[fraser20000]

Hi Guys as you know I am working on getting Blue jackaroo into the water but my old man is giving me hard time about the Dolphin engine and me getting dashed on some rocks off the coast. So I have seen a Volvo Penta MD2B marine engine up for sale and was thinking of putting a bid in. Researching this motor and gearbox weight 500 pounds or 230 kilos or so. I have seen talk of people with 18 HP engines which I picture being weighty things.

Is there a limit on weight for the motor or the super structure? assuming it would fit that is. The motor coupling looks similar but I would have to add a new prop I assume if the prop shaft of the mark 1 dolphin could even take that much power. Any advice would be great, main worry is overloading the boat but if I plan on cruising any distance in her Diesel would be much easier and opens me up to a diesel heater later down the road.

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[Simon Weston-Jones]

Well I bought Solone A162 some 3 years back , she came with a hefty Perkins 4107 which is a 37 horse powered engine , I have been caught out in some very bad weather & can tell you I was very happy to have such an engine installed . Having a powerful engine is very reassuring when things get difficult . As for loss of sailing performance with a heavy engine I personally don’t think it would make much difference , I certainly am very happy with Solones performance .

[fraser20000]

Thanks Simon that is great to hear. I will check the fit and probably go for it. Your boat must go like a tug with that much power haha.

[Trevor Thompson]

Hi,

 

I think you should be very careful with regard to fitting a heavy old engine into an Atalanta.

The Atalanta is a light weight high tech boat. It needs to be kept light for performance and safety.

Any second hand Volvo which is for sail cheaply will be for sale for a very good reason. The reason will make it uneconomical to repair.

The BIG issue when reengaging an Atalanta is shaft alignment. The original engines have little engine below the shaft line and will fit onto the shaft with a direct coupling. Any alteration to a different engine (one which was not fitted originally) is likely to require some complex engineering. A cardan shaft is almost certain to be needed, to enable an engine flywheel mounted higher in the boat to couple to the existing shaft. That consists of a thrust bearing, two constant velocity joints and a length of shaft. The engine bearers will need modifying and the lids which cover the engine will need raising to cover the higher engine. Make sure that any engine you buy is worth going to all this trouble and expense over before you fit it.

You might find that it is actually cheaper to fit a new engine! Or make do with what you have until you can afford the new one.

As to Solone, yes she does have a large heavy engine, and Dinah and I have sailed in company with her when Keith Viewing was still alive. She has many alterations which were designed for serious offshore sailing, and she does float lower than she should. I particularly liked the life raft stowage space. I know Solone can punch into a head sea under engine, but the downside of that is that Keith had to continue motoring in conditions where we were able to stop the engine and sail.

Finally while it might seem reassuring to have a powerful engine (it is reassuring and Calista has an 18hp engine) remember that the Atalanta revels in strong winds. She is at her best beating to windward in a force 6, and will consistently do that at 6 knots or more. It is far more effective to deal with a strong headwind under sail in a sailing boat. However powerful the engine, progress to windward will be slow wet and uncomfortable if you try to motor through it.

 

I know it works – but I wo

[fraser20000]

Thanks for the insight Trevor. Blue jackaroo does not currently have a deck and both hatches are being rebuilt so that should not be a huge problem. The engine I am looking at was removed for a new one but I will ask him why i had no thought of that. there is a video of it running and the boy seems to know his stuff. I was planning to have him run it up and let me see if either of the cylinders is getting too hot.  I am looking to get this engine for 400 or so max and a new prop. realistically I doubt I could afford a new engine as even second hand they cost 1200+ with a gearbox and new I was looking at 4 grand.

I missed the chance to get 3 dolphins for 500 with a boat but it would have cost me more to get ride of the boat it came with down in England. The Dolphin I have turns over well and has good compression so if it falls through I could just keep searching for spares.

 

The issue seems to have just resolved itself though because the engine has been removed from ebay. If anyone has a 12 hp or so Diesel with a gearbox or some old mark 1 Dolphins let me know haha.

[Author]

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