Repowering a CD 28

[BI Community Sailing]

Our sailing Club has a CD 28 (hull number 4) with a Volvo Penta MD 7 which runs but is tired and when we were delivering it to the boat yard for winter storage in Rhode Island, last week, the back of the reverse gear came undone dumping oily water in the bilge. Boatyard mechanic told me that cost of repowering was more than the boat was worth, but posts to this forum disagree. Some of you have repowered using a Beta Marine engine and seem happy with that choice.

We are considering a Beta 16 as a repower option and I am reaching out to the other CD 28 owners for information on their experience from their repowering project, especially what is involved with adapting the engine mounts, connecting the water and exhaust lines, and especially propeller shaft alignment and new propeller size and pitch for a motor which turns 50% faster at normal operating speed.

Looking forward to your comments.

Sincerely,

Henry

[JD-MDR]

Hi Henry.. I sent you a PM

[Seaweed2]

Oddly, my 1975 CD 28 failed to hit the water this summer because the Faryman diesel didn't have enough compression to start. It ran fine when I put it away. I have struggled to find parts for this engine since I purchased the boat and was always expecting it to 'go south'.

The boat is in otherwise good condition. I have looked at repowering with electric, but would like to do some canal cruising and I don't have the confidence in battery power just yet, though I do recognize some valuable features of electric propulsion.

I also feel that the value (to others) of the boat will likely not exceed (or even meet) the cost of a Beta repower. I do however feel that confidence would be nearly 100% in the new engine.

Do you sell the boat as is and add the repower money to that and buy a different boat? I have little invested in the boat so far.

Are the peripheral costs of repowering, such as engine mounts, new exhaust, prop, and labor justifiable, or even easily estimated?

[SVFayaway]

I re-powered my CD28 (#2) with a Yanmar 2gm20f. I had an MD2B (as far as I know only the first two boats had them) so the particulars might be different but I had to replace the engine beds. It was a big job but not exceptionally difficult. If you're interested I can share the details. I built new engine beds out of layers of marine ply. I put a layer of aluminum and a layer of G10 on top to allow me to drill and tap the bolts to hold the engine mounts. It came out great and I'm very happy with the result.

[jfischgrund]

I faced the same dilemma with my 27' when the original YSM8 died. I think our boats do not have much value without a working engine so I could either sell mine for a couple of thousand dollars or re-power. If I sold it for a couple of thousand, then I would have a couple of thousand dollars and no boat. If I took whatever I sold it for and added to it the estimated cost of a repower, I don't think I could buy an equivalent boat. So I repowered with a 1GM10 and am confident if I sell it, I will at least recoup the cost of the re-power. So meanwhile, I get to sail my CD 27'. which I love, with a new engine. I can recommend a great mechanic in Rhode Island if you send me a PM.

[Carl Thunberg]

I'm not sure you are going to find the answer to your question here. Get a quote from your mechanic so you have a dollar figure. Then you have to balance the cost of re-powering with your fiduciary responsibility to the membership.

[JD-MDR]

ge. Boatyard mechanic told me that cost of repowering was more than the boat was worth, but posts to this forum disagree. Some of you have repowered using a Beta Marine engine and seem happy with that choice. Looking forward to your comments. Sincerely,Henry

My Beta 16 fit perfectly on the original stringers. here is a price list attached I had to pay $5000 more for the v-drive for my ketch.. ($16,350 total)
Beta marine associate quoted me $11,000 labor and materials.. not including yard , prop or shaft work.. Didn't need yard or shaft, three bladed prop cost about $700, I'm not sure if he will charge me for the new raw water strainer and the Racor fuel filter or the diver to change prop. He installed all new hoses and fuel lines and battery cables and exhaust hoses. reused my Cetex muffler. I found my invoice:

IMG_0594.jpg

[BI Community Sailing]

Thanks for your help, John,

Looks like we are going with a Yanmar 2YM15 because the yard that will install it, who is also a Beta dealer prefers to work with Yanmar... and since I am married to them for at least the warranty period, I am going to go along with that choice. Here is my repower quotation below.

Regards,

Henry

[jfischgrund]

Good choice. I don't see the quote attached but nonetheless, be sure that the installer is a certified Yanmar mechanic or the Yanmar warranty will not be honored.

[BI Community Sailing]

Here is a quote to provide a Yanmar 2YM15 Engine from a local boatyard

[jfischgrund]

Looks about right. Avondale is listed on the Yanmar website as a certified dealer, so you should be in good hands. Maybe you will be able to join our Narragansett Bay Float-in this year! Good luck!

[sgbernd]

I repowered my CD28 in 2015-2016 from a tired MD7B to a Beta 16. I agree with your mechanic that it is not worth it as you will spend more than the boat is worth. I think my boat is valued ~ $13k and the repower was closer to $15k plus a fair amount of work. The question distilled as follows; How long do I intend to keep the boat and is the cost justified over that duration?

For me the answer was 10 years, meaning $1.5k/year which seemed like a reasonable price. So far, I've no regrets at year #7 and a bit more than 700hrs on the engine.

Much also depends on the general condition of the boat and how much you like her. If everything else is tired, run down, worn out, and needs a refit, that is part of the equation. Finally your intent with the boat must be considered. A tired engine for occasional day sails to get in/out of the slip would be acceptable, while a cruiser must have high reliability as the engine will be run long and hard.

The decision was made easier for me by imagining I was going to sell/scrap the boat and replace her with a better one. I found mine was in better shape than nearly all those for sale. And the occasional cream puff was priced accordingly.

I will also make a few recommendations.

While the old engine out, but before the new one goes in;
1) clean and paint the engine room and pan. You will be happy in the coming years.
2) neatly route the fuel, electrical and plumbing lines to where they need to go and are out of the way. A lot of installers just connect them, and secure anywhere with zip ties with the result looking like a rat's nest.
3) Add sound deadening material wherever possible, particularly behind the companionway steps and around the sides and top to quiet the cabin and cockpit. It will still be loud but a bit less so.

Good luck with your decision.

Steve Bernd

[JD-MDR]

Looks like you will payabout $20,000. I ended up spending$27,000 but v-drive was $5000 so about the same. I got everything brand new. All hoses and cables and accessories. Also paint, primary filter, raw water strainer. Anti siphon. Everything incl. prop. He was actually2500.below his quote

[fmueller]

You'll be fine with the Yanmar vs the Beta. (I don't think there is much of a quality difference at all) One selling point about the Yanmar is that it comes with 125 amp hour alternator standard ... vs 40 with the Beta 16 (you can upgrade to 80 for $$) ... something I didn't notice when I installed a Beta 14 in my CD 27. We all use our engines as generators often after all in sailboats ... almost as often as we use them to "motivate". 3 x charge capacity is nothing to sniff at .

[sgbernd]

I would not place much value on a high output alternator unless you have the battery banks to take it.

If you have the usual dual lead acid battery set up and basic charge (no smart charger Li ion battery), you can only charge at around 10A anyway per battery. Next time you put a charger on your car battery, watch the ammeter. It will rail (15A) for a couple minutes, then soon settles down to 10A or less for the remainder of the charge. So a 40A alternator or a 400A don't make much difference as the batteries can't accept it.

Steve