Labour cost to change an engine

[adamwalton]

Hi all

Any rough idea on labour cost to change a 150hp engine on a boat?
I'm looking to change from a 2 stroke 150hp to a 4 stroke 150 hp
I'm in Buckinghamshire so pretty far from any coast, so not much choice in dealers to do the work.

Thanks

Adam

[Sutty]

It will depend on if your can use your existing harness, instruments and control box etc. I would have thought 2-3 hours for a simple change so at £50 per hour I reckon on £100 - £150

[Maximus]

Originally Posted by Sutty

It will depend on if your can use your existing harness, instruments and control box etc. I would have thought 2-3 hours for a simple change so at £50 per hour I reckon on £100 - £150

You will be very lucky to get any engine swap for that sort of money IMO...
Have a good ring round explaining exactly what you have and want them to do and get some quotes would be my advice!...at least it's not the silly season at the mo

[A1an]

Originally Posted by Sutty

It will depend on if your can use your existing harness, instruments and control box etc. I would have thought 2-3 hours for a simple change so at £50 per hour I reckon on £100 - £150

never in the real world.

id be impressed if a dealer would quote you less than a day.

[amyk]

Hi you could try ****** services. he does mobile used to work on my rib and does the sailing club rib. His no is 01 811 8055

[adamwalton]

Thanks all

It will be a complete swap of all electric and controls, although both boats may be in the same location.

Adam

[jonp]

I took a merc 90 of one of my boats in around 4 hrs and a dealer put a new engine with cables and gauges in 2 hrs. I must admit I was very impressed with the dealer and price he charged, so much that another change over on another boat I got the dealer to take off and replace with a new again. This complete change over including on water prop testing was around 6 hrs.

Just add last week I had my Yam f70 which took under 2 hrs and included impeller, both fuel filters, gearbox oil, engine oil and filter for $200 which is about £120 UK side of the pond. Most other dealers are charging $450-$600 and half a day to do the job.

Jon

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by amyk

Hi you could try ****** services. he does mobile used to work on my rib and does the sailing club rib. His no is 01 811 8055

I'd like to remind you that astroturfing is illegal, and we take a very dim view of people creating fake profiles in order to circumvent trade membership.

Luckily you seem to have given out the number for Noel Edmond's Swap Shop.

[Fender]

Originally Posted by adamwalton

Hi all

Any rough idea on labour cost to change a 150hp engine on a boat?
I'm looking to change from a 2 stroke 150hp to a 4 stroke 150 hp
I'm in Buckinghamshire so pretty far from any coast, so not much choice in dealers to do the work.

Thanks

Adam

The money to a degree is irrelevant - the question I'd be asking is 'who' is the right marine engineer to swap my engine over

[adamwalton]

Originally Posted by Fender

The money to a degree is irrelevant - the question I'd be asking is 'who' is the right marine engineer to swap my engine over

Hi Fender

I'm pretty limited to who with my location, only a few around!

[Sutty]

The job isn't rocket science, probably six bolts max through the transom, unplug the harness, engine cover off and unsrew /unclip the gear and throttle cable. couple of mates and off we come. Reverse the procedure with new motor. If you have no mates or don't fancy the job a small independent garage should help. The problem with boats, everybody seems to have been persuaded that the jobs are difficult and very specialised.

[A1an]

Originally Posted by Sutty

The job isn't rocket science, probably six bolts max through the transom, unplug the harness, engine cover off and unsrew /unclip the gear and throttle cable. couple of mates and off we come. Reverse the procedure with new motor. If you have no mates or don't fancy the job a small independent garage should help. The problem with boats, everybody seems to have been persuaded that the jobs are difficult and very specialised.

That's not quite how it works...


Undo battery terminals, because of a bodge by a past owner the battery clamp comes off in two pieces, because you don't have one the same you replace both clamps.

Undo cables and wiring, this usually goes to plan until you drop one of the little r clips down in to the guts of the bottom tray and you give up looking for it and grab a new one from the stores.

Undo engine bolts after wire brushing the threads clean, this is after you have butchered the outboard lock for which the key is long gone. In their wisdom the original engine installer used stainless bolts and one of the bolts has nipped up whilst removing so you have to grind it off. Someone has taken your extension lead so you hunt it down.

Align engine crane to take engine weight, this particular engine doesn't have a lifting point but that stupid design of a lifting eye that screws into the flywheel, you don't have said eye, you need to improvise.

Engine crane takes engine weight and you drift bolts out, low and behold someone has used sikaflex to seal around transom bolts so the engine is now glued to the boat.

Whilst trying to pry the engine from transom the gelcoat has given way around bolt holes so you set about with gelcoat filler, wait to go off, sand and finish.

You line up new engine and guess what?..engine holes don't line up. You measure up and cut wooden dowels, make up some filler and start filling bolt holes.

Whilst waiting for repair to cure you attempt to remove control box but the console is tight for space and the 10mm nuts are actually tucked down behind the battery and you can't reach them so you start to remove battery.

Battery is now loose but you still can't reach that bottom nut so battery has to come out, now you realise you can't get it out through the console hatch as its too big, battery was fitted before hatch, no problem, just get the cordless out and unscrew the 18 screws that hold hatch in place. You take out those little blanks that go in the screw holes to find the feckin thing has been riveted in! You drill rivets but half of them spin on the drill bit whilst drilling. You lose your temper and rip hatch off. New hatch needed.

Control box is now off and you need to swap control cables to new box, the screws on the old box have turned to putty and you ruin the heads whilst trying to get cover off, you eventually get cover off and remove cables. They are transferred to the shiny new box and it all goes smoothly, you wish everything was as easy as that was.

You go back to sand bolt hole repair but filler hasn't gone off yet.

You run control box loom and control cables through trunking but you realise that this isn't going to work as the new plug on engine loom is bigger than the last one and it won't fit down through trunking unless you remove all of the A frame wiring and hydraulic steering pipes.

You've had enough for one day and call it quits. You go home and tell the wife that it's going well!

Day 2

You come in to find the filler has gone off and you finish the repair.

You align new engine and drill new holes for bolts but your new drill is too chunky and you can't get the space to drill holes perfectly straight. You go and find the old slimline mains powered drill to to the job. The chuck has worn through the paint on outboard, you touch up best you can. You fit bolts and use sikaflex to seal holes as you have no intention of ever removing engine and it'll be someone else's problem further down the line. Someone has buggered off with your mastic gun.

Engine has now been mounted, cables and wiring are now back together but you cant fit steering as it requires a special part to work with new engine, you order part but it's on back order and it's coming from America, delivery time is 3 weeks, you forget to ask for steering fluid so you phone them back. You can't get to speak to the original person you placed order with as they've popped out for lunch and the person that is now on the other end of phone is as helpful as a dose of the clap.

Back end of boat is now done so you mount control box. You notice the lever is on wrong side of control box so you swap it over. New engine comes with new gauges, you drill console to put in new units as they are not the same size as old ones.

After another couple of issues with finding the ign +ve you finally get the console wiring buttoned up too.

Absolutely delighted that you have made good progress you go home for a beer and you spend the evening on Internet looking for a hatch exactly the same size as the one you destroyed whilst removing. It appears that hatch was the only one in existence.

In a nutshell that pretty much sums up an engine swap in my world.

[Sutty]

AIam,

Fantastic, the infamous 10 minute job that goes wrong and we have all had them.

I am going to print that off have it enlarged and encapsulated and put up in my office and workshop.

Brilliant

[breezeblock]

Originally Posted by A1an

That's not quite how it works...


Undo battery terminals, because of a bodge by a past owner the battery clamp comes off in two pieces, because you don't have one the same you replace both clamps.

Undo cables and wiring, this usually goes to plan until you drop one of the little r clips down in to the guts of the bottom tray and you give up looking for it and grab a new one from the stores.

Undo engine bolts after wire brushing the threads clean, this is after you have butchered the outboard lock for which the key is long gone. In their wisdom the original engine installer used stainless bolts and one of the bolts has nipped up whilst removing so you have to grind it off. Someone has taken your extension lead so you hunt it down.

Align engine crane to take engine weight, this particular engine doesn't have a lifting point but that stupid design of a lifting eye that screws into the flywheel, you don't have said eye, you need to improvise.

Engine crane takes engine weight and you drift bolts out, low and behold someone has used sikaflex to seal around transom bolts so the engine is now glued to the boat.

Whilst trying to pry the engine from transom the gelcoat has given way around bolt holes so you set about with gelcoat filler, wait to go off, sand and finish.

You line up new engine and guess what?..engine holes don't line up. You measure up and cut wooden dowels, make up some filler and start filling bolt holes.

Whilst waiting for repair to cure you attempt to remove control box but the console is tight for space and the 10mm nuts are actually tucked down behind the battery and you can't reach them so you start to remove battery.

Battery is now loose but you still can't reach that bottom nut so battery has to come out, now you realise you can't get it out through the console hatch as its too big, battery was fitted before hatch, no problem, just get the cordless out and unscrew the 18 screws that hold hatch in place. You take out those little blanks that go in the screw holes to find the feckin thing has been riveted in! You drill rivets but half of them spin on the drill bit whilst drilling. You lose your temper and rip hatch off. New hatch needed.

Control box is now off and you need to swap control cables to new box, the screws on the old box have turned to putty and you ruin the heads whilst trying to get cover off, you eventually get cover off and remove cables. They are transferred to the shiny new box and it all goes smoothly, you wish everything was as easy as that was.

You go back to sand bolt hole repair but filler hasn't gone off yet.

You run control box loom and control cables through trunking but you realise that this isn't going to work as the new plug on engine loom is bigger than the last one and it won't fit down through trunking unless you remove all of the A frame wiring and hydraulic steering pipes.

You've had enough for one day and call it quits. You go home and tell the wife that it's going well!

Day 2

You come in to find the filler has gone off and you finish the repair.

You align new engine and drill new holes for bolts but your new drill is too chunky and you can't get the space to drill holes perfectly straight. You go and find the old slimline mains powered drill to to the job. The chuck has worn through the paint on outboard, you touch up best you can. You fit bolts and use sikaflex to seal holes as you have no intention of ever removing engine and it'll be someone else's problem further down the line. Someone has buggered off with your mastic gun.

Engine has now been mounted, cables and wiring are now back together but you cant fit steering as it requires a special part to work with new engine, you order part but it's on back order and it's coming from America, delivery time is 3 weeks, you forget to ask for steering fluid so you phone them back. You can't get to speak to the original person you placed order with as they've popped out for lunch and the person that is now on the other end of phone is as helpful as a dose of the clap.

Back end of boat is now done so you mount control box. You notice the lever is on wrong side of control box so you swap it over. New engine comes with new gauges, you drill console to put in new units as they are not the same size as old ones.

After another couple of issues with finding the ign +ve you finally get the console wiring buttoned up too.

Absolutely delighted that you have made good progress you go home for a beer and you spend the evening on Internet looking for a hatch exactly the same size as the one you destroyed whilst removing. It appears that hatch was the only one in existence.

In a nutshell that pretty much sums up an engine swap in my world.

is this past experience seems a very detailed account minus the copious amounts of swearing

[whiskylee]

A1an

If it wasn't for bad luck you would have no luck !

I thought it was just me that had these problems + my boat is stored 130 miles away

[A1an]

Originally Posted by whiskylee

A1an

If it wasn't for bad luck you would have no luck !

I thought it was just me that had these problems + my boat is stored 130 miles away

These are just some of the hurdles I've come across over the years and not all on one boat.

[jeffstevens763@g]

In 2009 I had a 50 2 st swapped to a 60 4 st and cost approx £600 all new cables, wiring gauges the lot you might have probs with existing holes not the right size or in the right place adding time. It's winter DIY nice project.

[adamwalton]

I think I will leave this to someone else!

But love the story!

Originally Posted by A1an

That's not quite how it works...


Undo battery terminals, because of a bodge by a past owner the battery clamp comes off in two pieces, because you don't have one the same you replace both clamps.

Undo cables and wiring, this usually goes to plan until you drop one of the little r clips down in to the guts of the bottom tray and you give up looking for it and grab a new one from the stores.

Undo engine bolts after wire brushing the threads clean, this is after you have butchered the outboard lock for which the key is long gone. In their wisdom the original engine installer used stainless bolts and one of the bolts has nipped up whilst removing so you have to grind it off. Someone has taken your extension lead so you hunt it down.

Align engine crane to take engine weight, this particular engine doesn't have a lifting point but that stupid design of a lifting eye that screws into the flywheel, you don't have said eye, you need to improvise.

Engine crane takes engine weight and you drift bolts out, low and behold someone has used sikaflex to seal around transom bolts so the engine is now glued to the boat.

Whilst trying to pry the engine from transom the gelcoat has given way around bolt holes so you set about with gelcoat filler, wait to go off, sand and finish.

You line up new engine and guess what?..engine holes don't line up. You measure up and cut wooden dowels, make up some filler and start filling bolt holes.

Whilst waiting for repair to cure you attempt to remove control box but the console is tight for space and the 10mm nuts are actually tucked down behind the battery and you can't reach them so you start to remove battery.

Battery is now loose but you still can't reach that bottom nut so battery has to come out, now you realise you can't get it out through the console hatch as its too big, battery was fitted before hatch, no problem, just get the cordless out and unscrew the 18 screws that hold hatch in place. You take out those little blanks that go in the screw holes to find the feckin thing has been riveted in! You drill rivets but half of them spin on the drill bit whilst drilling. You lose your temper and rip hatch off. New hatch needed.

Control box is now off and you need to swap control cables to new box, the screws on the old box have turned to putty and you ruin the heads whilst trying to get cover off, you eventually get cover off and remove cables. They are transferred to the shiny new box and it all goes smoothly, you wish everything was as easy as that was.

You go back to sand bolt hole repair but filler hasn't gone off yet.

You run control box loom and control cables through trunking but you realise that this isn't going to work as the new plug on engine loom is bigger than the last one and it won't fit down through trunking unless you remove all of the A frame wiring and hydraulic steering pipes.

You've had enough for one day and call it quits. You go home and tell the wife that it's going well!

Day 2

You come in to find the filler has gone off and you finish the repair.

You align new engine and drill new holes for bolts but your new drill is too chunky and you can't get the space to drill holes perfectly straight. You go and find the old slimline mains powered drill to to the job. The chuck has worn through the paint on outboard, you touch up best you can. You fit bolts and use sikaflex to seal holes as you have no intention of ever removing engine and it'll be someone else's problem further down the line. Someone has buggered off with your mastic gun.

Engine has now been mounted, cables and wiring are now back together but you cant fit steering as it requires a special part to work with new engine, you order part but it's on back order and it's coming from America, delivery time is 3 weeks, you forget to ask for steering fluid so you phone them back. You can't get to speak to the original person you placed order with as they've popped out for lunch and the person that is now on the other end of phone is as helpful as a dose of the clap.

Back end of boat is now done so you mount control box. You notice the lever is on wrong side of control box so you swap it over. New engine comes with new gauges, you drill console to put in new units as they are not the same size as old ones.

After another couple of issues with finding the ign +ve you finally get the console wiring buttoned up too.

Absolutely delighted that you have made good progress you go home for a beer and you spend the evening on Internet looking for a hatch exactly the same size as the one you destroyed whilst removing. It appears that hatch was the only one in existence.

In a nutshell that pretty much sums up an engine swap in my world.

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by A1an

That's not quite how it works...


<<Wot he sed...>>

In a nutshell that pretty much sums up an engine swap in my world.

I know a Ballistic that was like that!

[Searider]

Originally Posted by adamwalton

Thanks all

It will be a complete swap of all electric and controls, although both boats may be in the same location.

Adam

So, it's two jobs then!