bertram31.com

I've "heard" for years that the 4BTA at 155hp was indestructable, do any of you guy's have first hand experience with this little engine...at this rating?

The 4BT is 150/155 hp, depending on what you read. The 4BTA is 250 hp. I have two of the 4BT's which I am about to put back into a B28 I am restoring. I bought the boat with the motors, all neglected. I talked to another B28 owner from bertram28.net. He said he cruises at 18 kts and can do 20-21 kts WOT with a few guys and offshore gear. I sure hope he is right...1.5:1 gear, 1 1/4" shafts, and he said either a 17*17 or a 16*16 prop (he couldn't remember).
Here they are after new paint:

With the torque I think those engines create and 1:50 gears, it seems to me those props can be upped in size (if you have the right clearance) and given a bit more pitch. One man's opinion. Obviously you should check further. Walter

Stock 28B's with 302 fords or 305 Chevys came with 1.5:1 trannys turning a 17"X17" three blade bronze prop. My 28B had 60 gallons extra fuel and made canyon trips. I had the props cut down to 17"X16 with a med cup. This gave me greater cruise speed. The 302 put out 225HP. I bet the 17"X17" for a 150HP diesel is not far off.

Paint jobs work wonders, nice looking little B's. I have heard, read, etc about the injector problems on the 4BTA 250hp. The HP options on these engines seems limted, a 190-210hp version would be nice. I wonder if there is any way to pump the 155's up to around 200hp without running into problems?

Scot - nope, not worth the effort. Any 4 cyl., 4-stroke diesel is a harmonic nightmare if run over about 1800 rpm, which is why the 4BT is such a great genset engine, but you don't see them in many propulsion applications.

UV