[Public-list] Rebuild/Repower/Upgrade to Diesel

Tue May 15 15:41:13 PDT 2007

>when I look at the 40+ years of service our Gray put
>in before croaking, 

the final nail in Checkmate's A4 was rotten metal in the 
block (25+ years of Chesapeake Bay water cooling). The 
head that required double gasketing for a seal was 
probably addressable, but when custom machined head bolt 
studs are needed to find 'meat' in the block...

My point is bearings, rings, valves, etc. don't really get 
you a new engine-not with the life style of a typical 
sailboat engine.

I don't have a hard and fast solution for an investment 
that has no financial return (as someone posted) but in 
the pro side of the list for diesal 1. lower insurance 
rates 2. eliminating flammable (except for stove fuel) and 
replacing with combustable.

MichaelGrosh
#220

On Tue, 15 May 2007 15:53:08 -0400
  "Cole, Andrew L" <andrew.cole at llff.com> wrote:
> Dan,
> 
> We're in exactly the same boat, literally and 
>figuratively (a 1966
> Alberg with a dead gas 4cyl.).  I am going through the 
>same analysis at
> this very moment.  Here are the options, and my thoughts 
>on each
> (reasonable folks may differ):
> 
> Option 1 - Rebuild, if you do it yourself, depending on 
>how much you
> spend in parts, etc., is probably at least a 
>$1,000-$2,000.00
> proposition in parts and machining depending on what 
>parts you need.
> Add the labor to pull and reinstall to that (probably a 
>half to full day
> on each end of the job) or, as C.B. said, do it 
>yourself, it's not as
> hard as it looks and there are folks who will help if 
>you're in the
> area.  This is probably the least expensive route, but 
>involves some
> uncertainty as to price and how long the boat will be 
>out of commission
> waiting for the machine shop or mechanic to get the 
>necessary parts and
> do the work.
> 
> Option 2 - A straight (rebuilt) replacement Atomic 4 
>will run $4-5,000
> plus shipping and labor to put it in, and is arguably 
>more reliable and
> longer lasting than the rebuilt Atomic 4 you have done 
>locally (again,
> this is arguable).  The nice thing about this option is 
>that the new
> motor arrives on a palette, you drop it onto the 
>existing mounts, bolt
> up the prop, attach the hoses, and you're done.  No 
>uncertainty as to
> price or fit, low stress, etc.  If you do the pull and 
>install yourself,
> the cost is more or less capped at the total cost of the 
>rebuilt engine,
> and you can more or less control the timing of the 
>repower.  Van Ness
> Engineering in NJ has some rebuilt Atomic 4s for sale at 
>very reasonable
> prices (I spoke with him this morning).
> 
> Option 3 - A diesel will probably run $4,500 and up, for 
>the motor and
> transmission, and that is for a used one, new will start 
>at slightly
> more (probably around 5k).  You will then possibly have 
>to rebuild the
> bunks, clean the tank (which you should probably do 
>anyway), buy and
> install some gauges and controls, replace the prop and 
>possibly
> prop-shaft with a 3 blade (which also precludes lining 
>up the prop in
> the keyhole to reduce drag).  That said, I saw J's 
>installation
> recently, it is a thing of beauty.  It is clean, small, 
>very sharp
> looking, reliable (well, it is new, so it should be), 
>and plenty of
> power to motivate his Alberg even while towing mine 
>around for an hour
> or so (at idle for that matter, probably sipping a 
>teaspoon of fuel an
> hour...).  I don't know the total minimum diesel 
>conversion price, but
> as nice as the package is, it is more than I can justify 
>spending.  
> 
> The diesel is obviously the "proper" repower for 
>durability, fuel
> economy, etc., but when I look at the 40+ years of 
>service our Gray put
> in before croaking, the gas engines can be fairly 
>durable as well.
> 
> Andrew
> 
> PS, CB helped me pull the motor two Sunday's ago with 
>the boat bouncing
> around under the lift during the gale we had, even with 
>all that, it was
> still a fairly straightforward low-stress operation 
>which basically took
> a morning (thanks again CB).  It does help to have 
>access to a pickup
> truck into which to deposit the engine.
> 
> 
>>Thanks for the information. That's what I'm trying to get 
>>a handle on,
> the cost of the diesel vs. doing some repair with the 
>A4.
>   
>>I like the reliability of a diesel, but just not sure how 
>>much I want
> to blow on it.  
> 
> Cole, Andrew L
> Admitted in Maryland, Virginia & Florida
> One Corporate Center
> 10451 Mill Run Circle, Suite 1000
> Baltimore MD 21117
> 
> 
> tel: 410 581-7408
> fax: (410) 581-7410
> mob: (410) 206-3577
> 
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