Repowering

[Mike4116]

I have a 28 O'day with an OMC Zephyr Saildrive. While I have no problem with the saildrive: power, backing, ease of use, etc, I hate the 2-stroke engine. Smoky, stinky, NOISY, gas hog and not easy to maintain. Parts are hard (not impossible) but hard to locate. Mixing the gas and oil at the time of refuel is a pain in the derrier. I see that there is a Honda four cycle sail drive out there for $6,000 installed. If anyone has any experience with it I would like to hear from them. By experience I mean: Installation/conversion, use of it once all was finished, where a tech for both the required fiberglass work was found and the tech for installing the engine. I have talked to the Yanmar folks about replacing the OMC with a diesel and they want $11,000!!!!! for the job. I gotta' think that the Honda would be fairly quiet, easier on fuel and not at all smoky so the $5,000 differential doesn't seem worth it.Yes, I could sell or trade the boat for one with a diesel already but my wife and I love the O'day 28 and this boat in particular. So, again, I'm asking anyone who knows something about the conversion process to share their experience with me.Thanks,Mike

 

[Paul Mieszczenski]

Watch the Weight

Mike, I share your sentiments about the O'28. My wife and I would do anything before letting ours go. I'm sure the repower, whichever way you go with it, will make your boat even that much more enjoyable, but be very careful about the weight of the replacement instalation. I noticed early on in my ownership that the boat is very sensitive to weight in the aft end. I have spent much effort in moving anything that could be relocated to the midships or further forward when possible. This has resulted in much better sailing and motoring performance. I was suspect about the 10HP Universal diesel being enough to push the boat when we were deciding to buy her, but I see now that the weight of this engine(about 180 #) is probably one of the reasons that Mr. Hunt the designer put it in there. BTW only once in 2200 miles of cruising has being under-powered been a problem; 35 knots of wind and a 4' chop on the nose down by the seven mile bridge did slow us down to 2 knots over the bottom. I would be hesitant to put in anything that weighed over 220 pounds in that it may noticably get her off of her lines and cause increased drag of the stern when under way. I have sailed on many boats, but the O'28 is one of the sweetest. It will definetly be worth your time and trouble to repower. Good luck, PM

 

[Greg]

I am in the same boat as you Mike, I have a '78 O'25. Except my saildrive is beginning to act up and has a restiction in the cooling line (while running at the dock it runs fine but after a while of running under load it will give the Hi Temperature alarm ). I have been thinking about just putting an outboard on it, but am hesitant because I like the convience of the saildrive. Where did you find out the information on the Honda saildrive?

 

[Bill Coxe]

The website for the Honda-powered saildrive is www.saildrive280.com. The price does NOT include installation, but is REPORTED to be straight-forward. As far as overheating goes, there are a lot of possibilities, so replacing the impeller, checking the inlet strainer at the bottom of the leg, and even blowing out the lines, checking that the inlet valve on the aft starboard side of the engine is fully open, that the muffler isn't plugged, etc, and the thermostat is functional. Could save a lot of money. I LIKE my OMC saildrive becuase it backs nicely, the thrust is parallel to the hull, and it has adequate power, but I DON'T like the smoke, smell and lousy mileage, but I'll put up with them becuase the cost of replacment is out of reach. Good luck. There is a correspondent in Groton who did go to the expense of replacing his with a diesel, and I hope Andy chimes in with his experience. For him, it was the right choice.Bill Coxe, O28 Kukulcán, New London, CT

 

[mike C16582]

mmmmm

if you look at the prices of 28's....the ave. cost of a 28 w/ gas saildrive is between $12000-$14000 and witha diesel it jumps to approx. $17000-$22000...so with that in mind, if you upgrade to a new diesel, you'll not only get a great engine that should last the life of your ownership, but recoup the extra cost when you sell it (if you decide to)Mike C.O'28 "Da Capo" (w/saildrive)

 

[Mike4116]

Thanks for the help

To all who offered their advice and help I am thankful. I looked at the web site Bill recommended and if it turns out to be a thing I am able to do I think I'll go ahead with it. When I get the old OMC out I'll let all of you know it. I just had it rebuilt a year ago to the tune of $2,000, so it is in top shape for an OMC saildrive. I think I'll take a class in fiber glassing so I'll have some idea of what's in store for me. The mechanical aspect of it looks pretty straight forward.Thanks againMikeS/B PitterPat, Lake Huron

 

[Andy]

Ode the 28 with a Saildrive

I'n the Andy in Groton that Bill Coxe reffered to. I've got a 1980 28, it had a saildrive. The minus was greater that the plus so in 2000 we yanked it and installed a Yanmar SD20. It was costly, but we love the boat, do not plan on selling it anytime soon, so we will gain back the cost in years of trouble free sailing. The only issue is I should have propped it a couple of clicks more. 20hp is lots for a 28 and it can really boogie under power when needed. I've not heard of nor have experince with the Honda. I've looked at the web page and the installation seems very straight forward. You'll probably have to do some glass work to get the mount in correctly, that is not hard to do at all. Think "measure twice and cut once" when working that step.You are out of the salt there in Lake Huron, so I'd not worry at all about the raw water cooling of the Honda. Although, any issues with Zebra Mussels? Any more questions on the 28 just let me know, I think been through everything on one of these boats (everything includes new hatches, ports, bottom sealing, rudder repairs, chainplate stiffing and other such minor? jobs).

 

[Mike]

Hey Andy!

Andy:A fellow wrote an article in "This old Boat" and told of replacing his OMC with the Honda. I have since called the outfit in California which sells the unit. I also wrote the guy who wrote the aricle but haven't heard from him yet about his experience with doing the job. Both the article and the fella who I talked to at Yanmar seem to think that the repowering is pretty straight-forward and doable by most anyone. I have a few questions and I'd like to get in touch with you via e-mail and ask them. Are you listed on the O'day owners web site? If so I can write you from there. If you're not then it's easy to register and your address is hidden by the web site. I am interested in the Honda. It's about $5,000 less and I believe that the Honda is a fairly reliable power plant. Also the guy in California said that the lower end is the same for the gas or diesel application. I agree you'll get your money back when you sell the boat and the elimination of the OMC is priceless.Hope to hear from you soon.Regards,MikeS/B PitterPat, Lake Huron