After installation of a new Beta 38 in my old Najad 343 over the winter, launch was last week and I had my first chance to run the engine in the water this weekend. First impressions are great, quieter, smoother, and more powerful than the ancient Volvo-Penta MD17D replaced. Also, my prop choice seems to have worked out well. I chose a Campbell Sailer 16x9 RH to replace the original Volvo 17x14 LH, hoping that the reduced BAR would drag far less when sailing and trusting that the reverse airfoil design would get the power into the water even with the smaller, less-aggressive size. The engine revs up as it should nicely and the boat accelerates and cruises faster than ever before, but I am going to have to get used to prop walking to port in reverse, no intellectual surprise given the opposite-turning engine and prop but still not instinctive at the dock.

One question that the many of you who have already re-powered might answer: is it normal to have a distinct smell in the early hours of running and heating a new engine? After warming the engine up well and cruising along lightly at about 2300 RPM for a bit, I pushed on at 3000 RPM for a time and even ran at 3500 RPM for a short while. Temperature on my BW panel read near 190 degrees at peak, then came down some as the RPM was again below 3000.

While running and still plenty perceptible after I moored and shut down was a sort of burning or cooking smell. There was never any smoke visible or any other sign of distress and the smell was surely not of fuel and not exactly of exhaust, either. Water was gushing out the exhaust and coolant was full. But there was an acrid, eye-irritating smell nonetheless. Is this just engine paint fully baking out, the fiberglass wrapping on the high-rise exhaust elbow settling in, or some other "normal" smell that will cease soon? Or is it something about which I should be concerned?