Hi, I'm repowering my CSY 44 sailboat (displ. 37,000 lbs). Old, original engine was a Perkins 4.154 with a B/W 2.91:1 Transmission, both have been disposed of.
Many CSY owners consider the original (which I believe is rated at 60 hp) to be not enough power. Newer models and many re-owers use the 4.236 rated at 85 hp, however I've heard they actually don't put out that much...
I am considering two alternatives:
a) Remanufactured Perkins 4.236, heavy old engine...
b) Beta 75 or 90 which appear to be the same engine at different ratings. The Beta's weigh about 200 lbs less than the Perkins which ofcourse is good even on a heavy cruising sailboat.
Questions:
1) As the Beta 75 and 90 appear to be the same block - what is different between the two?
2) Will either of these be a "drop in", or should I expect modifications?
Hello Mats, A few CSY 44's have been repowered with the Beta 60. This engine will give about 1 Knot more cruising speed than the 4.154 and the first thing that you will notice is the lack of noise. You will have better acceleration as well. Both of these boats used the existing Velvet Drive transmission and this is the closest to a drop in that you will get.
You could use the Beta 75 or 90. These engines are about the same size as the 4.236 and you must expect some modifications to accomodate the larger engine. The engine beds should be fine but you will have to increase the exhaust size as well as the intake thruhull size with the larger engine. You should still be able to re-use the transmission. The Beta 75 puts out about the same power as the 4.236 and of course, all of our engines are current production so parts will be easier in years to come than parts for an obsolete engine.
Finally, to answer your question about the differences between the 75 and 90. The base engines for the Beta 75 and Beta 90 have a different capacity although both share common external dimensions and a number of internal components as well. The 75 utilises the Kubota E-TVCS injection system and is a very quiet engine indeed. The 90 is a direct injection engine with 4 valves per cylinder.
Whichever engine you decide on, you will be impressed with the lack of noise, smooth power, self bleeding fuel system and of course, no oil leaks.
I have started the process of repowering our CSY44 w/o with the Beta60. We are going with our velvet drive rebuilt and the 120A Balmar alternator. We're working with Ethan in the Bay Area. We put the deposit on the engine today. When Ethan ran the performance calculations, the Beta60 with a 24" prop looked like the best performance. I asked about the 75, and with the performance calcs, Ethan worked hard to talk me into the less expensive 60. I think it will be a good fit, and probably more fuel efficient. Check out the CSY Topica list (http://lists.topica.com/lists/csy/read) for more discussion on CSY repowers and much more.
