Yanmar VS Westerbeake, VS Universal

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Rob

Looking to repower my 46' Morgan,,currently have a Perkins 4-108 20+years Anyone have a favorite or comparison??... looking at 55 HP or around. I realize I will probably be reglassing my mounts. Doing the comarison now for an sept October ordering. My mechanic is looking as I write and will be giving me some options so I am asking the group for your experience so I can compare. Thanks Rob
 
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Ed Schenck

Practical Sailor.

PS article would seem to be a good start, forget what month but results are suspect. They interviewed some mechanics in the Northeast and posted the results in a table. Then the mail! Lots of disagreement from owners and other mechanics. So I am not sure what you will get from your question. For me the cost is always the main issue. And it has to be an easy replacement because I do all of my own work. I want another Yanmar but will settle for Vetus, Bukh, or Beta(Link below).
 
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Bob Howie

Why not overhaul?

The Perkins 4-108 is a very reliable engine for which there are a zillion parts, so my first question is why not overhaul it? Compared to the cost of replacing it, you might be able to overhaul, put in all new filters, strainers, hoses, fuel tanks, maybe even upgrade some of those systems with such things as fresh-water cooling, remoting the oil and fuel filters to make them more easily serviceable. You didn't mention this option, so I thought I might. Yanmar and Universal have their advantages; Yanmar is built by Toyota and started off life as a commercial truck engine. Universal's been around since WWII. When I repowered my 78h30 two years ago, I looked at all the options and went with Bukh (pronounced Boo-k; like Book with long o's) and ounce for ounce, dollar for dollar the Bukh's -- which have never been anything but commercial lifeboat engines built in Denmark -- beat all the competition hands down. You might want to talk to Bob Kahak (Kay-hack) at Alexander Marine & Safety in Houston. His number is (713) 923-1671 and his email is bobk@alexandrryan.com. I've very, very happy with my choice and I have had ZERO problems in 2 years and did not have to do any re-engineering; it was a drop-in replacement. Good luck.
 
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Rob

Thanks Bob

Bob we have already rebuilt this engine...actually have done a lot of work on many different parts and it seams that every time we fix one thing something else goes. So we think we are beating a dead horse..I have no confidence in this engine. I will contact your link in huston..thanks for the info! Rob
 
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Bob Howie

Well, there DOES come the time to replace

I reviewed the note I left posted here and I had a type-o in Bob Kahak's address; the correct one is bobk@alexanderryan.com. Sorry about that. Well, there does, in fact, come the time to replace an engine; where even the very best overhaul isn't good enough and perhaps from what you said, that's the point at which you find yourself. To give you a bit more info at the risk of inducing "info shock," I had a YSM-12 in my boat and spent 'way too much time working on it to keep it going and it would quit without warning. Thank God I learned how to sail on engineless boats!! After busting my knuckles on day on the YSM, I decided I would either sell my boat and upgrade or keep my boat and just upgrade the hell out of it starting with the engine. The upgrade-the-existing-boat option won out. I spent nearly a year looking at all the options and raising the money because I wanted the job to be paid out of my pocket and I wanted to make the right choice. I measured; I looked; I photographed; I read..and read..and read some more. I talked to a million people and one day, when I had just about made up my mind, I get an e-mail from the folks at Alexander-Ryan asking if I would consider a Bukh. A what? I didn't even know how to pronounce it. I went to their offices -- which are conveniently on the way to my boat -- and sat down with them for about 90 minutes. They really knew their stuff and they answered all my questions without a bunch of sales hype. The guys doing the selling are the same guys who do most of the work, so they are pretty no-nonsense and I like that. My criteria was that the engine had to fit the space as-is; no major re-engineering work because that would break my budget. My other criteria was, "this is all the money I am going to spend; can we do it for that?" I'm telling you, these guys made it happen exactly the way they said they would; for the money they said they would; and the work was done right the first time..on time..and on budget. My budgeting prowess and research aside, this repowering went as smooth as glass with absolutely no remediation due to an "oops" or two along the way. Start to finish, $8,000 including the install. The engine I have is a DV24me; 24hp, 2-cyl diesel that can be equipped with a passive turbocharger (uses vacumm, not compression) to boost it to 29hp if needed. I would advise anyone thinking of going the route I did to seriously look at Bukh engines. I believe, in talking with Bob, there's also a dealer up in your area. But, let me say this; I have established a great relationship with Kahak and the rest of the guys at A-R. They really know the product, they really know what it means when you talk about customer service and support and they are just a bunch of great, dependable folks. Let me know if there's anything else I can help you with. Regards, Bob
 
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Gord May

Excellence

Anyone else notice that Bob is (rightfully)raving about an organization (A-R) that did what they said they would. He does'nt claim they did any more than promised. It's a sad, but accurate, comment on the state of customer service in our world. Seek excellence - then reward it! OMO Gord May
 
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Bob Howie

Above & Beyond

Gord's right in pointing out my remissiveness in not mentioning whether Alexander-Ryan Marine & Safety Co., went above & beyond what would be considered normal sales support and customer service during the repowering project of my 78h30. Allow me to correct that oversight now. Alexander-Ryan Marine & Safety Co., more than provides its customers -- large and, in my case, very small -- more than reasonable added value in doing busines with them. Throughout this experience -- my first -- regarding the repower project, A-R has always been there to answer my questions, has taken great interest in making sure I was happy and satisfied with the repower and goes to great lengths in following up after the sale. Based on my experience as a "litte customer," I can only imagine how the Big Boys are treated. This is a company that has global contracts; works on several different continents and is one of the chief suppliers and refurbishers in the commercial lifeboat and escape pod industry. Yet, they take the time in dealing with me as if I'm a multi-million dollar a year account and treat me as such. The folks at A-R redefine the meaning, "kid glove treatment." It's hard to describe the feeling of nont only setting out on my boat with a dependable, time-proven engine in which I have great confidence, but in knowing, too, that the engine and my entire project is backed by a company like Alexander-Ryan. You know, there's steak house down here in Houston that offers up a 5-lb sirloin with all the trimmings and it's a tasty, Texas-sized hunk of hot meat well worth diving into, cholesterol be damned! If anyone does business with Alexander-Ryan based on my comments herein and has any experience other than the one I just described, I'll buy that person the abovedescribed steak!!
 
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