2 cycle 2 cylinder inboard?

[Barry]

I am looking a 27 foot Oday. It has an VIRI 2 stroke inboard engine. The owner says it is the original engine from 1972. Does anyone have any knowledge of this type of engine and it's history for reliability?

 

[Don Evans]

Check the Archives

There are a few owners in here with the Vire engine onboard. Type in Vire into the search engine and see what comes up. From my research, they were a very simple, and dependable gas engine, first made for Scandinavian fishing boats. I believe Westerbeke made them??Don

 

[Paul Palmer]

Vire inboard

BarryI have the Vire 7 single cylinder 7 hp engine in my 1977 OD 25. This is my 4th season with this boat and the enginehas never failed to start or given me any trouble at all. They seem to be very reliable and dependable engines. I think they are made in Denmark or some other such country and imported by Westerbeke. As I understand it they are still in production and parts can be obtained from Hansen Marine Engineering in Marblehead MA 800-343-0480. Parts are very expensive. It is a good thing they are rarely needed.Hope this helps,Paul Palmer

 

[Bob]

Vire Info

I had a Vire in my previous boat (C&C 25) and rebuilt it prior to selling the boat last year. It was a very reliable engine. The engine was manufactured by Valmet, Denmark and imported to the US by Westerbeke. For parts and info, Paul is correct. Hansen's is the sole importer for this engine and parts in North America. Don't bother calling Westerbeke as they will simply pass you off to Hansen's. Hers's a sampling of parts and prices:Water pump impeller - $47.00Piston - $480.00Piston Rings - $650.00Gasket set - $328.00Ignition points - $68.00Aftermarket parts are almost unheard of for this engine and you would be hard-pressed to even find an aftermarket water pump impeller that works effectively. On the other hand, almost all of these came equipped with a Tillotson carb (made in USA) and rebuild kits are readily available.The only reason I rebuilt my Vire is because I got a real bargain on someone elses new parts from a failed rebuild. It is pretty much unheard of to have a successful rebuild on these engines as they are basically an outboard being used as an inboard and are considered disposable.You can buy a new one for around $4,000.00 and can sometimes find them used on eBay.If you would like, you can e-mail me at outhaul@yahoo.com if you have any questions.Cheers,Bob

 

[Paul Thurlow]

Vire engine/transmission

I have an O'day 25 (1976 model) with a Vire 7 engine. I have had the boat for 5 years with no engine trouble. However, I currently have a problem with the water pump leaking into the transmission causing the oil to emulsify and blow some seals in in the transmission. Living in Iowa and having to deal with Hansen Marine has been trying (not their fault) but parts are expensive. Finding someone to work on the engine will be a problem for me.