Hi I'm looking to buy a 60 foot plus narrow boat and have found three potentials for the short list. All have been on the market for a while and all have Gardner 4LK engines. My research seems to indicate that for a narrow boat, a 4LK is going to be a liability in two ways, and would really appreciate the views of those with more experience of the subject!
My concerns are:
1) Is it the wrong engine for the job, i.e. over powered and needing to work at a far higher rpm that a narrow boat would require of it?
2) It would be a maintenance nightmare, i.e. beyond simple oil/filter changes if anything else is needed the parts situation is difficult or nigh on impossible?
The boats I'm looking are great, but I'm not sure about how big a liability a 4LK is these days.
Thanks in advance for any advice and thoughts!!
JC