Author:
Greg B.
[ Edit | View ]
|
Date Posted: 03:51:01 07/13/15 Mon
Leo, K Pelle has done a pretty good job of describing the love/hate relationship sailors have with the Atomic 4, so I won't rehash that. But to give you some background, almost every sailboat from 25-40 feet, built between 1950 and 1975 was equipped with an Atomic 4. It's a 60 cubic inch, 25 hp flathead engine that's about as simple as an engine can be. It's also fairly compact and relatively light. Now, if you think about it, all those boats are pretty old now and maintenance was often spotty. I'm pretty sure any engine of similar vintage is going to be a little cranky at times. We've had to undo about a decade of neglect and half-assed repairs on ours.
So why do I like it? The simplicity, for one thing. Even I can work on it, if a real mechanic isn't handy. But the thing I like best is the way it runs. It's much smoother running and quieter than a diesel. Our Cal 29 only needs a bit more than idle speed to push it to the 5 MPH limit in our marina, leaving plenty of power in case its really needed.
Was that the kind of humoring you had in mind?
-Greg
>>Greg, will you humor some of us? I'm not a sailor, or
>>even a gear-head like some of my bosses have been. But
>>I'm interested in technology and the uses of in
>>different applications.
>>
>>Leo
>
>I'm not Greg, but I have about eight years of four
>hour evenings and weekend experience as a 'second
>mechanic' at a boatworks here in BC. Fifty percent of
>the people I've met who own the Atomic 4s swear by
>them and fifty percent of the owners swear at them.
>
>Often that's because they are installed in the
>tightest, most cramped and unhandy positions due to
>the fact that they are installed in boats designed to
>sail, not move under power. Just changing the oil on
>one could often be an adventure in sheer frustration
>and utter gymnastic torture. Oh and Atomic 4s were
>often used in salt water boats, usually salt water
>cooled, so they corroded both in and out (They were
>even worse for corrosion than their predecessor, the
>Utility 4, which was designed and used during WWII on
>small naval vessels.)
>
>I grew to abhor the simple words "Hey Iceman, sorry to
>have to tell you, but we've got a dead Atomic 4 on
>this boat, would you have a look at it?"
>
>Specs can be found here:
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Atomic_4
>
>K Pelle
|
Feedback: 