Ever heard of a "Petter" deisel????

[starboardyacht]

howdy folks, hope all is well and warm,
a buddy of mine just bought a 1976 Catalina 27, flushed with new boat excitment he pulled his small one lunger Petter diesel out for a rebuild and he cannot find parts. Any ideas where he can get a manuel and parts? Thanks

[sailingdog]

Try this website. Lister Petter Diesel

English company btw.

[MJJ]

I got a bunch of hits when I googled it, did you try that?

[djodenda]

I had that engine in my Catalina 27, too.... I changed it out after a couple of years, as the saltwater was corroding the aluminum head. There was a place in Los Angeles that I got parts from. I also had a manual for it. I will check and see, if you like....

It moved the boat pretty well. I used to keep it in Marina Del Rey. J24s used to race in the evenings there. They never took their outboards with them. When the wind died, as it usually did that time of day, I would take one or more of them in tow and haul them back to the marina.... I think I had three at the same time once.

I could make over 4 knots with a couple of them behind me. Probably says more about the J24s than my boat or motor, though...

[starboardyacht]

Originally Posted by djodenda

I had that engine in my Catalina 27, too.... I changed it out after a couple of years, as the saltwater was corroding the aluminum head. There was a place in Los Angeles that I got parts from. I also had a manual for it. I will check and see, if you like....

It moved the boat pretty well. I used to keep it in Marina Del Rey. J24s used to race in the evenings there. They never took their outboards with them. When the wind died, as it usually did that time of day, I would take one or more of them in tow and haul them back to the marina.... I think I had three at the same time once.

I could make over 4 knots with a couple of them behind me. Probably says more about the J24s than my boat or motor, though...

What did you repower with? How difficult and how much, this boats not worth alot of $$$$. The motor turns over but won't start? I'm thinking a ferryman might be a better option. Could we buy that manuel?

Thanks

[starboardyacht]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Try this website. Lister Petter Diesel

English company btw.

Thanks SD, i went there and took a look, pretty technical stuff, what i really wanted to know is are these crappy motors worth fixin.....
cheers,

[sailaway21]

Those Lister's were used for many years as lifeboat motors. They kind of died out in the seventies in that usage. They used to be all over the Orient as well powering small fishing boats. The word was that they'd run on about anything upwards of fermented straw! Never tested that theory myself. (g) Is your compression release working? They're pretty durable little motors. I'd imagine parts are still fairly readily available.

[artbyjody]

Originally Posted by sailaway21

Those Lister's were used for many years as lifeboat motors. They kind of died out in the seventies in that usage. They used to be all over the Orient as well powering small fishing boats. The word was that they'd run on about anything upwards of fermented straw! Never tested that theory myself. (g) Is your compression release working? They're pretty durable little motors. I'd imagine parts are still fairly readily available.

I am ridding my Cat 27 of its Atomic 4 - pm if interested - its non running but it turns over... probably just a rebuild...otherwise do what I did - get a 2K outboard if you are in protected waters usually or just need a way in and out of the marina...

[djodenda]

Starboard:

I just looked and am sorry to say that I don't have any documentation on my old (or new engine) The information below is from my imperfect memory:

I replaced my engine with a Universal 2M12 in 1989 or 1990. What finally made me decide to replace the engine was that it wasn't reliable any more. I remachined the head a couple of times, but I never could get it to start without a struggle.

Prior to replacing the engine, I used to get parts for it at a place in the Watts area of Los Angeles.

One other thing I remember about the engine, in particular, was that there was a cone-shaped washer that sealed the injector against the head. The repair manual used to say that you had to replace the washer every time you removed the injector. I reused the washer, and seemed to "get away" with it.

I bought the engine from the Bos'n's Locker in Costa Mesa, CA. I replaced the engine, instrument panel, transmission, and added a water lift muffler. The whole thing cost about $4,000.

I did the whole thing myself (with some assistance from my wife). I'm pretty mechanically minded, and used to fix cars for a living, but this was my first marine engine replacement.

I used the boom as a crane to lift the engine in and out. I figure I spent about 60 hours on the job.


In hindsight, I shouldn't have replaced the engine. I sold the boat a couple of years later, and got no where close to the value out of the engine that I spent.

ArtbyJody is right (again) when he says that you'd be smart to consider putting an outboard on the boat if it's operated in sheltered waters. That would be a far more practical fix.

When I bought my C27, though, I made sure that it had an inboard engine. A year prior, I chartered a Newport 27 with an outboard out of Long Beach. We got caught in a bit of a blow, with 8 - 10 ft breaking seas. The outboard was mostly useless as it was out of the water more than it was in.

I have a couple of pictures of the new engine and the empty engine compartment. If you like, I will scan them and send them to you. You can send me a private message, if you like, and I'd be happy to share any information/recollections I have with you.

[sailingdog]

They're very reliable... since they're used in lifeboats... and the ones that are in good shape are well worth keeping... I don't know how part availability for them is, especially in this country.