Practical Boat Owner - July 2018

Here’s just a selection of the latest questions from

PBO readers. Email or write to the address on

page 5 and our experts will answer your queries

Got a question? Email [email protected]

Ask the experts

THE PBO EXPERTS To ask a question email [email protected] and include your address. Pictures are helpful

CRUISING

Stuart Carruthers

is the RYA Cruising

Manager and has

sailed extensively

SAILS

Ian Brown of the

International

OneSails loft group

is an expert on sails

ELECTRICS

Paul Holland is

part-chair of the

BMEEA and MD of

Energy Solutions

(UK)

MASTS & RIGS

Mike Coates worked

in the spar and

rigging business for

many years

ENGINES

Stu Davies has

a background in

engineering in the

coal and oil field

industries

SURVEY AND

CORROSION

Colin Brown runs

a marine survey and

consultancy company,

CB Marine Services

SEA SAFETY

Keith Colwell is

author of the

RYA Sea Survival

Handbook

SEALING AND

BONDING

Gareth Ross is

Sika UK’s Marine

Market Field

Specialist

ENGINES

Q

I have a Leisure 27 with

a Volvo MD5a engine

and saildrive that has given

up the ghost, so I need a

replacement. Companies

are eager to offer me a new

engine, but £5,500 to buy

and fit sounds a lot on a

boat I paid £8,500 for five

years ago. Can you suggest

a used engine that would fit

my boat?

Tony Finnegan-Butler,

by email

STUART DAVIES REPLIES:

The Volvo MD5a is a bit long

in the tooth now and spares

are getting more and more

difficult to find.

The big issue is the saildrive

• whichever engine you find
  will need to have an adapter
  plate made to mate it up to
  the saildrive unit.
  Also, be aware that buying
  second-hand is fraught with
  danger. The question always
  has to be asked, why is a
  second-hand diesel engine
  being sold in the first place?
  During our phone
  conversation you said that the
  cylinder had let some water in
  and it had seized. You also
  said that a friend had offered
  to ‘play’ with the engine to see
  if he could resurrect it. Having
  worked in Africa, the Middle
  East and other places where
  spares aren’t available, I have

Engine replacement advice

often been able to make

things work again by carefully

stripping, cleaning and

reassembling them.

So as a first port of call, lift

the engine out and let your

friend have a look to see what,

if anything, can be done.

Miracles can sometimes be

worked with copious amounts

of penetrating fluid, abrasive

cloths and wire brushes!

I have spoken to Beta Marine

and they tell me that they do

make adapter plates for your

saildrive and so you could buy

just an engine and adapter off

them as opposed to the whole

engine and drivetrain.

There is another answer to

your problem, and that’s to fit

an outboard. They are easy

enough to fit, reliable and

readily available, although

then you’d have to decide

what to do with the old diesel

motor and the saildrive.

Beta Marine engines are

available with adapter plates

to fit older saildrives on boats

like this Leisure 27

David Harding

Beta Marine