type of sailing you typically do.
However, it is convenient to be able to remove your outboard for service. But get a good lock as I had an outboard stolen off my boat while on its mooring. A new Honda would be darn tempting to some.
From what I have seen, there is a significant difference in the value of two identical boats if one has a diesel and one has an outboard. By not fixing / replacing the diesel you may devalue the boat by thousands of dollars.
Also, an outboard is much less suitable for coastal cruising, so be sure that the change would suit the type of sailing you typically do.
However, it is convenient to be able to remove your outboard for service. But get a good lock as I had an outboard stolen off my boat while on its mooring. A new Honda would be darn tempting to some.
Sorry to misinform as I was really only guessing about near 1/2 the cost. Now I'm scared to ask. Ball park what would a new diesel cost installed, say a Yanmar 1GM 10, which weighs less but give approx same horsepower as the Universal M-12??
Check out the classified ads on this site for today from ANGRYSKIPPER. He has a 1GM10 for sale. I saw the engine and it is in very nice condition. It was used in a freesh water boat ( 1980 H27). Just a thought.
Re: Converting From Diesel To Outboard On 272
Lets do some math.....a decent 9.9 hp with an alternator to charge your house battery's is probably 2000 dollars, a good motor mount thats adjustable is 200+ dollars, labor to install the motor mount, decommission the old motor drive train,remove the diesel fuel from the tank ,install gasoline filter and fuel lines to old tank,install bilge blower......hmmm seems like fixing the exhaust sounds better already and for 3000 it does seem like a lot of money, have you got other quotes?
Lets do some math.....a decent 9.9 hp with an alternator to charge your house battery's is probably 2000 dollars, a good motor mount thats adjustable is 200+ dollars, labor to install the motor mount, decommission the old motor drive train,remove the diesel fuel from the tank ,install gasoline filter and fuel lines to old tank,install bilge blower......hmmm seems like fixing the exhaust sounds better already and for 3000 it does seem like a lot of money, have you got other quotes?
Yeah, I don't think $3K would touch installing a new 4-stroke with alternator and controls. And remember there's no such thing as a FWC outboard, and flushing is kinda out of the question most times, so the outboard will not last long if you're running in salt.
Then there's the hobby-horse problem - prop comes out of the water when the boat's pitching in steep waves. Oh, and speaking of props: make sure you get a lower pitch than "normal" so the engine will reach max RPM at the slow speeds sailboats go.
As you can tell, I'm favouring repairing the inboard diesel. ($3K sounds high for an exhaust problem - you should be able to replace the whole works for less than that...)
druid
Then there's the hobby-horse problem - prop comes out of the water when the boat's pitching in steep waves. Oh, and speaking of props: make sure you get a lower pitch than "normal" so the engine will reach max RPM at the slow speeds sailboats go.
As you can tell, I'm favouring repairing the inboard diesel. ($3K sounds high for an exhaust problem - you should be able to replace the whole works for less than that...)
druid
diesel to outboard
Sjaffness, Before determining which engine is best, you should analyze your sailing requirements. If you cruise extensively and continually rely on engine power and power demands for your boat, then fix the diesel, but get more than one price quote before you commit. However, if you primarily daysail and the engine is used in and out of the harbor, why not convert to an outboard and simplify your sailing. You don't have to buy a new outboard. There are plenty of good, serviceable used outboards available that will cost less than half of a new one and they are much easier and less time consuming to maintain. Most generators on outboards don't give you a lot of amps, so get a solar panel, oil lamps and a couple bags of ice and go sailing. We cruised for years on a 25 foot sailboat with an outboard motor and spent more stress-free time sailing than we do today motoring and maintaining our diesel. Best, Rognvald
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