O'Day 27 with 7 hp westerbeke deisel

[Steve]

I am going to look at a used 27 this weekend, it has a 7 hp diesel, is this enough to power this boat? Anything inparticular I should look for? the boat is a 1976. Thank you in advance for your input. Steve.

 

[RichJ]

power

Steve,I have a 1979 27, It has a Yanmar YSM8 (8hp) diesel, by todays standards it would be considered underpowered, but honestly, in a calm the YSM8 moves the boat @6.5 - 7 at full throttle, @4.5 against a strong tide. As far as backing up, nill (but what sailboat does)I have been told that with a prop change (3 blade) you would see @ 40% increase in forward performance and @ 70% increase in reverse.Oh, for the record, the 27 is a great boat.hope this was helpfulRichJ

 

[Bob Todd]

HOOOOLD YER HORSES!!!

Make certain that the "Westerbeke" 7 horse is NOT the "Vire 7"! Two totally different animals. The Vire 7 was imported from Denmark by Westerbeke and is a one cylinder 2-cycle engine, NOT DIESEL. Westerbeke does not support these engines anymore. Parts for these are astronomical, i.e. $60.00 for a set of points, $45.00 for their proprietary water pump impeller, $275.00 for a set of rings.There is nothing wrong with the Vire, but don't pay a diesel price for a gas engine.I had one of these engines in my last boat (C&C 25 MkI) and was happy with it when it ran right. But when it required a tune-up I was shocked at how much the parts cost.Good luck.Cheers,Bob