DSK wrote:
Thomas Wentworth wrote:

A friend has offered me his old Pearson Vanguard 33' sailboat.


You mean, for free?

... It is in good shape.
But, it needs a new engine. It has the original Atomic 4 gas.


I bet there's a lot of other stuff it "needs," too. But an engine could
well be the biggest single item.

What diesel engine would be the best replacement?


There's a drop-in diesel replacement for the Atomic 4, IIRC it's called
a Beta. Fits in exactly the same; but you also need to put in a new fuel
tank & piping.


... How much do the diesels
cost?


More than the boat.

... How much work is it the replace an old Atomic 4 in a 1968 year
sailboat? When replacing the engine, does the shaft, fuel tank etc also
get replaced?


Shaft & prop, no. Pretty much everything else, yes.


ck wrote:

Tom, have you considered keeping the Atomic 4? Even if it can't be
rebuilt,
it may make more sense to replace it with a working Atomic 4 than with a
diesel.


Depends on how bad you want to use the boat.

Safety is an issue that can and must be addressed in using gasoline, but
economically, a conversion to diesel will never make sense.


It makes good sense *if* you plan to use the boat for a long enough time
to amortize the diesel. Simply dropping in a diesel will not raise the
market value of the boat to cover the cost of the new diesel engine,
agreed. But then, that's true of every kind of upgrade for the boat,
especially electronics... and people go hog-wild over all that stuff.



.... As evidence of
this, compare the estimates of conversion cost to the cost of boats
similar
to yours in size, age, and quality that already have diesels. You may
find
it cheaper to buy a used boat with a diesel engine than to convert yours.


Possibly so, unless he is getting the Vanguard as a gift.


This will surely ignite some contrary opinions.


Was this one contrary enough for ya?

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Lots of folks with old boats rip out the Atomics and replace them with
outboards. It gives back some stowage and is a cheap alternative if you
like to sail. Of course if you are a motor cruiser or you intend to
venture away from the coast the outboard option is less feasible. If
it's a free boat in good shape, I'd check out the various options. It
is a classic boat.