Has Anyone Repowered With a BETA 25

[Marc G]

I pulled the engine out of Spellbound (1987 Catalina 34) yesterday and I am looking at options for a replacement engine, verses a rebuild.
I like all that I have heard from and about the Beta 25, but I have not found any information or found anyone who has actually done the this refit.
From what I have found so far is that the Beta 25 will fit in the bed and shaft alignment is fine, but, none of the exhaust riser options for the Beta 25 I can locate are compatible with the exhaust arrangement in the boat.
All the Beta risers go directly aft, while the Catalina has the water-box on the port side about adjacent to the transmission front end.
I cannot see how I can possibly refit a new water-box and exhaust to accommodate the Beta straight aft risers.
I need a riser that turns 90 degrees to port before the rise mimicking the M25XP riser in size and arrangement.

Has anyone experience in the Beta 25 refit and/or a solution to the riser arrangement?
Short of having a custom riser made, I do not see how this will work.

Any suggestions welcome...

Thanks all,
Marc

[Ken Juul]

ask the beta folks if they can make a custom one for you, it could also be used as good marketing to other catalina owners thinking about a new engine.

[Ted Pounds]

Here's probably all you need to know:  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=7664.0   

And I'll bet that Steve would be happy to talk to you and answer any questions.

[Stu Jackson]

There was also someone else who did a Beta repower and his issue included the alternator wiring.

Please, use the search engine.  Type in Beta and read the results.

Good luck on your repower, it can and has been done successfully.

[Ron Hill]

Marc : There have been a few people that have repowered with a Beta engine - don't know which size.
D. Gill repowered with a Beta last year, give her a call and ask 301-253-3840.

The neat pump on the front of a Beta engine - does it draw from the rear of the oil pan???  I hope so!!

A thought

[waterdog]

Hi Marc.   Got your PM but thought I would reply here in case in benefits anyone else. 

I have a stainless exhaust riser that was threaded into a flange that bolted to the back of the M25-XP.   

The Beta came with a threaded male stub that came off of another flange.    So I had two bits of stainless pipe with male threads that were slightly different sizes and threading.   

The chances of finding some coupling to mate these together was near zero.      For a case of beer I had a friend of a friend who owns a steel fabrication shop do the welding for me.   (I first tried 3 other places who couldn't do the stainless weld.)

The alignment was perfect.   The position of the exhaust coming off the beta matches the M25XP perfectly.   So there was good clearance and no hot spots.

The exhaust and shaft alignment were my biggest concerns going to the Beta repower.      Both turned out to be absolutely painless.   

Your biggest challenge will be a little bit of wood carving on the stairs to accommodate some plumbing and drilling some new holes in the bed for your mount.    Not a big deal.   

I would highly recommend the Beta.   My only regret is that my brother-in-law got to do the first oil change, and I haven't had a chance to use the pump yet...

Don't forget to put LED lighting in your engine bed.    It really is worth the effort.

[Bill Asbury]

Hi Marc,
As Ron Hill mentioned, a member of Fleet 12, Denise Gill, had a Beta 28 installed last year
and told me she loves it.  Don't know the install details, though.
Good luck!
Bill

[Andrew Harvey]

The fall oil change was a dream with the Beta Pump. No muss no fuss took all of about 20 minutes from start to finish.
The Beta 30 is amazing. Runs like a sewing machine.
It was ordered with the hi rise exhaust. Would not fit with the existing muffler so we installed a new horizontal type muffler.
If I were to do it again, would go with the 25. The 30 is a larger block requiring a lot of modifications to the companionway steps.There was also an issue with the alternator wiring for external regulation that was a fault at the factory.
Beta took care of it.
I used the C option engine panel that I now have picture of.
Just need to figure out how to upload them.

Andrew

[Stu Jackson]

............I used the C option engine panel that I now have picture of.
Just need to figure out how to upload them.

Andrew, nice report, thanks.  If you can't figure out how to do something, I suggest that you first at least check out the "101 Topics" thread, like this one:

Posting Photos 101  http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,3701.0.html

Good luck, Stu.