Ranger29 Diesel Type

Hello all,

I am looking to purchase a Ranger29 from around 2010.
The ones I am looking at have the Yanmar 6BY2-260(Z) diesel, 260hp. I've talked to a couple mechanics and have not heard favourable things about these engines. They were made by BMW and marinized by Yanmar, and apparently are quite finicky and parts are even more expensive than other Yanmar engines.

So a couple questions:

1. I know there are many R-29's out there and people love em. Of the older ones out there, anyone know if this model engine (Yanmar 6BY2-260) is common? I know some boats have the Volvo's, but just want to get an idea of how many are out there and....

2. If you have a Yanmar 6BY2-260, how do you find it? How many hours are you at? Much issues? The boats I am looking at have 500-1000hrs on them, which I know is low for a good diesel.

I am just curious about the above model, so no need to turn this into a which engine is better discussion.

Thank you all for your time. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated and hopefully I can join the Ranger club soon!

Adey

Our 2012 R29 has the Yanmar 6by2-260 engine as well. We have had no major issues with the engine or anything else on the boat. We are over 1100 hours and have done most of the routine maintenance ourselves.
I couldn't be happier with our purchase. We bought the boat in 2015 from the factory when the original owner traded up to a 31.
I strongly recommend getting the boat surveyed by a certified marine surveyor before purchase.

I have not heard anything bad specific to that engine. I have found that parts for the Yanmar are readably available.

2011 R29. Purchased in Dec 2018 with 250 hrs. She now has 750 hrs. I've done all the maintenance my self with the exception of the impeller, which was done by my service guy. Engine is sound. I've had no problems. Consumable parts are easy to get online.

When you buy, along with a hull survey, also get an engine survey with oil analysis.

I am looking at buying a Ranger 29 tug that was made in 2009. To make a long story short it looks like the engine may be damaged.talking to a Yanmar dealer he said part are hard to get and the engines are not made anymore.If you could find one it would be about $32,000.
We are looking into installing a Volvo engine.
Just remember no parts.
Good luck

Has anyone repowered a 29 from Yanmar to Volvo? If so how much?
Thanks

We just bought a home in Hawaii, so have decided to sell our 2012 R29. If anyone is interested, you can see pictures of her on the Anacortes Yacht Charters web site. Boat name Serendipity.

We have a 2010 with the Yanmar 6BY and it has 1832 hours on it. No issues at all. I do my maintenance myself. The "Yanmar" parts for regular maintenance are not made by Yanmar. Doing a little searching on this forum will save you lots of money. The beauty is the engine is its a BMW Diesel engine so you get almost anything for the engine. A good friend of mine is a Yanmar mechanic and was very familiar with the engine. When we bought it he told me with reasonable maintenance its a 20,000 hour engine. Not sure why you would repower unless it's broken.

The only boat I've ever owned, so far it's been the best boat I've ever owned!

LOL, Cheers, Leon

Message for Leon on Scot-free

We have a R29 with a Yanmar 6BY engine as well. Not sure I understood your message completely. Are you saying that you purchase BMW parts for this engine and that they are cheaper than Yanmar ones?

We also have a Yanmar Diesel engine in 2011 29 Ranger tug. Never had a problem. Our mechanic says it’s a great engine and parts are easy to access.

JaneSacharoff":3cu3g9d4 said:

Message for Leon on Scot-free

We have a R29 with a Yanmar 6BY engine as well. Not sure I understood your message completely. Are you saying that you purchase BMW parts for this engine and that they are cheaper than Yanmar ones?

Click to expand...

I haven't had to buy anything other than regular maintenance parts and have sourced all those with non Yanmar or BMW. I did install a Racor fuel filter so that bypasses the Stock pre filter set up. Oil filters I buy at an automotive store and quote the BMW engine when buying. Impeller is a Johnson stock part number. Air filter is a K&N style oiled filter, clean, oil and reinstall. I use Shell Rotella T6 oil and buy it wherever it is the cheapest. I think I found the belts to be a stock part number but can't remember. I bought a tool to roll the main belt on and off with, real slick! I flushed the anti freeze with an off the shelf antifreeze for aluminum engines. The engine has not come apart yet and is not due to be for some time yet. When that happens I may have to look at BMW parts but that being said the first major thing would be injectors.

People have sourced all the parts you need to avoid the Yanmar dealer or the BMW dealer on this site so no point in paying a premium for the same product. Once I buy a vehicle it never goes back to the stealership. I am a bit eccentric though.

This is great site for practical tips.

Good Luck, Leon