@caolila22
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Hi Marilyn,
I’m suddenly doubting myself. You refer to your 4.108 as the original engine. I thought the 4.107 was the original engine, and the 4.108 must therefore be the second engine in my boat. Caol Ila is Hull No. 22 and launched in 1969, so it is a reasonably early boat. Maybe the earlier and later boats had different engines. Or, maybe, I’m just wrong?
Hi Kev,
This was my question (and concern). I wanted to replace a 50 hp engine, and lots of people were scratching their heads and saying I didn’t need an engine that big, I didn’t need to spend that much money, or that I didn’t need to buy a new engine at all. As Marilyn’s post above demonstrates, some people can make the engine last forever. I don’t think I’m one of those people. I’m not sufficiently mechanically minded to be confident sailing significant distances with this old engine.
I was also worried that the advice about engine sizes was more about saving money rather than sizing the engine properly, so I was very pleased to have found this thread with other people having previously gone down the same path as me. Possibly because they had read this article about sizing an engine on Beta Marine’s website.
I was also pleased to discover the original engine would have been 42 HP (unless anybody knows better). I would be interested to know which manufacturer you’re thinking of?
Best wishes (and good luck),
David
I’m joining this conversation about 10 years late, but following an incident in St George’s Channel between Wales and Ireland that resulted in a 6 1/2 hour tow from a volunteer lifeboat crew, who were dragged away from their homes for what was a 9 hour operation for them, I’m also considering replacing my Perkins 4-108 with a Beta 43 and wondering how happy people have been with these engines after such a long time.
This woeful tale is succinctly described on the RNLI website, complete with pictures – https://rnli.org/news-and-media/2025/april/08/nine-hour-yacht-rescue-for-st-davids-rnli. The incident was as undramatic as they describe. I was never in danger, but I was making only 1 knot in rolly but wind-free seas. Enough to stay out of the shipping lane, but not enough to get me anywhere. They and His Majesty’s Coastguard are professional, very relaxed, and have all the kit they need to make this sort of event ‘uneventful’. For people who are unfamiliar with the RNLI, this service is completely free and covers the whole of the UK and Ireland.
I know that the Perkins is a wonderful engine that will run forever, but I’m thinking forever might have arrived for this particular 40-something-year-old engine. I know that I could replace the failed fuel injection pump, but at best, the replacement will be an expensive reconditioned 40-something-year-old replacement. It’s also entirely possible that some other part will fail at an equally inconvenient time, and I think it’s probably my responsibility to prevent that rather than relying on the Coastguard and Lifeboat crews. I know two other boats, not Nicholsons, who have had similar issues, spent large amounts of money on parts, mechanics and visitor fees in marinas they hadn’t planned to visit. Both have curtailed their sailing plans, and neither now strays far from their home port for fear of another breakdown.
For all of those reasons, the decision has now been made. And, in consultation with sailors and mechanics alike, I have decided to get a Beta 43. I’d love to know whether those of you who have already gone down this path are still happy with your Beta? Would you still have chosen the 43 rather than the 38 or the 50? Although the 4-108 is 50 hp, I understand the original 4-107 would have been 42 hp.
