Engine & Gearbox

The engine is the heart of the boat. Without it you would not be able to move, power or in some cases heat your boat. Narrowboats generally use a diesel inboard engine (inside the boat and not bolted onto the back) with the exception of river cruisers which tend to have the opposite arrangement (A petrol outboard).

The engine is almost always in the stern half of the boat. Cruisers and semi-traditionals have their engines outside under the deck but the traditional can have it almost anywhere.

The limiting factor is the driveshaft so the vast majority of traditional boats will have their engine directly inside the cabin from the stern (usually boxed in to reduce the noise and provide somewhere to stand when stepping in).

Some boats have their engine proudly on display in it’s own room 8-10 feet inside the cabin and can be seen by onlookers through opposing side doors (which help to ventilate the room). They are often nicely polished to a shine and sound fantastic but do consume alot of space so be aware of this.

To get around the driveshaft limitation, some boats opt for a hydraulic gearbox. This means that there are two large pipes going from engine to a much smaller propshaft. The engine can be mounted anywhere at all (on the roof if you like!) as long as it has access to fuel lines. Some boats put their engines in obscure places but in reality they are generally tucked into a corner in the stern to provide much more space for other things.

There are really only two types of engine, small new ones and big old ones. Surprisingly the big old variety use considerably less diesel although tend to drink oil if not looked after properly. The newer variety are essentially van engines that can do everything you need. They are smaller, quieter and usually heat your water for you aswell.

Which engine is right for me?
For liveaboards a hydraulic gearbox is a major advantage because the daily engine run (if you need to run it daily) can be done out of gear meaning you don’t go through as much stern packing grease and there is generally less vibration through the hull when you are moving your boat or just running in gear.

The older variety of engine is better for those boats that do plenty of hours if you are able to fix it when things go wrong (Engines made by Lister, Petter, Bollinder, Gardner, Ruston & Hornsby). If your budget is slightly higher or you are less mechanically able then it would be better to get a newer engine (maybe made by Vetus, Beta Marine or one of the others).