Quote:
Originally Posted by ndutton
My research shows that Universal ceased production of the A-4 in 1980 but continued to ship engines until 1984.
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Hi Neil, I have spoken with an old salt (at the bar, where else
) that said he worked for Westerbeke in 1980 when they went into the Oshkosh plant & shut it down when Westerbeke 'bought out' Universal. This I would consider a reliable source, except I think his liver has seen a lot of use in the last 30 years. His memory still seems to be intact. I would take this information to mean that Westerbeke didn't like the Atomic4 and wanted to stop production to remove any competition from the market & allow diesels to take over...too bad.
The rumor I've heard is that Catalina continued to put A-4's into their boats until 1982 due to a large stockpile they had purchased prior. I might have heard this from Max Munger or read it on the Catalina30 class website.
Caleb, since you started the poll, here is the data I have. The casting date stamped on my engine block in my '77 model year boat is April 1976. I have the serial number floating around somewhere.. - edit, it is #197258 .