[johnwstar]

We are prospective buyers of a motorboat....looking in the 40-45 ft range.

We have been told by one broker that we should stay away from Perkins engines because they are no longer made and parts are difficult to come by. What are your experiences and is there a hierarchy of motor manufactures....best made and those to avoid.

[AMG]

Originally Posted by johnwstar

We are prospective buyers of a motorboat....looking in the 40-45 ft range.

We have been told by one broker that we should stay away from Perkins engines because they are no longer made and parts are difficult to come by. What are your experiences and is there a hierarchy of motor manufactures....best made and those to avoid.

You should stay away from that broker...

Perkins have made engines based on several manufacturers, I have one with many parts from Volvo Penta as an example. But some of their engines are not my favorites either, so you better listen to what your surveyor says about the particular engine you may find.

[johnwstar]

thanks AMG,

Appreciate your input. This is really unknown territory for us and we don't want to make any mistakes with our first boat purchase.
Do you have any opinions on what engine manufacturers the most highly desirable?

[AMG]

I use to recommend those with service where you are using your boat. In general, with every engine size you´ll find some that are better than others and this is what a surveyor use to be familiar with. On a used engine, the service record could be more important than the make as well.

[KCook]

Another ramble on the various engine brands -

What mains do you find best

Kelly Cook

[CaptTom]

John,
Perkins are good engines, but of course all engine manufacturers have had their shares of ups and downs.
Just keep in mind that if you have engines that are no longer made, it may make it difficult to sell later on. The next buyer may have the same broker as you.

[johnwstar]

Capt Tom

Good advice....I'm starting to see the big picture. Appreciate everyone's advice.

[MaxResolution]

The other day we spent several hours dissecting old Volvos, in search of a special antique fuel distributor. I concluded those people were out of their minds before, oh, say, 1994. This caught the attention of the main mechnanic, so he let us watch him work on a late model which was quite impressive, but no match for the parts we needed.

When I got home, I went straight to the net. I read about the latest, "super quiet" Honda engines, which appear to go all the way up the Hp-ladder in size. Either way, I would definately check out their runabouts for your tenders.

[newbee]

John,

I bought my boat knowing that one of my Perkins T6-354 engines would require a re-build. I was also told parts were very difficult to come by. Turns out not to be true at all.

I'm chronicling my re-build journey on the board here. If you have not seen it already, here's the thread.

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/te...html#post42069

Here's a couple of things I've learned;

1. I think the parts scarcity is a red herring. I don't know if there is anyone in your area, but I'm finidng www.TAD123.com (opposite coast from me) have everything I need.
2. Caterpilar own perkins. When I was considering getting new replacement engines I noticed that the Cat 185 is identical to the Perkins. I later learned that Perkins/Sabre manufacture some Volvo & Cat models.

Good luck in your search.