10-15-2011
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Just another Moderator
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Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: New Westminster, BC
Posts: 9,275
Rep Power: 9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Abull
How is the motor? I understand some the marinized VW engines that where used in these boats can be hard to work on....
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The marinized VW engines have an undeserved poor rep in some quarters. We have had two boats with this engine, including the current one. They (Pathfinders in N.A.) are based on the VW rabbit diesel block, and were most widely installed in the 80s so most likely the 1.5l version. At 4 cyl and 40-50 HP there's plenty of power. They are relatively smooth at speed, being 4s, but perhaps a tad noisier than Yanmars. Today you can still buy them, they are now based on Jetta engines and can even be turboed if you wanted but I can't see why you would.
Good support from Pathfinder in terms of the marinized parts and documentation is available.
Best of all any engine parts are available at any VW dealer or parts jobber. A couple of seasons ago our FWC pump blew its seal, we were in the Gulf Islands. We got a new pump in Nanaimo, swapped it out and carried on. The bill was $65.00. Try that with Yanmar or esp Volvo. On our last boat we rebuilt the block top to bottom for a final bill of around $2K, including hot tanking and some shop work.
Marinization parts are from the standard people, Bowman manifolds and H/E, Jabsco or Johnson pumps, etc. They do have aluminum heads and so you need to be vigilant about not overheating the engine.. but it's also relatively lightweight for its size..
We were pleased to find another.
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".. there is much you could do at sea with common sense.. and very little you could do without it.."
Capt G E Ericson (from "The Cruel Sea" by Nicholas Monsarrat)
1984 Fast/Nicholson 345
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