Albin 27 Sportfish Repower

[Valkyrie]

Hello to all as I am a new member or hope to be soon enough. I have a 27SF with a tired Westerbeke W100. I need advise as to the best possible replacement for the engine. i have heard alot about hull speed and realize that you pay alot for a little more speed. Has any one repowered lately? Would love to hear what the good , bad ,and ugly is. Thanks Lance onboard the Valkyrie.

[Don from Mystic]

Hi Lance
The "Speed Survey" on the Yahoo Cruisers Group might be helpful. I dont think alot of data has been added recently but you may want to consider it for the HP+Kts, of course considering the weight of the engine.Good Luck, Don

[Valkyrie]

Thanks for the reply. i attempted to join the yahoo group and have gotten no response. So i cannot get a hold of the wheel charts or the power /hull speed info. I recently was able to purchase a 170hp Cummins brand new for pennies on the dollar. Its a truck engine straight from Cummins in the box. After much measurement it appears that It will not fit the engine compartment. The engine is too tall. The hatch will contact the valve covers. So I happen to have a new 0hour 160-170hp Cummins if there is someone out there that is interested. I am certain that my price is the lowest you will encounter for a NEW Cummins. Thank you for the reply. I hope others might join the discussion.

[Don from Mystic]

If its a matter of a few inches, why not raise the cockpit sole at the middle bulkhead to the cabin? Or a small engine box? Or drop the mounts below the stringers? I built a raised cockpit sole that way on one boat, just to contain water in the self-bailing cockpit (we used a wash down alot). Nothing more than carpentry and some glassing in....

Were you doing a "Dry" exhaust or marinizing the motor? In my local Craigslist yesterday there was a new in crate complete 110hp Cummins for $2500, like yours, a truck engine. Bet that went quick.

Yahoo cruisers is slow to respond but they will. They have a ton of info but it is hard, for me anyway, to "search" on it.
This site has a FOR SALE forum - why not try it?
Best,
Don

[jleonard]

The engine is too tall. The hatch will contact the valve covers.

Ok, thinking more about this.
If you are only "contacting" the valve covers then so what?
This description suggests that only a minor modification of the hatch or supports may be necessary.
I know more than one boat owner who has modified hatches to accomodate a repower.
It may also be possible (don't know your boat enough to say for sure) to tilt the engine nose up or nose down to help reduce height.

[Don from Mystic]

Lance, you may also find the "National Fisherman" magazine a help. They have a "Diesel Lineup" issue every year (December I think) which includes all popular engines by HP ranges and gives engine specs dimensions weight etc.

[Veebyes2]

The fastest A27 I have ever been on had a Cummins 210hp & was a 27 open cockpit. That thing could scoot along at over 20kts.

[Clay Helm]

I worked as a engineer at the Cummins plant in Rocky Mount , NC that makes the B and C series off-road engines and some truck engines. This includes the marine (they are made and run before sent to Charleston for the marine gear). The requirements for a marine engine are very different from a truck engine. Each engine in the plant is designed for the application to which it was intended. Things such a piston design, fuel pump specifications, emissions specifications, etc. change with the different applications. The big difference between a marine engine and a truck engine is the basic power curve. A truck uses its greatest power a low speeds and less power as the truck gets rolling. A boat uses little power at low speeds but the load increases as the boat speed increases. Just taking a truck engine and adding a marine manifold will not make a marine engine. The engines are made from the same basic block, but they are completely different engines.

I hope this comes across as helpful and not a lecture. The Cummins engine plant in Rocky Mount, NC is a unique plant. If you ever get a chance to visit, don't pass it up.

Clay Helm
"Puppy Dog"
Albin 27 FC
Albermarle Sound, NC

[Don from Mystic]

Thank you for posting some interesting insight into marine engines. I knew "old technology" gas engines had differences (like cams) but only recognized "plumbing differences" on the diesels. Considering my '83 FC chugs along just fine on 61HP, wouldnt you think the Cummins would be ok without it's tounge hangin out?