Welcome to our new message board. Please post any comment you may have and start new topics if you wish.
This is new territory for us so we will be monitoring your posts. The intention of this forum is to help you. If you have questions about repowering a particular boat, someone who is monitoring the forum may have the answer for you.
HI I AM PLANNING ON BUILDING A STEEL BOAT BY CHEAPEAK MARINE DESIGN - LITTLE ISLAND TRADER - I AM LOOKING AT POWER PLANTS - DESIGNER RECCOMENDS A 60 TO 85 HP - I WAS LOOKING AT YOU 75 HP SLOW RUNNING 2800 RPM THE BOAT WILL BE 30 FEET LONG 10 FEET WIDE 3 FEET DRAFT WEIGHT OF 14000 LBS WHAT DO YOU RECCOMEND AND WHAT KIND OF FUEL CONSUMPTION CAN I EXPECT AT 65 PERCENT POWER
The Beta 60 will work just fine for you and this this engine gives an honest 58.5HP at 2,800. Reports from other owners on real time fuel consumption is just on 1 gal per hour.
The Beta 75 gives you 75HP at 2,600 and will be using about 4 to 5qts of fuel per hour.
First things first. Thankyou for initiatating this forum it will be of a great help as time goes by. I have a BV1505 that was installed in my Westsail 32 in 2006. The boat sat idle for two years while I cared for my ill wife, who has since passed on. When we recommisined the boat this last July we ran the engine for a few minutes to stir things up and then changed all the filters and fluids for the engine and transmission. I also have seen the belt getting damaged by roughness on the pully. I have a ffeling this will work itself out wiht use (I will be ordering a spare) Stanley, a few questions. 1. is there a recommeded spares list that you have generated, 2. I have a "C" control panel miounted in the ****pit and have heard that it is not to get wet, is this correct? and 3. With the PRM-120 is ATF fluid prefeered over normal oil. Finally when I place the engine in gear (forward or reverse) I sometimes get a "hard" shift ie shift with a "clunk" is this normal or is a harbinger of problems to coome. The engine has only 31 hours on it.
Lastly, everone who is on the boat and hears the engne is amazed by how smooth and quiet the engine sounds. "Like a well oiled clock"
Stanley, thank you in advance and keep up the great work for Beta Marine US.
I'll answer your queries in point order as you posed them.
1) You dont say which alternater you have so I will assume that you have the standard 65 amp alternator with a V belt. If there is any rust that formed on the pulleys over the 2 years lay up, this will eat the belt. The belt will also clean off the rust. A new belt will then give good service. 2) The panel is water resistant to a point, but it does have an ignition switch and this is the vulnerable part. If you can fabricate a cover that will keep rain etc off of the panel, you will get much longer life from the vulnerable parts. 3) The transmission will make a "thunk" when engaging gear. This is normal and nothing to worry about. The transmission should be silent after initial engagement and the engine idle speed should be about 900 RPM.
I always recommend that you carry a few of the following spares; alternator belts water pump impellers fuel filters and zinc for the heat exchanger. These are the minimum for any trip. If you are planning an extended cruise, the list gets longer.
Are there detailed Forum instructions/help available somewhere?
Is the Edit Post function broken? I tried to update a post I made yesterday with some new information and a better picture but, ev en after "posting," the old and not the new information is showing.
