Best Engine for 31ft Sailboat (Pacific Seacraft Mariah 31)

[dingoman]

Hey Folks,
Considering a refit and was wondering what in your opinion is the best engine at a reasonable cost. Currently I have a Sabb 2H. A very good engine but might be on it's last leg. I'm having it looked at now to determine if she's reliable for the long haul or not. If I do a refit it will be done in Thailand as that is her home. Thanks, Dingoman

[dohenyboy]

If I may be so bold as to offer from my limited experience on two repowers

here is the process
1. determine what horsepower you need. My former slip neighbor had exactly your boat but I do not know what motor he had in it. But you probably need 20-25 hp. In my opinion, I would rather have a little more than I need for those tough spots
2. Determine what will fit and what brand. Try to get the dimensions and weight of your current engine and compare to the dimensions of your proposed replacement. As for the brand, there are a lot out there; Perkins, Beta Marine, and Yanmar seem to be the most popular in that size. Everyone has their favorites, but its usually best to go with an engine brand that the locals have installed or for which there is service. I would guess that is Yanmar.
diamond[dash]brothers[dot]com is the bangkok distributor for perkins
looks like there is a 3 cylinder of about 20 hp and 4 cylinder of about 28 or so

Yanmar has a 3YM20 which is a 3 cylinder 21 hp normal and about 27 turbo.
they have reps in Phuket and Chon Buri
Yanmar is the most high tech and is a great engine

I only see this from a quick look around, I am sure someone else knows more specifics
3. Determine how much it costs and allocate for the labor and extras like engine mount revisions, new prop, changing the exhaust, etc
in my experience, depending on how much adapting you have to do, these are an additional 50-100% of the engine costs

[mgunning]

Would you consider electric. Not being intimate with your boat, I suspect space may be an issue which is why they installed a smaller diesel. I understand your boat is strongly build with a significant displacement. I do sell electric system and recently installed one in my Newport 30 that is equal to a 18-20hp diesel. They are much smaller and more power then a like sized diesel. Very good at slow speed, quite, and no fuel needs. Electric motors need big props as they drive power to the prop more efficiently than diesel and I would think would be a good fit your heavy displacement boat. Electric systems are often customer installed, they are much more simple than diesel, or a good yard should be able to do it for you. Battery, solar, and wind generators are the fuel source along with regeneration under sail.
You are a long way from home, enjoy your voyage.
Mike

[NCboatrx]

I have been involved with repowering a few of these boats.
Basically with any modern engine go with 20HP naturally aspirated and a transmission ratio of about 2.5:1. Use a 3 blade propeller to get the best drive.
The Beta 20 with 2.6:1 transmission has been used in the Mariah and the owners are very happy with the results.
Beta Marine does have a distributor in Thailand as does Yanmar. The contact information for these companies will be on the respective manufacturers websites.
Good luck, Stanley

[Play Actor]

I'm just finishing up a repower of a Baba 35. Description of the process to date with photos can be seen on the blog, below.

[syoder]

I've been really happy with my Westerbeke 30B-Three (27 hp) on my Westsail 28 which displaces 13,500 lbs plus the couple tons of crap that living aboard seems to require. Starts every time, the self-bleeding fuel system actually self-bleeds and she's pretty quiet. Parts are notoriously expensive though.

-Steve

[Laidback]

Originally Posted by dingoman

Hey Folks,
Considering a refit and was wondering what in your opinion is the best engine at a reasonable cost. Currently I have a Sabb 2H. A very good engine but might be on it's last leg. I'm having it looked at now to determine if she's reliable for the long haul or not. If I do a refit it will be done in Thailand as that is her home. Thanks, Dingoman

Hi, I'm Here in Thailand - 1st thing to ask is what gearbox is presently fitted to your SAAB ?? Do you intend keeping it ??
You need to provide us with some measurements -- specifically the existing engine mounts - fore and aft - abeam. The size of the engine room/space.

Some Pictures very useful - Also tell us your skills re exchanging an engine.

In the final analysis it may be a better and easier and cheaper to recondition your Saab - the expertise and workshop facilities are available in Thailand (PM if you wish)