Balboa 27

[george58]

Hello, I am new to sailing and last week bought a Balboa 27. Sailing is something I have always wanted to do so here I am at 57. My boat is a bit of a project but the price was rite. It's all there but the motor. Prop , shaft and plumbing are all there. I don't know what it was but the Atomic 4 sounds interesting. At this point should I go Diesel? Someone have an Atomic for sale?
Not a lot of cash left over but I see where some have changed to just an outboard. I think I would like to have a power plant. Any advice or help is welcome.

[Al Schober]

George,
Welcome to the forum. You'll find lots of folks here that think the A4 is a fine engine, but not any that I know of who will tell you to go diesel.
Any chance the boat originally had an Atomic 4? Might just be a matter of finding an engine and installing it.
Are there engine beds in the boat? Perhaps with studs? The A4 wants a set of studs that are 11 1/2" apart side to side and 15 7/16" fore and aft.
How about the shaft & propeller? If there's a coupling on the shaft, how big is it and how many bolts? Do you know the diameter and pitch of the propeller?
Finding an Atomic 4 shouldn't be a problem. More important is finding a match for your pocket book and your desire/ability to work on a used engine to make it reliable. Many members of this forum find that working on an engine over the winter is a worthwhile and therapeutic project. There are engines available ranging from a) completely overhauled, to b) running takeouts, to c) engines in a basket.
Tell us more about you and the boat..

[hanleyclifford]

Welcome again. We love pictures. Send pictures of engine room, shaft coupling and bed, and I bet we can figure it out.

[Dave Neptune]

george58, welcome to the MMI forum.

Does you boat have any filters or fuel tank. If so determine that it was "gas" and an A-4 would probably cost about the same as converting to n OB which is viable on the B-27. I would bet that it had the A-4 just for the weight advantage.

To do a diesel conversion just is not worth the money unless someone gives you a running one!

Dave Neptune

[lat 64]

I read "Sailing is something I have always wanted to do…"
What I did not read was "I want to restore a boat engine"
I will make enemies but hanging a $1200 kicker on the transom (http://sacramento.craigslist.org/bpo/5283602282.html) will get you past the breakwater and out daysailing in good weather and having some fun.
It will NOT do well in a swell or rough water. Not great for passages

If you WANT an inboard, AND you find a good(price) A-4, I'd say go for it.
A few years ago there was always some guy selling A-4s on the Latitude 38 website:

http://www.latitude38.com/index.lasso

Yea, take some measurements and some photos and post them.

Welcome,
Russ

[ndutton]

Welcome to sailing. I don't mean to pry but for meaningful advice knowing the budget is important information. Often times (nearly always) those new to the sport woefully underestimate the cost and time investment of repairs and improvements. I think everyone on the forum has probably experienced it at one time or another.

[george58]

Balboa 27

[ATTACH]11210[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]11211[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH]11212[/ATTACH]

[hanleyclifford]

Well whatever was in there sure was not an atomic 4 but it's interesting whoever took "it" out left the door open for future options. I see the kicker bracket which sorta tells the tale. As Russ alluded to you need to decide how you intend to use the boat before going into a repower project. Certainly the atomic 4 is a great option if you plan to go cruising and want to have some comforts like inverter power, hot water etc. I remember working on a certain Grampian 26 that carried the atomic nicely.

[ndutton]

George, here's where I think you are headed with an Atomic 4 installation:

Used, decent running engine $2000.00
Engine mounts (flex mounts, stringers, fiberglass materials) $400.00
Prop shaft & prop (chances are slim the existing shaft and prop are suitable) $600.00
Exhaust system $400.00
Instrument panel and wiring $300.00
Throttle, shift and choke controls, cables $600.00
Engine space blower and ducting $300.00

Rough estimate = $4600.00
assumes the existing fuel system can be used as-is

You may find a used engine for less but by the time it's repaired to reliable running condition I'll bet you'll be at $2K anyway. Notice the engine is less than half of the entire installation.

Hope this helps

[edwardc]

According to sailboatdata.com, the (optional) OEM inboard was a Petter diesel:

http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=644

Based on the obviously added-on bracket in your photo, I would guess that it had been repowered with something else since then.

Found this image of a Lister-Petter Marine engine. Note the same two-lobed flange on the output shaft as the one shown in your photo:

http://www.realdiesels.co.uk/identify/AC1M.jpg

[hanleyclifford]

George, here's where I think you are headed with an Atomic 4 installation:

Used, decent running engine $2000.00
Engine mounts (flex mounts, stringers, fiberglass materials) $400.00
Prop shaft & prop (chances are slim the existing shaft and prop are suitable) $600.00
Exhaust system $400.00
Instrument panel and wiring $300.00
Throttle, shift and choke controls, cables $600.00
Engine space blower and ducting $300.00

Rough estimate = $4600.00
assumes the existing fuel system can be used as-is

You may find a used engine for less but by the time it's repaired to reliable running condition I'll bet you'll be at $2K anyway. Notice the engine is less than half of the entire installation.

Hope this helps

Whoa, pardner. George, I take exception to Neil's "Cadillac" estimate. The job could be done for much less if you are in any way handy with tools.

[JOHN COOKSON]

Not Being Negative On The A4

If you decide to go for an inboard engine a smaller engine (such as the one Ed found) in the space will be a lot easier to work on once installed.
On a different note check the rigging sometime when the mast is down. If you don't know how yourself hire a rigger to do it. It will be somewhere around $100.

TRUE GRIT

A boat is a hole in the water into which one throws money.

[Al Schober]

That Petter AC1M is air cooled and single cylinder. I can only guess why the original owner removed it. I suspect I would have done the same, and considered an outboard a good improvement.

[george58]

Balboa 27

I think a smaller motor may be my choice but it has to have a clutch and where to find a transmission ?

[Mo]

2 cents

You can get into more money than you think taking on a project like this. First thing you need to ask yourself is are you keeping the boat. Have you decided where she will be kept, docked, or moored. What other money do you have to put into it. Electrical all working? Safety gear? Sails? Rigging?

Unless you put in something pretty close to what was in there your shaft and prop might need changing or couplers etc; fuel system, filtering etc; wiring and engine monitoring gauges...it all adds up.

I see there's an outboard mount on the stern. I'll give you my assessment on that.
-nice fairly straight up and down transom...so you will get the best performance from the outboard that it can provide.
-outboards on sailboats have drawbacks; the prop goes in and out of the water in rougher seas; have to lean out and over to start them; unless you have remote controls in the cockpit they are harder to operate and one has to lean out and change throttle speed and gears...imagine that when docking.
-they are generally dependable when maintained; a 9.9hp with a 5 blade prop would push that boat fine in decent conditions.
-they are not too bad on a boat in the harbor or bay but would be less effective off on the coast.

Either way, there are things to ponder.