Ahoy George,

Happy New year.  Don't forget to go sailing today.  It is tradition.

I put 30,000+ miles on my 1st W-32 with a fixed 2 bladed prop. and a Volvo MD2B  I never had a desire for more power during that time as I could do 6.4k when needed and 5.4K forever while burning .49 gals per hour.  My current W-32 had the exact combination when I bought it.  I then changed to a 3 bladed Max-prop and ran that for a number of years, again with no regrets or difficulties.  Eventually I had an engine problem and made the decision to change engines.  I now have a 91 cubic inch Westerbeke (Mitsubishi block) but am still using the Max-prop.  Your engine is 67 cubic inches.  Personally, if the old Volvo is running good and has no major issues, I would keep it.

At any rate, Good luck.  Welcome to our group.

Dave

George:

I'm one of those who has changed from the MD2B to a Beta 1505 with a 3 blade fixed prop and love the reduced noise, vibration  and increased power for not much increase in fuel usage - I wish I had Maxi or other non fixed prop. 

I would say that having a well maintained MD2B hopefully with fresh water cooling and if the engine is checked by a Volvo Mechanic and he/she thinks that it has a useful life remaining then the MD2B alone shouldn't cause you to look for a different boat.    

Do look for all the usual things for an older engine (ie frequency of oil/filter changes).  I had the cooling loop in the transmission become clogged with corrosion and that resulted in overheating the engine.  Eventually the lower bearings had a knock so the engine was parted out and replaced. 

Another thing to check is the alternator output - will it be enough for your needs - I find the 100 Amp alternator on the Beta - is really nice.

Good luck with your decision... and let us know .

Jay

George Schenkel wrote:

Bud,

I'm a newbie...so thanks for being here.  I'm looking at purchasing a 1975 Westsail 32 that has the orginal engine (Volvo MD-2B).  I believe it to be a 25hp engine.  Somewhere I read that the 25hp is not enough power to effectively move the 20,000# boat.  Also, it has a three blade feathering Maxiprop.  Your opinion on engine and prop, please.

Thanks in advance for you help,

George

 

 

George,

You have received some good comments to your post, now I will give you mine.  A 60 to 70 cu. in. displacement diesel producing 25 or so HP, is adequate for most conditions, however with a 20,000 lb. boat like the W32, if you really need some power to get out of a tight situation, then you will not have it.  By the same token, going to an overly powerful engine is also not appropriate, as the hull shape of a W32, with too much power, will simply squat down and make waves, but not accomplish much else.  Also, when idling, you might be going faster than normal harbor speed, and have to put the transmission in neutral, or reverse, to maintain a safe harbor speed.

That being said, my experience shows that a 90 to 100 cu. in. engine, producing 35 to 40 HP at normal cruising speeds, is appropriate for a W32.  When comparing engines, don't use the manufacturers rating of an engine at some high RPM that maybe cannot be attained in normal use, but rather a normal cruising RPM HP rating.  On most modern diesel engines, that would be in the 2000 to 2400 RPM range.  In older diesel engines, that would be in the 1600 to 1800 RPM range.

Dave's comment about using an existing 35 year old Volvo engine is OK, however if the engine starts to give you any problems, any repairs are very expensive, and might not prolong the life of the engine.  You should bite the bullet and replace the engine for peace of mind, and security of use when really needed in a tight situation.

My usual recommendation when surveying a W32 with the original Volvo engine, is to advise the buyer that if the boat is used for local sailing, and you have a membership to one of the towing services, go ahead and buy the boat and use her.  If you decide to go offshore for a long cruise, or if the engine quits for any major reason, then replace it. 

He said that a sailboat entered his lock doing nearly 6 knots.  Then, the skipper found that the boat refused to shift into reverse or neutral.  He was heading for a disastrous collision with the lock gates at the far end.  The skipper was too flustered to think of turning the engine off.

Robert, the lock tender, saw what what happening.  He ran toward the boat yelling, "Throw me a line."  He then gave the line one wrap around a wall cleat.  This is enough to exert force but not enough to pull the boat's cleat right out of the deck.  .

Then, Robert freed the line from that cleat, and ran to the next cleat in the wall.  He repeated the procedure, cleat after cleat through the length of the lock.  The boat slowed and finally stopped just before hitting the gates.  Robert's hands were torn and bloody.  If it had hit at full speed, both the boat and the gates may have been destroyed and the whole canal would have been out of service for many months.

The US Army Corps Of Engineers gave Robert a special award for his heroism.  It was a small brass plaque that he carries in his wallet.  If you pass through Deep Creek Lock, ask  Robert to show it to you.