E32 engine swap Atomic 4 to diesel (Marina Del Rey)

[Rebecca Ericson]

Hi @Rebecca Ericson . I'd be interested in seeing some pictures, if you all were able to capture some of the conversion in progress and with the new ______ diesel (make & model?) in place. (before & after pics?).

Also, the Vancouver Is trip sounds spectacular. ... bring salmon fishing rods...and maybe bottom fish rods and tackle as well. You'd be surprised how large those W. Vancouver fish are. PM me if interested in more fishing from sailboats stuff.

We're in Seattle, should you need stateside support just down the road.
Double up those dock lines tonight in anticipation of Japan's earthquake effects
O>

Thank you Norwester! Yes, we can send some pictures, but if you're interested in the parts themselves, I can send you the list that we got from EYC.

Appreciate the offer RE stateside. We'll keep it in mind on our first US trip (which may be a little way down the line). Really looking forward to doing some fishing too!

 

[Mark F]

Hi Rebecca,
Thats great that you repowered with electric! I'd be interested in photos and parts list. Please post here - it's good for people that might be considering EP conversion to see actual projects. Did you end up installing the drive on your own or did you have the unit installed?

 

[kapnkd]

Good advice so far. The one other facet I would invoke on is..... time. IF you like your boat and plan to keep it for ten (or more) years, you can amortize out a major upgrade like this in enjoyment.

That was our thought when doing a full repower and then a full re-fit. The E-32-2 is, IMHO, a "large-enough" boat to be a final boat, and we know one couple that did a full re-fit (repaint, recore) on their 32-2 because they had enjoyed it for over 20 years and have no interest in another boat. i.e. it has become their "final" boat. Pretty much the same relationship we have with ours, purchased in 1994.
(I would mildly dissent with Ray, tho. Having lived with a Universal diesel for years, I find that the Betamarine package is technically superior in marinization design/build, by comparison to my cruder Universal. Of course the heart of it is the reliable Kubota diesel.)

Agreed! We’ve owned our 73 E32 since new and repowered it to a Westerbeke 20b back in ‘91 because it fit right in without any size modifications. Unfortunately, this model is no longer in production. It has honestly been a faithful servant now all these years and well worth the swap efforts involved.

Choose an engine, of course, with the least amount of needed modifications required to get the needed fit. …IMPORTANTLY - Check your E32-2 motor mount system for strength! The older iron mounts, like ours had to recently be replaced due to the iron finally giving way to corrosion and rust. (I just posted a thread on this a week or two ago.)

You will be happy with a diesel for sure! An aging A4’s inevitable and ever present electrical issues that come with a distributor, points and plugs …plus carburetor issues in keeping a clean fuel bowl become history with a swap. (The original galvanized fuel tank was also a constant problem and was replaced with an aluminum tank in ‘78.) The aluminum tank definitely helped but even with dual filters, was still difficult to keep trash from the A4 carb bowl in time.