![DSC_104 Lowering the Beta 20, the Kubota 722 block marinized by the British, to replace a Volvo MD7A two-cylinder. (Photo/ Bert Vermeer)](https://cdn.practical-sailor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/DSC_104-696x462.jpg.optimal.jpg)
There may come a time when repowering your cherished sailboat needs to be addressed. I suspected that not all 13 horses of the venerable Volvo MD7A two-cylinder diesel in our 1978 Islander Bahama 30 were performing anymore. Those that were tended to overheat. Cleaning internal passages had been undertaken a number of times, but the internal corrosion caused by saltwater cooling had taken its toll. A total rebuild was an option I considered but rejected. Sailing buddies had taken that route and continued to have problems with their older engines.
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