Inboard installation

[Commander227]

I just purchased a Commander to fill the two voids my wife and I have felt in our much loved Ensign; a head and a little room below for her, and an inboard motor for me. (I hate outboards)
Unfortunatly I could not find one I liked with an inboard. I have an Atomic 4 I took out of another boat and was planning to install that. I'm wondering if anyone has ever see any drawings to ease my installation process or have any opinions on if I would be happier with a different engine? would a Yanmar 8hp single fit better and be enough to get her to hull speed? Also, The bow was packed with sandbags, is there a balance problem with the Commanders and if so how much worse does it get with a 300 lbs A4?
Any opinions welcomed.

[bill@ariel231]

an inboard A4 was an option for both the ariel and commander so weight an balance should not be a problem. My boat (A-231) balances with a Westerbeke 20B2 at 290#. The hard parts of an inboard install where none was present in the past are (1) electric (charging circuit and battery location), (2) plumbing (cooling water and exhaust), (3) fuel (tank, vent and fill pipe), (4) ventilation (you will need a blower if the engine is gas) and easiest of all you will need to plan for (5) the engine beds and prop shaft.

if your A4 is alive and healthy it will work just fine. 40yrs after introduction, A4s have a devoted following and continued support from companies like moyer marine (http://www.moyermarine.com/). i suggest you might want to double check it runs well before the install. you don't want to do this install twice.

If you go the yanmar 8hp route.. 8hp is plenty of power and it weighs less than the A4. I've theoretically got 18hp on tap and never use more than half of it.

there are lots of good books out there with a tutorial for inboard installation, the textbook i worked from was "Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat" by Daniel Spurr (1993).

good luck
bill@ariel231


note: The drawings in the class association book provide a rough guide to engine placement fore and aft but the details of engine bed placement are not covered. Still the book is a good idea, it would have removed some questions i had when i did A-231's engine install a dozen years ago.

[mbd]

Welcome and congrats!

My boat (A-414) had been repowered with a Yanmar 2GM when I bought it, and I have nowhere near the practical experience or expertise that Bill does, but I can offer a couple of observations.

In regards to your question about an 8 HP Yanmar, I was checking into some prop issues last year, and an engineer at H&H Propeller told me that my 13HP Yanmar was overkill for the boat and I could get by with less - I reach hull speed long before the engine gets up to RPM. He also pointed out, it's better to have too much HP than too little.

Also, these boats do tend to "squat", so the sandbags were probably your PO's solution to repainting his boot stripe. :)

Not to digress, but the following questions to Bill may be pertinent to your install as well:
1. Bill, you've probably answered this before, where are your batteries located? Mine are in the port cockpit locker. Eventually, I would like to move them forward and lower.
2. Where is your fuel fill? Mine is on the cockpit sole with a 2" hose down to the tank underneath... Not ideal, I'm sure.

[bill@ariel231]

Mike

a couple quick answers:
1. My fuel fill is on the deck stbd side just forward of the stern rail. A-231's fuel tank is in the starboard locker aft and below the cockpit. The fuel tank vents aft to a point a couple inches to starboard on the centerline on the transom.
2. A-231's batteries (a pair of group 24s) are portside locker foward. i've been thinking i should move one forward if i add a pressurized hot water system (sort of a day dream, i may never get around to it).


I keep the boat in trim fore/aft with the anchor and chain up forward. A full water tank also works.

cheers,
bill@ariel231:)

[Bill]

The appendix to the manual includes Pearson's engine and fuel tank location drawings. Engine chapter discusses inboard r&r which would be helpful.

Additional skipper input on inboard engines can be found by using the board's "search" function. Time well spent ;)

[mbd]

I keep the boat in trim fore/aft with the anchor and chain up forward.
OK Bill. I've done my due diligence and looked through Periwinkle's Gallery, but I saw no anchor on the bow. Where/how do you store it? I have anchor hangers on the pulpit, but am not crazy about those. Also, how much chain do you have?

Sorry for the digression - back on topic after this... :D

[bill@ariel231]

<begin digression >
The anchor hides in the chain locker in a canvas bag with 8' or 10' of chain and 200ft of line. i have to run below to dig it out when it's time to anchor. i thought about hanging it on the pulpit, but it's not something i want to look at every day. plus it looked like it would foul the furler. :o
<end digression >

[Commander227]

Thanks for all the input, So...where can a guy like me find a Commander manual, appendix, and Class Association book?

[Bill]

Thanks for all the input, So...where can a guy like me find a Commander manual, appendix, and Class Association book?

The Association manual covers both boats. The engine location drawings are for the Ariel, but the location and installation should be the same.