The Virus 7 is reliable...
...but much underpowered for a 27 foot boat. I have extensive experience with the motor having had one in my previous boat. I successfully rebuilt it (which the experts at Hansen Marine said couldn't be done) and ran it for years. However, I would not recommend buying a boat with the Vire in it simply because there are other, more common powerplants out there. The Vire is basically outboard technology employed as an inboard. Because Westerbeke imported the engine from Denmark, people often mistakenly take it for a diesel. But it is actually a 2-cycle gas engine. If you call Westerbeke for support they'll tell you "On-yer-bike" and refer you to Hansen Marine in Marblehead, MA. They don't want (or have) anything to do with it. If this is a prospective purchase, I would base my decision NOT to purchase the boat based solely on the fact that it has a Vire in it. Not because of reliability, but because of the other expenses that go along with this engine. Cheers, Bob Linkage to my sailing homepage below
