Thanks Joe, you've basically articulated my viewpoint better than I could. The A4 has an undeserved bad reputation that, when viewed from a financial perspective, is a good thing for the buyers out there .. of course, bad for sellers. However, upgrading to a diesel won't get you your money back .. either on the resale or the fuel consumption, unless you're motoring around the world.
I tried posting a story the other day about the Russian Canadian that recently came back from a circumnavigation .. on a 1972 C&C 35 with ... an A4. I emailed Stu to ask him to check the filters because I think that story and videos will be of interest to the list. (he bought the boat for $1000 in June 2011 and came back from his solo circumnavigation a few weeks back... had no sailing experience prior). Steve Suhana, C&C 32 Toronto On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 11:27 AM, Della Barba, Joe via CnC-List < cnc-list@cnc-list.com> wrote: > I have had a boat with a diesel and the 4-107 is definitely a better boat > engine than an A4 if you can fit one in your boat. Unlike the A4, which is > the height of 1920s tech, the 4-107 is the height of 1950s tech. Even > better are the Kubota derived diesels like the Beta that are this century > tech J Modern diesels can drive a big alternator faster off the crank > than an A4 ever will off the accessory pulley. > > The reason some of us get annoyed with the “A4 oh no you will die for > sure” meme you see over and over on the internet and various boat reviews > is it gives people really bad financial advice. For sure if you are headed > offshore the range advantage and ease of getting fuel for a diesel trump > the cost, but for local and coastal cruising not so much. PS just did a > review of the Alberg 35, which is a boat worth maybe $25,000 for a really > good one, and of course they were going on about “you must get a diesel”. > So you take say a $20,000 boat, spend $12,000-$15,000 on a diesel > conversion, and now have – AT BEST – a $25,000 boat. I recently saw a C&C > 35 MK I that looked to be a decent boat for sail with a 30 HP diesel for > $16K. That is essentially the cost of the engine and the boat is free! > Meanwhile the best A4 rebuild is going to run you $6K and not require a new > prop, new instruments, new controls, etc. etc. > > > > All that said, it is very possible to have a really bad A4 installation. > The engines are not magic and after decades of poor to no maintenance they > may well be on their last legs. The engines are mostly not FWC and may be > rusting through the block, head, manifold, or all three. Specific to C&C, > the original fuel systems would be VERY BAD and DANGEROUS by this point in > time. C&C used ternplate fuel tanks back in the day that WILL rust through. > First thing they do is send a ton of rust to the engine and the next thing > they do is have a hole in the bottom. They rust from the INSIDE, so they > look fine until you are ankle-deep in gas. The hoses, including the fill > hose, the vent hose, and the funky rubber elbow used on 35s, were not rated > for ethanol. They WILL come apart sooner or later. If you have ANY part of > the original fuel system at all from the 70s it is way past due to be > replaced. At least on my boat there was no Racor either from the factory, > the fuel line went straight to the engine. > > > > *Joe Della Barba* > > Coquina > > C&C 35 MK I > > > > _______________________________________________ > This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album > > Email address: > CnC-List@cnc-list.com > To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go bottom of > page at: > http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com > > >
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