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replacing Yanmar need more power
Terry, I''d encourage you to look carefully at the operational limitations of a saildrive system for a long-term, long-distance cruising boat. The gear oil will probably have a 100 hr. replacement sked; can you extract most of it from inside the boat (without risking fouling the suction tube on the gears)? The entire leg is essentially a large anode, waiting to dissolve to protect the more nobles on the boat''s hull...so keeping the leg''s zinc(s) at 50% or more is very important. Can you remove/replace the zincs without pulling the prop (while underwater)? And how do you do regular checks for zinc health if e.g. the water is cold & silty, especially if you tie up to docks occasionally (which may expose you to a ''hot'' boat nearby)? And you may simply find that the re-engineering needed to mount a saildrive in a boat where the engine space is located based on a conventional shaft & log just isn''t a good idea.
If you plan to go foreign, you will find Yanmar represented in many parts of the world. However, a friend recently discovered injectors for his new Yanmar 4JH had to be ordered from the U.S., as the British ones wouldn''t work. So much for worldwide parts availability.
Volvo is still widely represented but their business model was shifted some years back and they put great emphasis on selling OEM to the manufacturers at very low prices, and recovering the profit on parts pricing.
Beta engines are small footprint, light weight units and you will probably find it relatively easy to move up to a more powerful engine in your given space. But Beta is a small marinizing operation (not an engine manufacturer) in the UK with a few distributors in other main yachting venues; I''m not sure how well represented they are thru-out the world.
I realize none of the above leads you to an obvious choice...but sometimes it''s better to start off by knowing some of the trapdoors. Good luck on the hunt.
Jack
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