Swallow Yachts Forum > Technical

BC23 engine upgrade mistake??

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David Hall:
Oh dear…I do hope there is some help/advice out there….I fear that I a  have made an impulse purchase and failed in forward research.

Like many BC23 owners, my yacht was specified with a Yamaha 6hp. I (like many others) was frustrated by the noise at higher revs, especially when pushing against an ebb tide on a river. So, a couple of weeks ago, Ijust jumped in, bought a shiny new Honda 10hp and sold my Yamaha…

Despite everyone’s assurances, my new Honda is not quite “drop and go”…

* first issue…the engine didn't fully tilt down as the plate (immediately above the “anti cavitation” plate) sits on the well opening.
Research on the forum advises that I should place a small transom spacer beneath the engine clamps which will slightly lift the engine allowing the unit to sit back firmly against the “transom angle adjusting rod”.
I have done this, and all looks good.

*second issue…tilting the engine, clips the stern of the boat.
Again, simple solution to loosen the “steering friction lever” and allow the engine to slip (or tilt) to one side. Again, this all looks good.

*third issue….rudder stock hits the engine cover when the engine is fully down.
Oh dear this is catastrophic…..I cannot think of a solution….maybe the rudder could be lifted with spacers, it only touches the cover by a few mm

HELP…., any advice on my third issue?

Thanks

Martijn:
I've had similar problems with my previous boat, a Cornish Shrimper. My slightly higher 6HP Suzuki interfered with the helm so I ended up building a new one which curved over the engine.

You mention multiple problems in your post. Combined with the fact that both displacement and waterline length of a BC23 are too small to benefit from a 10 HP motor I would suggest to swap it for a smaller one, if you can afford to. All these problems can be overcome or fixed but it seems a lot of effort (and possibly money) to try to fit a motor that is clearly too large. I'm not sure what made you chose for the Honda, because (apart from fitting the well) other features such as purchase price, fuel consumption, noise in dB, reliability, weight, electric start and the possibility to charge your battery may be decisive factors as well.

I upgraded to the smallest (in terms of HP) 2 cylinder engine I could find for exactly the same reason. In my case I chose the 8 HP Yamaha, and I'm very satisfied with how it performs. Cruising at 3.5 - 4 kn allows us to have a normal conversation in the cockpit and it's a reliable piece of kit. But as the Honda it needs rotating to one side when tilting, other than that it fits fine.
I think it is a tuned down version of the Yamaha 9.9 HP which should also fit. Obviously a 10 Hp motor is more expensive.
Personally I think the additional 2 HP is useless, a BC23 already reaches hull speed with a 6 HP motor meaning a 8 HP engine has power to spare. Although this spare power can come in handy when motoring into head winds it will not push the boat faster in a tide.

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