Wackel/Rotary engine powered RIB or SIB?

[audiobill5]

With such a big group of Ribbers and Sibbers here, has anyone tried or know of any one who tried a rotary powerplant for their boat? I talked to a guy who was going to try it last year in Michigan, USA at the APBA SLT races but never found out how he made out.
Any thoughts, questions, or anything on the subject?

[jwalker]

Try a post here. You may just be lucky.

[jyasaki]

Used to own a Mazda RX-7, which used the 13A engine (I think it was. smaller of the offered engines, with the 13B being the larger.)

The Wankel engine is light (for the output), simple (reliable, since they went to the nitrided rotors and chambers), and loves to spin, but it is extremely fuel inefficient. For racing applications, it probably would be a good candidate, but for a leisure boat, I'd think there would be better choices.

There were a couple of airplanes (as I recall) that were trying to use the Wankel design as a powerplant, but I don't recall the engine taking the industry by storm (i.e. Never heard about them again. Of course, I wasn't really paying attention, either.)

jky

[IBWET]

Originally Posted by audiobill5

With such a big group of Ribbers and Sibbers here, has anyone tried or know of any one who tried a rotary powerplant for their boat? I talked to a guy who was going to try it last year in Michigan, USA at the APBA SLT races but never found out how he made out.
Any thoughts, questions, or anything on the subject?

Here's a couple of applications

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKayagHUCw8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpxK2ub-qCs

I think the issue with them in boats is torque or lack of... low down..

[audiobill5]

Since a rotary engine gives all it's horsepower just off idle (linier power curve) I bet a 3 or 4 to one reduction or a multi-gear tranny would make it get instantly out-of-the-hole!

[codprawn]

Wankels aren't new on boats. There were a few Wankel outboards around in the 60s and 70s.

http://sports.webshots.com/photo/284...91848696cXOHsZ

http://www.oddjobmotors.com/mac10wankel.htm


1) OMC, (Evinrude/Johnson), built a handful of massive 4 rotor engines that were used by their outboard racing team in the early 1970's and then retired.

2) The April 1973 edition of the OUTBOARDER, magazine of the AOMCI, indicates that Yanmar (the inboard engine & tractor folks) made an approximately 20hp Wankel, however I do not know of anybody who has seen or used one.

3) The third and most numerous example of a Wankel powered outboard motor is the MAC-10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdsnN-Sk748

Norton also did a racing motorbike with a Wankel that one the Isle of Man a few times in the late 90s I think.

[audiobill5]

Wow, so cool!
It sounds like that rotary had LOTS of 'seat of your pants torque'!
Any idea of the gear ratio they would have run?
Great links, thanks very much!!
Bill.

[Cookee]

There was/is a company in the States selling marinising parts for the Mazda motors - you would have to get used to those RPM's though - it sounds like it's going to blow all the time if you're used to a V8!

[Nos4r2]

The Norton engine was actually a development of a military target drone engine they built.

Suzuki also built a Wankel engined bike-the RE-5. Hideous, underpowered and overweight with the same brakes as the T500 (they came with a sticker warning that they didn't work in the wet!)



It'd be interesting to know what exhaust system the US company used on the marinised Mazda engine-from memory the RX7 ran like a bag of poo with anything other than the standard exhaust on it.

[doggypaddle]

Originally Posted by Cookee

There was/is a company in the States selling marinising parts for the Mazda motors - you would have to get used to those RPM's though - it sounds like it's going to blow all the time if you're used to a V8!

Hmmmm Mazda rotary or V8, quick decision that would be
I never fitted a radio in my V8
Theres no nicer sound than rolling the windows down at the entrance to gibraltar tunnels slowing down to 30 ish then FLOORING IT
waaay better than a wasp in a crisp bag wanke engine

[jyasaki]

Originally Posted by codprawn

Norton also did a racing motorbike with a Wankel that one the Isle of Man a few times in the late 90s I think.

Didn't they also do a line of police bikes fairly recently that were rotary powered?

jky

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by jyasaki

Didn't they also do a line of police bikes fairly recently that were rotary powered?

jky

Late 80's to early '90s, and yes. All of them were based around the '588cc' target drone engine. The race bike was killed off by an engine size ruling.

A google image search for 'Norton Rotary' comes up with pics of all the variants.

[paul tilley]

norton have just built 4 more rotary race bikes and expect to see it racing this year at the tt and nw200

[prairie tuber]

These guys are a division of Moller International (the Skycar guys) that focus on developing small rotary engines (650 cc, 75 hp, 80 lbs). Interesting site;

http://www.freedom-motors.com/

[audiobill5]

Great site for smaller rotarys!

[DPQ]

I will xmit $20 via paypal to the first gent who can scan pages from the repair manual showing me how one is supposed to separate the upper MAC-10 wankel motor from the lower drive unit.

Thanks,

Bruce Toski
850 792 6535