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| Installed: Pelagia's new Betamarine BETA50 |
HAPPY CANADA DAY!
Our trusty Yanmar (4JHTE) was getting on in years (37 yrs!) and hours (~6600 hrs). It was running well but showed several signs of upcoming issues, some quite pricey. (We received a "worst-case" scenario quote of C$22k!)
We decided to repower.
We looked into getting a new Yanmar, but were put off by several issues: (i) Yanmar's base price was 2x a Betamarine Beta50, (ii) the Yanmar technology was more-advanced "common rail" relying on a electrical control unit (ECU) -- the problem was this would be more sensitive to fuel issues and any repairs would require a Yanmar dealer/mechanic, something not easily found North of Campbell River, and (iii) for the install, the local Yanmar dealer required Pelagia to be hauled out for an unspecified duration (add $$) and there have been issues with work timing here in Vancouver.
We decided on a Betamarine Beta50. The engine is a marinized version of a Kubota tractor engine, so parts and diesel mechanics are easily available. The technology is more simple, thus easier to maintain and repair.
The installation was done by the Canadian Beta distributor Gartside Marine Engines in Sidney BC. We were able to bring Pelagia to their dock and the Yanmar removal and Beta50 install done while Pelagia was still in the water. (There was no charge for time at Gartside's docks.)
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| Sad seeing the old Yanmar out of the boat... |
Of course, the install took longer than planned (well, welcome to boats...), and Pelagia's 3-blade fixed propeller had to be "re-pitched" twice. The first sea trial resulted in smooth engine running but the engine RPMs couldn't get up to the 2800 specifications. This meant a 2nd propeller re-pitch was required. Also, the propeller produced a very loud "singing" for RPMs between 1000-2000 rpm -- something the propeller wizards could correct. The 2nd re-pitching added another week, BUT the end result was success: no more propeller singing and no problem getting RPM up to 2800.
We've had a few cruising days with the new engine: 2 between the second re-pitching (as the problems were discovered on a Friday), and 4 getting the boat back home to Vancouver (including a raucous sail across Georgia Strait).
Gartside also completed some other improvements, such as (i) all-new sound insulation of the engine room after cleaning, (ii) moving the external regulator so that it is now easily accessible, and (iii) new raw water strainer that was moved to a new, easily accessible location.
We also purchased (as an addon) a "NMEA2000" module for the Beta50. David ran cables and hooked this up to our existing NMEA2000 network (upgraded to allow more instruments) yesterday and now we have engine RPM, TEMP and OIL PRESSURE on our chartplotter in the cockpit.
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| Furuno chartplotter engine display (sample) |
SO FAR, we're happy with our new Beta50. The process took longer (4 weeks rather than 2 weeks) than expected, wasn't cheap (but FAR FAR LESS that what a Yanmar installed in Vancouver would have cost us!). We definitely would recommend Gartside Marine Engines (Sidney, BC).
Hopefully it keeps Pelagia going for many years to come.
Now for some Summer cruising....
