October 2002:

Sales manager Mecanique Plaisance, Caribbean central dealer for Volvo und Yanmar, Port de Plaisance, Le Marin, Martinique, WI.

"The new Volvo Perkins 20's series is substantially better than the old series 2000. There are repairs hardly anymore.

Who already has installed the 2000 series, should take the 20 Volvo-Perkins as replacement. That has the advantage that one must replace only the engine then, but can maintain the saildrive and assembly bed, however. If one would change for example onto Yanmar, one would have to renew also saildrive and assembly bed. That will be considerably more expensively."

November 2002

Sepp, "Coco", for 10 years in the Caribbean (before it he was many years base leader of Bavaria Austria in the Mediterranean and built up the Bavaria base Saint Lucia WI after that):

"On the 20's series Volvo Penta has no reason to be very proud of. I drive this engine since 10 years. At that time it was still called Perkins Parama 30 (29 HP), today it is called Volvo Penta 2030.

I know Volvo already for a long time. Already to my time with Bavaria Austria we had lots of problems with Volvo, after Volvo had replaced the MB series engines with the series 2000. These 2000 engines were defective constantly. Each day something other, much of it again and again. Never we had peace. It hailed complaints from customers.

Then the Yanmar engines came on the market. Bavaria reequipped on Yanmar, and suddenly the problems stopped. From 10 years with 10-20 ships per year I remember only one case, with which a genuine engine breakdown (at the injection pump) had arisen, which could not be repaired with simple means themselves.

Competitor Halberg Rassey had according to our information the same problems with the 2000 Volvo as us, could however apparently not as Bavaria reequip so easily on Yanmar, because Volvo and Halberg Rassey are economical or in any way obviously very closely connected.

Then the Volvo-Perkins came, however, strangely enough, not more with the former gear Volvo, but with Hurth transmission which make plenty problems. I had to replace 4 Hurth transmissions in 10 years.

A transmission of these 4 kept only 3 weeks long. In order not to let stand my ship possibly for months ashore after having taken off the transmission with an appropriate hole in the bottom, until a spare transmission had arrived, I bought and paid at Hurth Munich (it is today taken over by Italians) a new transmission and let it send to Venezuela. I remained with Hurth in such a way that I should exchange this new transmission with the defective transmission and send the defective transmission to Munich. Correspondences (to Venezuela) and dispatching the new transmission lasted eternally. When the new transmission arrived finite at Venezuela, it was exchanged against the defective transmission and the defective transmission to Munich was sent. There Hurth rejected each warranty, since the guarantee period of one year had run off in the meantime. Very, very tricky.

Except for the eternal gear-problems: The water collector (exhaust manifold) at the exhaust holds a maximum of 5 years, then it falls apart to trash. The fresh water pump holds 5 - 7 years. The cylinder head shows strong corrosion at the water passages. The diesel injection pump is much too small, from that components inside constantly break: Very expensive, long order times."

With the answers of Sepp we confronted the workshop manager of Mecanique Plaisance

Special repair shop for Volvo and Yanmar

Marina Carene, Le Marin, Martinique, WI.

It grants all lack specified by Sepp:

" With the Hurth transmissions there are very many problems, with Volvo transmissions on the other hand hardly.

At the series 20 we found most problems with

the water collecting tank at the exhaust (exhaust manifold), that must be replaced at all engines every 2 years (Sepp spoke of 5 years, therefore the qualities become apparently worse, not better),

the sea water pumps, those are leaky by worn sealing rings, we also at the latest all change that one 2 years.

Except that and the usual and normal repairs there is no really serious and construction dependent lack well-known."

With these identical information about lack we asked Alex, since years mainresponsible for maintenance and smaller repairs of the Diesels engines the Mooring fleet (world-wide the largest charterer), which require no motor operation:

Moorings, Le Marin, Martinique, WI

"I can remember still well the time 2000. That was horror.

The series 20 is there clearly better, however, the exhaust manifold and the constant leakages at the sea water pumps are weak points. And also otherwise there are many small lack, with which I must strike myself at the MOORINGS fleet daily, if the engines are not to run perfectly and remain the customers hanging in the Tobago Cays with engine problems:

The electrical connection is still very trouble-prone and unnecessarily complicated. Many small plugs with strong corrosion. We sell the ships after 3 years, but who keeps the ships longer, gets increasingly problems with the corrosion in the electrical equipment.

The tachometers of the engines often fail."

We asked Alex, how he would compare the Perkins Parama engines with the nearly identical new Volvo Perkins engines:

"The engine Volvo Perkins look just the same as the former engine Perkins Parama, and have also still the problems that the former engines Perkins Parama had.

But the engine Volvo Perkins have today additional problems which did not have at that time the engine Perkins Parama, particularly the electrical equipment."

With the answers of Alex we went back to the workshop manager of Mecanique Plaisance

Special repair shop for Volvo and Yanmar

Marina Carene, Le Marin, Martinique, WI.

The workshop manager is an extremely correct Frenchman, a classical technician, which is recognizable each twaddle of salesmen contrary. It leads an immaculate, clean and cleared up workshop, which could serve many comparable enterprises in Europe as example with much specialized knowledge and organizational ability. It has therefore our respect.

The workshop manager did not say anything: He smiled.

There we will however still need to ask more exactly.

January 2003:
Sale employee of Mecanique Plaisance, Caribbean headquarters trader for Volvo and Yanmar

"Volvo Penta subsequently changed a lot of things at the engine Perkins. A lot of things that was changed by Volvo Penta are worse, than it had been formerly at the Perkins Parama. To copy the Perkins Parama 1:1 would have let Volvo Penta better as it is now. They all say that here. A lot of things which held formerly with Perkins Parama 5 years, holds today only 2 years at Volvo Penta, for example the exhaust."

February 2003:

Derek J. Morton, manager of International Diesel and Marine Ltd. Castries, St. Lucia, WI, Perkins, Volvo-Penta, Yanmar dealer, Perkins, Volvo-Penta, Yanmar repair shop

"Today all engines are supposed to be light and to have a lot of strength. Therefore one increases the rotation speed and creates problems with that, which for example the Volvo Penta MB 11 or MB 17 with smaller service not had.

That is valid, however, for Volvo Penta not only. That is valid for all yacht ship's diesel. The competition pressure comes for this purpose.

I yield fundamentally no comments or criticisms to engines which are sold today and which I represent.

However, the contention, the Volvo Penta series 20 is worse than the former Perkins Parama, I must contradict.

To the service: If skippers say the service of Volvo Penta is bad, so I can not confirm that. Whether the service in Germany is good or not I don't know. However, the service of the headquarters in Sweden and the services of the spare part headquarters in Belgium are very good. So are my experiences."

During this interview Derek J. Morton received 2 offshore calls with the request around technical advice, because the local authorized workshops (not Volvo Penta) gave up. One call came from Cyprus, one call from Trinidad.

February 2003

Steven, MOORINGS St. Lucia (Marigot Bay)

"We do not have any Volvo Penta engines in our ships any more. The management decided that. We only have Yanmar and Perkins engines in our ships."

February 2003

Alexander, since 1980 engine- mechanic at MOORINGS St. Lucia (Marigot Bay)

"Yes, we do not have any Volvo Penta engines in our ships any more. But I believe, that is due less to the quality of the new Volvo Penta engines, because those ones are not at all badly, but more at the problems with the procurement of repair parts in Saint Lucia. The old ones 2000 engines, however, were a disaster, I would not like to think of that anymore at all, but the new engines are considerably better.

But the Volvo Penta engines need considerably more expenditure for regular maintenance than our other engines, if they are supposed to run in the long run.

There are many parts, that should be refreshed regularly before they in a bust way go, because they break down very surely. For example the exhaust mix ellbow, the pumps, the electrical equipment, the rev counters and some more."

March 2003

Peter ("Shanty") many years repair part manager at Stardust and Sunsail in the Caribbean, at this time Brazil

"In our charter business Yanmar motors were best of all the smaller engines. Volvo motors we all fired. Particularly the motors with exhaust gas chargers, even more badly with Intercoolers, starts lubricating after short time, which is due to the turbine. These parts are especially expensive.

One should pay attention also to the newer engine Perkins/Volvo, formerly Perkins, losing their reliability after the incorporation through Volvo. Also the repair part procurement is since then much more difficult."

March 2003

Sunsail/Stardust base manager Le Marin/Martinique

"Our ships in Martinique are hardly anymore equipped with motors Volvo Penta. We virtually only have Yanmar and Perkins motors in our ships. That the management has decided. I do not want to say, however, that the motor Volvo-Penta would be bad, at least not in the first 4-5 years. We sell our ships at the latest after 5 years. Which problems can occur after that with the individual motors I cannot say."

April 2003

Vergil Joseph

repairs since 2000 engines at BAREFOOT, St. Vincent, Blue Lagoon, before that 18 years at MOORINGS St. Lucia, 4 years STEVENS Charter St. Lucia

"With Barefoot Charter I only had to do with the Volvo-Penta 2020 and 2030 in the last 3 years.

The salt water pumps of Johnson are their greatest problem. The impellers are continual defective, and that leads to overheating of the motors and to consequential damages.

With the exhaust we did not have any problems yet, either with the gear. I never touched a gearbox or saildrive. I heard, however, from problems at other ones. I do not know whether that is right or not.

Corrosion is a great problem, because the series 20 has no zinc anodes any more at the motor. I revised that clearly. I drilled a hole at the end of the heat exchanger and have screwed there a zinc anode."

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