So Leif called me back today and we talked a bit. Turns out he's a fan of Beta Marine engines above Universal. He believes that the marinization on universals after westerbeke aquired is poor. Some criticisms of Universal:
unhappy with universal marinization - heat exchanger across the back of the tranny, increase plumbing, bad access to tranny, brackets tend to rattle and crack heat exchanger or saddle, other companies (yanmar) integrate heat exchanger with coolant tank which is good. crappy water tanks.
Could the Beta 25 be the engine for me? The price on this engine is the same price as the equivalent Universal and Yanmar engines, about $7k. Installation was slightly less at $2400. So at least we've broken the $10k mark finally! If I can get the Universal 25 for $3k and get the install for 2400, I might even get the repower for the initial idea of $5-6k. How exciting!
Apart from price, I like the fact that Beta Marine is a British company. I seem to have a fondness for British engines: I drive a Mini and a Triumph motorcycle, after all! The brits are all about attention to detail. I also thought it was fascinating that both Universal and Beta use Kubota tractor engines. Apparently all they do is marinize them.
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