Kubota Engines

[P424]

I need to repower my Pearson 424. I am torn between The Yanmar and Kubota. Anyone have any input. Dealing with Beta Marine or Yanmar?
I need a replacement for a 55 Weterbeke. After the 55A I wont go westerbeke again. Lets say when a waterpump fails valves shouldnt hit pistons. IMHO

[btrayfors]

Both have very good reputations. A mechanic friend whom I trust implicitly says the Beta marine engines are great.

Both have worldwide parts availability.

Tough choice.

Maybe go with the one which will be easiest to install? One with a trusted mechanic nearby?

Bill

[soul searcher]

I have a lot of time on kubota generators in the 10 to 20kw range they are great little motors. easy to work on and very durable. I have a yanmar 4jh3e in my sail boat that I like a lot also. I a gree with Bill, tough Choice.
on my kubotas the Raw water pumps run off the back of the fuel pump. not an acces. drive gear on the front of the motor. Shredding a drive gear on a water pump has to be a one in 10000 failure.

[P424]

Soul Searcher I have to agree on the pump. The Westerbeke it was driven by the cam belt and you know what happened when the fress water pump bearings failed. Boom. In the Abaco's

[Artwerke]

P424, I have an Universal M-35, Marinized Kubota 4 cyl. in my 38' Irwin, it's smooth as silk, fires right up after 20 sec. glow plugs. I don't have a real figure for fuel burn, but it's minimal. Art.

[SailorMitch]

Just from looking at boat shows, it seems that the Beta marine engines are set up for ease of maintenance -- most things requiring regular access are up front, easy to get at. One thing to check into for the specific model you're interested in. On my Yanmar 2-GM-20F, you can only change the impeller in the raw water pump by taking the pump off. Nice design, huh?

[P424]

SailorMitch it sonds like the raw water pump on the Westerbeke. I have a V-Drive so ease of impellor change is important but being on the front of the engine isnt a + but a pump impllor I can change without removing the pump would be a big + Thanks for the input

[sailingdog]

The Beta Marine engines are designed to have fairly easy access to all the standard maintenance items. I'd suggest checking them out. They're a marinized version of the Kubota diesel engine.

[SimonV]

Sailingdog
I will second that, Yanmar are purpose designed marine engines, Kubota are tractor/pump engines marinized or is it marinated . You also need to look at parts availability, but in today’s shrinking world, "A couple a days".

[sailingdog]

Part of the answer lies in where will you be taking your boat. If you're not going to be leaving civilized areas, particularly the USA, then the Beta Marine engines make a lot of sense, since they are really designed to be simple to maintain in my experience. Everything is easily accessed, and you don't have to rip the waterpump off the engine to change out the impeller.

However, if you're planning on setting off for parts remote, like the Southern Pacific islands, then I would recommend you go with Yanmar. Yanmar has one of the largest dealer networks out of all the marine diesel companies, and parts availability is quite good from what I understand.