Jere,

I agree that there is more to consider than the number of cylinders, but
there are so many variables in an installation, that I wouldn't expect two
engines of the model and age to sound the same in the same boat, let alone a
different boat. The Beta I did see on a boat was very quiet, but I don't
know whether that is because it was naturally quiet, quiet because it was
boxed with lots of insulation, or quiet because it was driving an hydraulic
pump instead of a prop.

What I do know is that Robinhood Yachts is currently using the Yanmar 3JH3E
in the same hull as our boat. If I can presume that a manufacturer that is
going to build a $250,000 boat is going to spend at least a little time
analyzing which modern engine to use, then the Yanmar is a good bet.

However, lots of people on this list love the Perkins....

Keep on sailing,

Ken


"Jere Lull" wrote in message
...
Ken Coit wrote:

I have had others comment elsewhere that the Yanmar is the rough running
engine and I don't understand why a three cylinder engine running at
roughly
20% faster for a given power output, could be quieter and smoother than a
4
cylinder engine at that same power level. This is especially true if the
4-banger has greater displacement and would be running at, say, 3000 RPM
at
max continuous rating of 37 SHP when the 3 banger is running at 3650 RPM
at
a similar power level.


There's more to vibration and noise than the number of cylinders.

Why not see if you can get a ride on boats with each?

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/