Toyota Nanni Diesels are they any good?

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Billylll

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As many of you know I think I made a major mistake when I refitted my 40 Mainship. I saw a pair of Nanni diesel engines that appear to be owned by Toyota. They were turbo'ed straight 6's and would definitely fit in my ER. Has anyone heard of these engines before and what do you think of them? I looked at the 308hp and 320hp versions. They had a show special $15k a piece.
Has anyone heard of them before and if so are they up to par?
Bill
 
The Toyota 6 cylinder in line diesel is the basis for the Yanmar LP series. Earlier ones were rated at 300 HP and later ones at 315.

This has been a conventional injection pump, mechanical injector model.

It is my understanding, not fact that the current production model meets emissions specs without electronic fuel injection.

I do not know if there is any relation between the Nanni and Yanmar.

I did a repower in 2005 with the Yanmr 315 LP series and am VERY satisfied.

RWS
 
Thanks they looked nice but I was wondering what opinions people had about them. If I can trade my 2007 8.1L HOs with 5 year extended Mercruiser transferable warranties. I may go for the swaps. I liked the size of the motors they will fit in my ER which is small because I have V drives. I knew I made a mistake when I re-powered 2 years ago. My loss will be someone else's gain. I would still like to hear other opinions. Bill
 
I met a couple who built their own 42 ft. trawler in Colo. and trucked it down to Okla.
and launched it. They came down the Arkansas Rivera, Mississippi River and Atchaflaya River,
then to Ala., Fla. and now on the way to the Galveston/Houston area.
The guy bought a brand new 4 cyl. Chinese diesel and gear box off the internet. The gear
box weighs about 450 lbs.
It is pretty big and heavy for a 4 cyl. diesel. He paid around $3,000 for engine and gearbox.
I thought I heard wrong, but he repeated it, $3,000 for engine and gearbox.
I don't remember the horsepower, but he got it from a tractor company who sold Chinese tractors.
It was a marine diesel and the tractor company warrantied it.
If I can find where he got it, I will post it.
 
Don't know anything about them but Nanni Diesel Co apparently marinizes the engines of these mfgr. partners: ( http://www.nannidiesel.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=120&Itemid=60&lang=en ) Toyota/Kubota/Man/Doosan , with their products between 165 & 320 HP being prepared from Toyota base engines.

Here's their list of relatively few dealer/service companies in the US starting on pfd. page 85 : http://www.nannidiesel.com/images/stories/distributors/Nanni Diesel Distributors.pdf

rduhon- I'd suspect the Chinese tractor co. diesel for that couple's trawler may have at least originally been a Kubota.
 
on any diesel engine service and availablility of parts is very important. I would avoid any engine without a good market base.
 
Bill,

THe displacement & bore and stroke are identical to the YANMAR 6LP.

Yanmar has a track record with these engines and IF PROPERLY SET UP they will provide goodservice.

Earlier versions had issues with valve stem seals and when overpropped they went BOOM!

These engines are high RPM low displacement diesels and as such are sensitive to overpropping.

They are not as wide as the 454/8.1 size engines, provide more torque, ane run bigger props which really make a difference (for me) in lift.

Fuel economy is twice wha it was with the 454's and our most economical cruise speed is 4.5 kts higher than it was, allowing for more ground to be covered in any given day.

We can now run to Key West in 7.5 hours.

With the 454's we would have to refuel, forcing the trip into a 2 day ordeal.
 
That's all well and good, but shafts may have to be swapped out for more diameter as well. Make sure you discuss this with Mainship. When we were considering diesels for a Silverton a few shops warned us that the boat was not built for diesels. Make sure yours is.
 
Your installer can run a calculation for you based on the engine HP, diameter and shaft length and type of metal on the shaft.

I was borderline with the 1.25 shafts if I upgraded to the most expensive Aquamet 22's.

It was cheaper (and safer) to replace the struts and go to a standard 1.75 shaft.

RWS
 
RWS makes a good point the extra torque requires stronger shafts. Either bigger diameter or better material. A good prop shop can do the calculations. Even though those engines are based on the same blocks as Yanmar if the add on maximization stuff is not compatible future parts may be a problem. Yanmars OTOH have many fans and have many dealers with good support and appear to be a good choice if propped properly
 
My shafts and V drives were intentionally oversized for an additional 200hp. Now I understand HP and torque are completely different. What I liked about these engines was the wieght and size. They were not much heavier than my 8.1L HOs. My exhaust is also already 4" which is what these engines call for. Currently my shafts are identical to the same Mainship as if it had Yanmar diesels which were an option in the later years my model was made. Again I am not saying I am going to do this but after looking at a few new boats around my size at the AC show yesterday I didn't see anything my boat doesn't already have and my ship is layed out where the sette, main sofa salon area/pull out bed, and galley are all wide open and on the same level. To get to the staterooms and head is only 1 step down. To get from the cockpit to the Salon/galley area is only 2 steps down. The views out of the side windows are perfect. I would of prefered Cummings from Mercury because my system view network would be compatible but they are to tall and heavy.
Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions.
Bill
 
other than the inital cost, the diesels make for a whole new world of boating.

Extended cruise speed and range more places to go things to do on a weekend cruise.

And the way she rides and runs UNBELIEVABLE !

Not to mention how EASY she is to dock with her wide a$$ beam 13' and thosebig wonderful props biting the water.

Bump her into gear and she slides right over. Folks at the dock will comment on the docking, the thing is it's really not my skill, it's the boat. Anyone could do it.

RWS
 
nanni diesels are an excellent choice. I know of two boats with them, and they have thousands of hours on them. Many boat owners have their older boats retrofitted with these, especially single engine trawlers and sailboats. Selling dealer is Waterway Power in Annapolis, Md. 1-800-286-8758. they have a booth every year at the power boat show.
 
RWS I am sold on Diesel power anyone want to buy 2 2007 8.1L HO's with the electronics they only have 70 hours on them? There is still 4 years left on the factory extended warranty. I am seriously considering the changes because our boat other than the engines is set up as a LRC.
Bill
 
They may be good, but if they don't actually say Yanmar or Cummins or Caterpillar, then you will, IMHO, have your hands full when it comes to resale.
 
Bill I may go with Yanmar. You can't give a boat away now anyway. I intend to keep this boat a long long time with all I have put in her.
Bill
 
You guys are out of my league boatwise, but I'll second the service/parts availability issue. As an example, lots of trawlers have Ford Industrial Sixes. The popular conversion is Lehman, but my friend's has a Sea Lion conversion. That changes parts searches from relatively easy to very difficult.
In the eternal Volvo/MerC debate, many of the cooler heads consider local parts/service more important than the technical superiority of the Volvo.
Resale is an issue and maybe I'm naive. I get what serves me well and if it does, by the time I'm ready to sell it, condition matters more than brand or features.
 
Bill,

Make sure on the shafts and v-drives. The diesel company and yard will be able to confirm that.
The calculation comes with what is called a "safety factor"

You may need larger seacocks, thru hulls and strainers.

Also, although it wasn't necessary, it was not expensive for us to add 1/2" aluminum angle to the top of the stringers. This spreads out the tremendous torque from the diesels over a larger area than the factory engine mounts that were lag bolted to oak blocks atop the sringers.

All your gauges will work except the tachometers.

I absolutely love my Yamar LP 315 6 cylinder turbodiesels. It is the perfect replacement to put today's technology into my boat.

We added a second layer of new insulation over the factory cockpit floor insulation.

The 6LP diesels are actually quieter than the 454's

I wonder, can you fit the 370's in there?

RWS
 
Bill, are you sure that's a transferrable warranty on your 8.1s? Lots of these engine warranties only apply to the original owner.
 
Be mindful of air flow into the machinery space. You must have sufficient volume or you will have major problems. I have seen several diesel "repowers" where problems developed due to restricted/insufficient air flow.
 
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