Seeking advice on A25 repower

[Alanje]

The original MD3B has about 3300 hours, and was rebuilt at 1300. Runs well, but age is beginning to show. Debating whether to replace with Westerbeke 44b (have one available), or install 9.9 outboard on transom to provide emergency drive when/if MD3B fails on the water. I know I won't recover the cost of repower, even with used motor, but peace of mind has a value. Thoughts/advice appreciated, especially from anyone who has faced this decision already.

Thomas

[WillieC]

What kind of age issues are showing? What kind of tow insurance have you considered? How far do you wander?
No breakdown is fun. Just trying to imagine having to get the outboard running in less than ideal conditions. Then there is gasoline storage...all the issues you have considered, I'm sure.
We had a two hour boat with our deteriorating MD3B. I finally pushed it and sent coolant into the pan. Then I had to deal with it. If the engine is not dependable and you know what is failing, then you no longer enjoy taking it out. There is always the dread of being stranded and how will you get home.
I think you hit the nail..." I know I won't recover the cost of repower, even with used motor, but peace of mind has a value." Whatever money you put into it, you likely won't recover. How much do you like the boat, otherwise. Every dime I put into the WillieC. I just kiss it goodbye. When it no longer is fun, it will go away. I came close last week when I made a(nother!) stupid mistake at the boat ramp. Boat ownership comes with a lot of baggage.
I am hoping the refurbished 17C will give us several mildly dependable years. It is still an old engine and I didn't spend but half of what I could have, even on the rebuild. But it is good enough, and I know what the issues are. If I bend a pushrod, like a friend who recently went through the same rebuild, I would look real hard at a decent used engine of non-Swedish provenance. Something common, with cheap, available parts. Then you still have to spend a pile on all the peripherals, you know. Probably not that much cheaper than a new engine. I had a chance to buy a New-In-Crate, allegedly, MD17C for 6 thou if I remember. The owners couldn't tell me much about how it was stored if it was properly treated. Raised too many flags for me, then there is all the deteriorated rubber, seals and rings and pretty soon you are rebuilding a "new" engine.
Ah well. Not much help. I hope you can come to a peaceful resolution.
Alanje...Is that the boat I'm thinking of with the amazing history and incredible original owner?

[hetek]

I feel your pain. I, too, am currently in the process of a repower.

I purchased my boat with no engine in it and a used 25hp Vetus 3 cylinder diesel on a pallet. "Some assembly required" as I say.

I'm a former marine mechanic but never got away from wrenching on boats since. Much like Willie C, I'm doing the work myself.

The process entails a lot of details. It's not just "bolt in an engine". The big items for me were fiberglass and steel for the engine beds, new exhaust system, new raw water system and new control cables. I had to have the Hurth gear rebuilt and anticipate a new prop shaft, stuffing box, cutlass bearing and maybe a prop before I'm done. All this doesn't exactly come cheap. Still, a professional repower would have been much more. Granted, my boat was a blank slate. Almost all previous signs of the old motor were gone. It depends how much of the new motor will mate up with the old bits. For me it was none of the above.

I had an Albin 27FC a few years back and thought about a repower for performance reasons. I could have bought a reman 100hp Yanmar with new ZF gear, mounts, panel and harness for less than $10k. A local pro said the job would push $20k when all was said and done. Life got in the way so I had to nix that idea.

As far as an outboard on the transom, realize that the transom is 1/4" fiberglass, at best, and really isn't much of a structure to bolt an engine on a bracket to without reinforcement. My boss at the marina had 26' cruiser that he kept a Johnson 9.9 in the locker. If he needed to, he would clamp it onto a bracket he had on his swim platform. Don't know if he ever needed it though.

Your starting the right way - doing your homework.

[kerrye]

I've got a Westerbeke 42b in mine and a 9.9 outboard on a drop down bracket for manoevering in tight quarters and as a back up motor. No reason to choose between them. Do both.

Is that Ladysmith, Wisconsin? Done some canoeing up your way.

[Alanje]

Thanks for input. I am leaning toward waiting until replacement is necessary, and perhaps it never will be... Usually in pretty sheltered waters, and getting towed in is a nuisance but I'm not in a rush to be anywhere and it's all party of the adventure. And repowering only reduces, does not eliminate the risk . Thanks again all for helping me think this through.

[WillieC]

Know your boat. Do your maintenance. And stock spare parts for trouble. My recent rebuild has a couple minuscule leaks, mainly the fuel lift pump, which I will be replacing with new this winter. I have probably five laying around but they all leak at the diaphragm. That little drip of fuel oil when it hits the pan looks like the apocalypse to me, but it is tiny.
So, I check all fluid levels every day when under way. I wipe up the drip, make sure there is nothing new, check my belt tensions, spin the shaft by hand making sure nothing is hung up or binding, check for water in the separator. Takes less than ten minutes and off we go.
I would love to have a brand new engine, but you know what? I would be doing the same thing and be really torqued when I find the inevitable drip from it.
Also, I need to send in an oil sample for a baseline, then every couple years, given our light usage.
You'll be fine.

[kerrye]

Installing a drop down outboard bracket on the transom is pretty easy. There was one on my boat when I bought it but it was old and had no lift assist so I replaced it with a lift assist version. I assume the bracket was there because when the original motor was reaching the end of its useful life, the owner installed the bracket either to have a back up if the main engine quit or as a temporary means of propulsion until the new engine was installed. In either case I like the redundancy.