That 42 year old Atomic 4 . . .

[john6206]

Hey everyone -
My current front runner in the "let's get a bigger boat" reality show is a 1983 Catalina 30.
Low price, lots of gear, great condition, new-ish sails and running rigging, new dodger and Bimini, standing rigging seems to be in great shape . . . etc. Seller has put a lot of time and money into this boat in the time he has owned it.

I've done a pre-survey inspection, and scheduled a professional survey for hopefully sometime when the temperature is above freezing.

My concern is the A4

I just now accidentally held the shift key down when I typed the "4" and it came out "A$."
My concern is the A$.

Owner states that the engine remarkable and works like a champ. The engine compartment and the engine looked clean and good, the seller has records of maintenance and he seems like a pretty meticulous guy.

The surveyor does visual inspections of the engine, he doesn't test compression or do an oil analysis or anything like that.

The boat is enough under our budget that if we had to put a new engine in it - it wouldn't be the end of the world - and yet you have to wonder what we could get for the price of this boat plus the $15k the re-power would cost.

42 year old A4??? Opinions?

Do you get a separate "engine survey" after you get a boat survey?

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

No reason at all if it was well maintained. Check to see if the engine has all new hoses. How many hours ?

 

[john6206]

@jssailem thanks!

 

[jssailem]

Seller has put a lot of time and money into this boat in the time he has owned it.

This is typical of a boat owner who likes his boat. It must be said... It is a boat; they eat money. You put 10,000 in, maybe you get 2000 back when you sell. The difference is fun on the boat.

My concern is the A4

What is the concern? It is a gasoline engine built by the Universal Motor Company between 1949 and 1984. About 40,000 were built, and maybe 50% of them are still doing what they intended to do.
They were installed in many boats of that era as auxiliary sailboat engines. They have a standard carburetor and spark plugs to burn fuel. If small four-cylinder gas engines are not your thing, have a mechanic take a look and give you an opinion. It sounds like the current owner may be well-versed in the maintenance of the engine. He/she could be a valuable resource.

 

[dmax]

Replacing an A4 will cost you way less than $15k - these guys sell rebuilt ones: moyermarine
As long as you're ok with a gas inboard engine, an A4 is fine. Uses more fuel but quieter than a diesel. If it's well kept and you run the blower, you shouldn't have any problems. Generally, the regular surveyor will just run the engine at various RPM's and make observations - in this case, you would be well advised to get a mechanic to check out the engine, run a compression test, oil test.

 

[jssailem]

John, Member @stevenhagberg had some information about the A4 here in this link.

inspecting a Catalina 30

Hi Everyone - Quick background on me: I've been sailing 25 years or so, almost exclusively on trailerable boats. I've bought two sailboats in my life, and built one (11' dinghy), my current ride is a Capri 18. My wife would like standing headroom, a galley and a head, etc. I am certainly...

forums.sailboatowners.com

It is consistent with my experience from the early 70’s on a 26ft sailboat with an A4.

 

[john6206]

@jssailem - Yup - I certainly read that.
I thought maybe posting a separate thread specifically about the A4 might attract different voices.

 

[fred1diver]

Only 42 years old? That one is young, mine is turning 53 years old this year.
Simple motor, easy maintenance, way to fix, Moyer marine is great to work with and their forum is wonderful for anything about the A4

 

[DArcy]

My A4 was 46 years old when I sold it and still running strong. They are not very fuel efficient but otherwise they are good engines. Like any engine, they do take maintenance to keep them running. I never did a rebuild but I replaced almost everything outside of that on mine over the 20 years I owned it (fuel pump, carburetor, alternator, manifold, ignition...). Everything was straight forward if you are inclined to do the work yourself. One of the most important things to consider with old engines is parts and labor availability. Moyer Marine is a fantastic source for parts (but not the only one) and you can easily find a mechanic familiar with them in most boating regions.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

My friend has one on his 1968 40 footer. He rebuilt it over the winter and bought a new carb. It purrs like a kitten

 

[Indysailor]

Mine is 47 years old this year. The key is maintenance, which you cannot be totally sure of, but if the previous owner has stacks of records indicating oil changes, carb rebuilds, ignition upgrades or upkeep, etc., then that's a good indication. Secondly, if it's raw water cooled, then consider taking a pass if it spent time in saltwater. Thirdly, hours. Mine has less than 900. Of course, those clickers can break, so take that with a grain of salt.
Support is good through Moyer Marine and the associated user group.

 

[shemandr]

My A4 was the last engine I understood.

 

[Leeward Rail]

Other than fuel economy, which isnt a big deal unless you are motoring long distances, I never understood some people's concerns about the A4.

Reliable and cheap to maintain/fix.
I would much rather maintain one than the diesels of that era.
Ignition parts for the later engines are from a 74 chev vega, so available at any auto parts store.

Invest in the manual published by Moyer Marine and join their forums.

There is a lot of little upgrades for that engine. Least of all is the electronic ignition update. Ask the seller what he did to his.

 

[Justin_NSA]

If nothing else, a proper compression test should give you a good idea of the condition.
As mentioned earlier, make sure the blower works well. I saw the fuel dock carnage from an accident on Tablerock lake where some boaters didn't use their blower while refueling. The boat blew up and damaged the docks to where they had to close it. I'm pretty sure the folks onboard were blown clear. No one was killed.

 

[Leeward Rail]

As mentioned earlier, make sure the blower works well.

Yup.

its easy enough to buy a $100 alarm if you are the type forgetful enough not to check for fumes before startup of a gasoline inboard.

It's an easy and cheap upgrade and I plan on installing one as part of my wiring upgrades.

Our atomic had hoses that were well past their service life when we bought the boat.
A good survey should check that. Cheap and easy to solve.

 

[Barnacle Bill]

Atomic 4's were used in tractors as well as in marine applications. As stated above, they are easy to maintain, the 30 HP is nice, and you can still get parts for them. Even NAPA sells points and condensors for them. Having been in the marine industry for over 40 years, when people came to me complaining about how their A4 wouldn't start, it 99% of the time was a point problem. It is always good to keep a separate set of points on board. They are easy to install and you can gap them to a match stick cover, or the thickness of the box they come in. It is not usually the fuel that is a problem. But, once, I must say, on an A4 that I had in one of my sailboats, fuel was the problem only because the rubber O-ring in the fuel deck cap had deteriorated and it let rain water down to the carb and fuel. An easy under a buck fix. If you don't like points, you can also buy a CD ignition to replace the points and if you don't like the original mechanical fuel pump, you can replace it with an electric fuel pump. All available at Moyer Marine who are the A4 gurus. There are other sources out there as well. Take care of stuff and it will outlast you.