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Diesel repower E-29

Mark F

Contributing Partner
Blogs Author
>It would seem that regen speed is going to be very dependent on the design of the prop , motor and optimizing for your boat.

That is so true. You can optimize the EP setup for speed, range, power or regen. I changed my controller a while ago and it came aimed at power more than regen. With my original controller (Sevcon Millipac) I would get 100-200 watts (2-4 amps at 52 volts) of regen regularly. With the new controller (Sevcon Gen4) I get half that. I will probably change that at some point. Its not a lot of power but its constant. Its fun watching the voltage climb the longer you are out sailing :)
 

Kevin A Wright

Member III
My new Beta 30 just arrived yesterday for my E35 III. With all the extras came in just shy of $14k as it sits. One thing I will say is the delivery time with Covid is not 4 to 6 weeks anymore. I ordered this on Oct 26 and just arrived yesterday. But I think it is going to be worth the wait. The Betas have the best accessibility for maintenance of any auxiliary engine I've seen out there. Note the built in sump pump for changing your engine oil! Heat exchanger core is sealed with O rings and just slides out the front when you need to clean it (have to lower the alternator to do it on the 30 but on the 25 you can just pull it straight out.

For an E29 I think the Beta 20 or Beta 25 would be plenty for what you need. I put a Perkins M20 in my E27 many years ago and I could motor into a gale without losing speed. So the 20 or 25 should do you well. I had a Universal M20 in this boat but it always felt underpowered. A light breeze on the bow and I'd lose a knot. The Beta 30 fits perfectly into my engine compartment and is only 15 lbs heavier than the universal for 9 extra HP.

Good Luck!

Kevin Wright
E35 Hydro Therapy

Beta 30 front.jpg
 

Dave G.

1984 E30+ Ludington, MI
Now that is a pretty sight !! Please provide a blow by blow of the install. How about a pic of the aft end ?
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
My new Beta 30 just arrived yesterday for my E35 III. With all the extras came in just shy of $14k as it sits. One thing I will say is the delivery time with Covid is not 4 to 6 weeks anymore. I ordered this on Oct 26 and just arrived yesterday. But I think it is going to be worth the wait. The Betas have the best accessibility for maintenance of any auxiliary engine I've seen out there. Note the built in sump pump for changing your engine oil! Heat exchanger core is sealed with O rings and just slides out the front when you need to clean it (have to lower the alternator to do it on the 30 but on the 25 you can just pull it straight out.
Looks terrific, but then I would say that!
:)
Once it's installed and working, contact your insurer to upgrade your boat's 'agreed value'. I did that and they increased the value of our boat by the $10K I paid for the 25 hp engine package, but would not add anything for the labor cost. Still, it's way better to have the boat insured for something closer to what it would cost to replace it - with that new Betamarine in it.
That's what the insurance is really for.
Since premium is figured at X $ per thousand $ of insured value, the increase was modest. (IMHO)

Note B: Betamarine likes to have the raw water intake come straight up, and that hose lead would not work well for our bed log configuration. I Changed that straight fitting for a 90 degree fitting, and had to remove the pulley (loosen the belt) to have room to turn the 90 onto the pump intake. Worked out fine, once I figured out what to do. Our intake hose comes from aft, along side the top of the bed log.

Note C: since some parts are slightly different on the front of my different Kubota block, my observations may be only 40% helpful....

Note D: pix of another red engine in a crate:
 
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Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author

Kevin A Wright

Member III
The Beta 30 is still a 3 cylinder with Kubota block. I think it's the largest they make with a 3 cyl. After the 30 they go to 4.

Per request, here's the other views:

Beta 30 Aft.jpg
Beta 30 Port.jpg
Beta 30 STBD.jpg

Kevin Wright
E35 Hydro Therapy
 

Kevin A Wright

Member III
Hi Loren,

I debated about the B25 vs 30. But with the weight of an E35 I decided a few extra hp would be welcome when motoring up a channel against the wind (which happens all to frequently in these parts). The B30 is only 15 pounds heavier than the universal I had in there and there was plenty of room to put it in. So why not. If I'd gone with the B25 it would have been 30 pounds lighter than the Universal, but decided I didn't need that much extra storage for 'anchoring medicine' at my age.

Kevin Wright
E35 Hydro Therapy
 

Nick J

Sustaining Member
Moderator
Blogs Author
I have a relatively new Yanmar with only 500 hours on it. It starts immediately, zero smoke, and provides adequate power, but I'm still insanely jealous of you and your new Beta 30. It would be nice to have the extra HP and an engine designed with maintenance in mind. Not having to pay the 4x Yanmar markup on parts would be nice too.
 

Kevin A Wright

Member III
The Betas come with cockpit panel, engine mounts, shaft couplings included. I opted to go with a different transmission TCM260 2.45:1 so I could keep my 15" x 11 3 blade prop. That was $575 extra. I also upgraded to the BW control panel (more gauges) for another $440, high rise exhaust for $300 more and water heater fittings. They gave me a 17% discount off of list for the engine and parts but then had $300 shipping (not bad from England, to California then to Washington) and $1066 in sales tax. All together as it sits on the floor right now it was $12,911.37.

Having done my own engine refits before, my knees and I had a long conversation and decided I would hire someone to install it. He's estimating about $2000 more for the install (not counting yard fees etc.). I just bought my retirement home and have been busy remodeling it so have more than enough to keep me busy. But I do enjoy dropping by and laughing at him while he is scrubbing out the engine compartment etc.

Kevin Wright
E35 Hydro Therapy
 

Milagros

Member II
I'm lucky that the previous owner of my E27 upgraded to a Beta 20hp. Great little engine, easy to work on, only get the diesel exhaust smell right at start up. And way more power than I've ever needed even going into heavy wind and chop on SF bay. Anyway if after weighing the sage advice above you decide to go ahead with the diesel repower I'd say the Beta20 is worth considering.
 

Dave G.

1984 E30+ Ludington, MI
Definitely not in my budget but that cost seems fairly reasonable for what you get for sure. I'm guessing it will be substantially smoother and quieter which is a huge upside when motoring. Very nice indeed, and look forward to hearing how it performs for you.
 

jkenan

Member III
I too am repowering my Ericson 29 - with a Yanmar 2GM20F I picked up on Craigslist for $500 and had it vetted by a local diesel expert (Darrell Foster near Oriental) who cleaned injectors and blessed it as running perfectly. I have most details sorted out, and even changed the angle of the prop shaft :oops://:devil: so engine would sit lower and preserve more of the aft berth (More on the that later, with photos). I have all details of the refit ironed out, except two:
  1. How to attach a new 33c transmission cable to existing 63c transmission control on the Yacht Specialties pedestal. The existing 63c cable isn't long enough or flexible enough to make the turn backwards for the necessary approach to the Kanzaki KM2P, and I don't see any conversion kits for attaching a 33c cable to a 63c cockpit control, so thinking I'll have to make up something custom (I don't intend to spend the $$ to replace controls with the kit available from Catalina, or install a separate lever away from the pedestal - I will use existing setup if at all possible). How have others approached this problem?
  2. Exhaust configuration - if I can get the 10-12" drop required for the horizontal Centek waterlift (borrowed from a Cabo Rico 34 restoration I'm also taking on), I'll place the muffler close to the shaft tube and then use a gooseneck closer to exhaust port. Otherwise, I'll do it the way the Atomic 4 was connected with an insulated black iron pipe hot section going into the lazarette and rising sufficiently to drop into the the same horizontal muffler (I am not going to use the Vernalift used for the Atomic 4 as it is too small). Given my engine will sit a few inches lower than most E29 diesel repowers, I have to go with the later option.

Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated. I'll share more as the refit comes to completion.
 
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