Repowering 28' ODay

[O Happy Day]

I am repowering my 28' ODay with either a new yanmar 15 or 20hp diesel. I have spent a lot of time researching with different shipyards and mechanics and had pretty much decided on the 20 hp with a new 3 blade prop 12 " by 14 pitch. Then a yanmar mechanic said that he wouldn't put a 20 in my boat. He gave me lots of reasons/concerns but has not actually measured the engine compartment.
Here is my question: have any of you repowered a 28' ODay with a YM20. How did it work? Did you have to change the shaft ( I have a 1" shaft that was replaced in 2009)? What prop did you put on? Did you have any cavitation problems? I would appreciate any information you can give me! Thank you!

 

[JRT]

I'm curious about the cost and process of repowering. An O'Day 28 came up for sale at our marine and it has a outboard on it instead.

https://huntsville.craigslist.org/boa/d/sailboat-oday-28/6366307696.html

 

[Roland5048]

Not a 28' O'Day but a '77 30' Hunter. Repowered 9 yrs ago with the 3YM20. Replaced the shaft and prop. 3 bladed prop: a 12 X 14 or 13. Not sure but had to have the pitch taken down a half inch to maintain 3600 rpm. If you have the space, I would go with the YM20. 33% more power in about the same size engine. Only thing you may have to do is reconstruct the engine beds. The YM20 is narrower than the YSB 12 one cylinder I took out.

I'm curious about the cost and process of repowering.

3YM20 about 6K or so. Then there was the shaft and prop. Redoing the beds and installation. It goes on and on. More than the value of the boat by the time I was done with everything but I had already rehabbed this boat, (I've had her for 20 years now), from top to bottom and what I could have gotten for a boat w/o a working engine and then have to put some more $$$ with it just to buy another fixer upper didn't make sense since I love sailing this boat am going to keep her as long as I can still sail and sail is what I want to do instead of rehabbing another one. But, that's just me.

 

[JRT]

ya this one has been for sale for awhile, was $7k now $4k. It is probably a project boat and I'm not sure it is worth it as my 25 is fine for our needs. I think if it dropped lower I might be tempted and then sell my 25, but the draft of the 28 has me worried as there are some shallow spots on the lake and I have been warned that deep keel boats spend more time tied up then sailing on the lake because of that.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I replaced my 1GM with 2YM15. I had to add 2" in length within the engine compartment to make it fit. I moved the front panel out 2" and the companionway stairs just barely fit on the landing pad (in the foreground).

Fortunately, I could build it out without altering the countertop, but I did have to alter the salon berth pullout (left side in photo) to make it fit with the new location of the companionway steps.

Our boat is 5,700 pounds and performance with the new engine is excellent ... I couldn't be happier with the replacement.

I don't know how your O'Day compares with our boat, but I suspect that 2ym20 would be overkill from a performance standpoint. What are you replacing?
The mechanic may have a variety of reasons for not installing it. First & foremost would be the mounting footprint. For my replacement, the width was identical to the original but the length was 2" longer. There was room to move the front mounts 2" forward on the mounting rails without modifying the rails. The 2ym20 would not have fit on my mounting rails.
The new engine filled more space and caused me to make a few alterations and compromises. With the hoses installed to the water heater from the xchange (not shown in the photo at that time), I lost a drawer. I also lost a trash can compartment next to the engine. It simply would not have been possible to fit the larger engine.

I'm sure it has nothing to do with the shaft, if you have 1" shaft. You probably won't have room to move the engine back, instead of forward. In mine, there wasn't enough clearance to adjust the shaft position. My 2-blade prop was oversized for the original engine. It seems to be perfectly sized for the new engine, as performance and rpm's are right on target. I didn't want to replace the prop until I do it with a folding prop, so I guess I was lucky to avoid that expense for a little while. I don't know why you would want a 3-blade prop, as it would be more like a bucket for sailing performance. 2-blade works very well for me.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

I'm curious about the cost and process of repowering.

I was able to do some work to reduce installation costs and I procured some of the new parts, like new muffler system, fuel tank, etc. and managed to keep the overall cost to about $10,000. Like Roland says, it is not a smart economic move and I wouldn't have done it if I didn't expect to use the boat for many years. If you buy a $7,000 boat for $4,000 and replace the engine ... it won't be a smart move. If you obtained the boat for free and installed the engine, you'll probably still lose. I'd guess that there are going to be issues that will knock that boat down to $7,000 even with a brand new engine. Don't ask me how I know!

 

[JRT]

Free or half the current $4k asking price I might consider it as I'm working up estimates on sails, motor, cabin work, etc. on my current 25 right now to determine keep or move up.

 

[O Happy Day]

The new yanmar 2YM15G-2.62-kit is $9858.00. The yanmar 3YM20G-2.62-kit is $11,331.00 . Which is a crazy amount of money. Then I've been given estimates for the labor of $7000 to $9,000, so no it doesn't make any sense to many people why I would repower. If you can do the work yourself it might be worth it. Many owners repower with an outboard at this point cause it is so much less money. This is my 3rd ODay and I love it. I know exactly what shape it is in and it is a beautiful boat. The engine (Universal Atomic Diesel 5411 ) picked up a plastic bag in the salt water intake and the engine overheated and then seized up. The surveyor for my insurance felt it would cost as much to fix the engine as it would to repower it. So long story short, I am getting some money from the insurance company to repower the boat. I am still paying a pretty good chunk of money on my own, but feel that repowering is what I want to do. The full repair cost is more money than the boat is worth. I sail alone a lot in the ocean and I need to feel as safe as possible, and a new fresh water cooled engine that boasts more power (the 28 ' ODay was always thought to be underpowered) to push through heavy wind and waves will do that.

 

[O Happy Day]

Thank you Scott for explaining. I had a Universal Atomic diesel 5411 which is a 11 hp salt water cooled engine. It was dependable but had been in salt water for 35 years so I am sure that it used to put out more power. What I found was that when I would be nearing Catalina Island in the afternoon I would be powering into big wind and waves and could barely make headway. So since my engine seized after overheating because a plastic bag was sucked into my sea water intake, and I have to replace the engine anyway, I felt that I would up the power so that I wouldn't have to run full throttle at times when I was powering into the severe wind and waves. I would love to keep the same prop which is is a 12" with 11 pitch 2 blade. But both Michigan prop and Wilmington prop say that I will need a 3 blade. They would like me to have a bigger diameter prop but I only have a 1" 1/8" clearance between the tip of my 12" prop and the bottom of the hull. So they are saying a 12" with a 14 pitch. I do hate the thought of losing speed when sailing, and am very concerned about this.

 

[Scott T-Bird]

The new yanmar 2YM15G-2.62-kit is $9858.00. The yanmar 3YM20G-2.62-kit is $11,331.00 . Which is a crazy amount of money. Then I've been given estimates for the labor of $7000 to $9,000, so no it doesn't make any sense to many people why I would repower.

Wow, you are expensive there, I'll look up the invoicing for mine, which was purchased in 2013, for about $7,000 with transmission. Engine alone was just over $5,000. I asked for price from about 3 or 4 different sources (the number of places that install Yanmars in NJ is innumerable) and all pricing for the engine and transmission were identical. My yard was reasonable for installation. They worked with me to eliminate a lot of grunt work for them to do that would just cost me a high hourly rate otherwise.
When it comes down to it, if you don't see yourself replacing the boat, and you need or want a new engine for a variety of valid reasons, there isn't much choice. I can't see replacing an inboard with an outboard in your circumstance under any condition. If you are limited by clearance, I can see the necessity of the 3-blade. I'm pretty sure my 2-blade is 14" and I still have about 2" clearance.

At 7,300 lbs, I couldn't tell you if 2ym15 will be adequate. I would think so, but another O'Day 28 owner should help you out there. When my bottom is clean and I'm in smooth water, I will reach 7 knots at 3,600 rpm. That's well above hull speed. Now that the engine is broken in, she just hums along nicely at rpm above 3,000. I just don't get it when people say they cruise at 2,400. That feels like a slow trolling speed to me. But I usually turn to the iron genny when I need to get home and I'm about an hour away from my slip, so I am impatient by that time. I know that I'm not killing her with carbon build-up!

 

[O Happy Day]

That is one thing that I worry about is not running a 20 hp hard enough to keep the carbon down. I typically sail a few hours out of Dana Point and then back into the harbor. It's those few times a summer when I'm heading out to Catalina Island which is around 47 miles (to Two Harbors) that I am going straight into the wind and waves the whole way for 10 to 13 hours that I would like to be able to push a little harder. The last time I went out to the island the wind was so severe the last hour that I was only going 1.5 knots. Obviously, it was concerning. I do plan to keep my boat for as long as I can.

 

[njlarry]

I know nothing about props but don't recall ever seeing an o'day 28 with anything other than a 2 blade. My 34 also has a 2 blade and does fine. If it were me, I would keep the same prop and try it out before making a decision. Good luck. The 28 is a great boat.

 

[Roland5048]

That is one thing that I worry about is not running a 20 hp hard enough to keep the carbon down. I typically sail a few hours out of Dana Point and then back into the harbor. It's those few times a summer when I'm heading out to Catalina Island which is around 47 miles (to Two Harbors) that I am going straight into the wind and waves the whole way for 10 to 13 hours that I would like to be able to push a little harder. The last time I went out to the island the wind was so severe the last hour that I was only going 1.5 knots. Obviously, it was concerning. I do plan to keep my boat for as long as I can.

I don't think I would worry too much about carbon buildup although it's gonna happen at some time. I have a 3 nm mile ride to the gulf. The first 2 nm are in a no wake zone so I keep the rpms at about 2500 at that point and the last nm I go to about 3 - 3100 rpms, my usual cruising speed. That pushes me along at about 6 knots depending on current. Before I shut down I run her wide open for about a minute them give it about 5 min. idle to cool a bit before shutting down. On the way back all is reversed. Before I shut down I rev full rpms a few times to clear the elbow. Replaced the elbow a year ago at about 600 hrs. At that point it still really wasn't too bad.

From what you wrote about going to Catalina Island, I would opt for the 3YM20. The 2YM15 puts out 14hp @ 3600 rpm while the 3YM20 puts out 21hp @ 3600rpm. 50% more hp. That's a lot in basically the same package. My earlier post stated 33% more hp which is incorrect.

The new yanmar 2YM15G-2.62-kit is $9858.00. The yanmar 3YM20G-2.62-kit is $11,331.00 . Which is a crazy amount of money. Then I've been given estimates for the labor of $7000 to $9,000

Totally outrageous! Do a Google search and you'll get some more realistic numbers. Good luck.

 

[O Happy Day]

Thank you! I would really love to not have to have a 3 blade. I will ask my mechanic if we can sea trial with the 2 blade. I am a woman and my husband is not crazy about my boat, so I'm on my own with these decisions so I appreciate your thoughts!

 

[O Happy Day]

These r the prices given here in SOCAL by the yanmar distributors. And they have none of the 20 available. So I have to order one and then wait till January to get it! 2 more months without sailing ! I will look some more on google.
Thank you!!

 

[Roland5048]

A woman with a boat! Do you realize how in demand you are? What are you doing with a non-sailor? I once had a GF that did not like sailing, the operative words here being "once had". I'm just kidding, of course. I'm sure your husband is a great guy.
BTW, welcome to the forum.

 

[Michael Davis]

Previous boat was an Ericson 28+ with a 5411. When I bought it the engine was U/S so needed a complete rebuild. I took the engine home to the garage, down-loaded the service manual and set to work. The 5411 is based on the Kabota Z-500 so used all tractor parts . Had the same problem going to weather in a steep chop against the wind so went to a Campbell Sailor 3-blade prop. Total cost about $1600Cdn. It was my first engine rebuild and I believe that anyone who can follow a recipe can rebuild a small diesel. Taking the first step is the hard part.

 

[Michael Davis]

I had a Perkins 4-108 seize on me once ( broken fan belt). Replaced belt, waited for the engine to cool and started no problem. You may need to hone cylinders but shouldn't need to be bored.

 

[Michael Davis]

Re 3 bladed props. I was so impressed with Campbell that I ordered one for the Beneteau the day we bought her. They have aprox. 1/3 the drag of "normal 3 blade props". See study on this forum by Maine Sail. Also they have no moving parts.

 

[jeepbluetj]

Why stick with a Yanmar? Why not a Beta?