Making the Beta 43 Fit
Prop Shaft Extension The Beta 43 has a completely different footprint than the Perkins. The engine sits a bit higher and the transmission is considerably shorter. As such, our prop shaft wouldn’t mate up with the transmission. So we went to Bay Propeller in Alameda and had them create a shaft extension for us. We […]
We’re Getting the Beta
Recap After much deliberation and with the lingering effects of the pandemic causing delays in the delivery of our Beta Marine 43, we made the decision get the Perkins 4-108 running. Shortly after ordering a couple thousand dollars of Perkins parts we got the good news that the Beta Marine 43 had been delivered to […]
The Fire
In our last post we were in the process of diagnosing why our Perkins 4-108 was persistently overheating. We decided to rebuild the engine and were in the complete tear down process when disaster struck. On October 31, 2021 a fire engulfed our marina work shed, reducing it to ashes. Unfortunately, the work shed housed […]
Saga of an Old Perkins 4-108
For many boat owners, the engine is the heart of their vessel, providing reliable power for countless adventures. Not only does the engine allow you to anchor and enter marinas safely and quickly, it also charges the batteries for all the electrical needs of a cruiser. Such was the case with our trusty 1977 Perkins […]
Why is Our Engine Overheating?
We’ve been really lucky with our engine. Sure, we haven’t used it that much, but it’s never failed us, and until recently, overheating wasn’t an issue. For something that’s 43 years old with an unknown number of hours or maintenance history, that’s pretty good. So when the high-temperature alarm for our trusty Perkins sounded, needless […]
Our Stuffing Box Leaks
Yep, our stuffing box leaks. But wait…it’s supposed to. We have a traditional stuffing box (also known as a stuffing gland, packing gland, and other variations). In general, it’s “an assembly which is used to house a gland seal. It is used to prevent leakage of fluid, such as water, between sliding or turning parts.” […]
New Balmar Alternator
Our boat came with an internally regulated, Leece-Neville 105 amp alternator. It couldn’t keep up with the high charge acceptance rate of our new 500 Ah LiFePo battery bank; it worked too hard and got too hot and finally quit on us. Plus, it looked like it had been sprayed with salt water at one time. […]
One thing leads to another
So goes it with boat projects. Pick a simple project to work on such as changing the oil & filter, and it mutates into something much more involved. The snowball effect. I should know this by now.