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"diesel-powered, air-cooled Armstrong Sidley engine in great condition"


captain flint

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There's a boat i am interested in that lists it's engine as per the subject line. I've seen this thread about air cooled engines, but I was wondering if any of you helpful people can tell me anything about this particular variety, not a Lister.... I'm kind of wondering what happens when you need parts, for one thing.... Anyone?

Thanks in advance.

1 minute ago, captain flint said:

lists it's engine 

Ahem. Just checking the pedants at the back are awake ;-)

Edited by captain flint
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I don't have any substantial knowledge about these engines - except there's one on the Thames (or mebe the Wey), in a tug style NB. I saw it at Marlow and it made a lovely sound - quite unlike the Lister two pot with similar dimensions. I was impressed...

Can't help with parts, though.

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2 hours ago, captain flint said:

There's a boat i am interested in that lists it's engine as per the subject line. I've seen this thread about air cooled engines, but I was wondering if any of you helpful people can tell me anything about this particular variety, not a Lister.... I'm kind of wondering what happens when you need parts, for one thing.... Anyone?

Thanks in advance.

Ahem. Just checking the pedants at the back are awake ;-)

Lists it is engine?????

I was awake.

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AS already stated an "air cooled Armstrong Siddeley diesel in a narrow boat" will almost certainly be a 2 cylinder AS2 or a 3 cylinder AS3.

The noise of an air cooled engine is undoubtedly an acquired taste, (see posts tonight in another thread!), and they are undoubtedly often noisier that a water cooled engine.

I love Armstrongs, (the AS2 has a lovely sound), but would actively avoid actually owning one, because spares are non existent, other than by finding another engine as a donor.

I think I'm right in saying unrestored AS2 engines for sale often come from old farm machinery like balers.

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From their working boat days similar reliability to other makes of air cooled engines,Lovely sound even better when working hard will keep running when a lot hotter than say Lister AC motors gearbox could be "iffy " if not looked after, now days spares in the Rocking horse poo league obtainable mostly from donor motors from Agri machinery so Marine bits difficult

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Buy a spare engine, readily available on Ebay, and keep it in the hold just by the back end bulkhead; adds about 350kgs weight so you can chuck out some ballast. Then, run the boat like you stole it and you will always have that elusive spare part for if it goes wrong. Very few parts are marinised, so an old baler agricultural engine will do you fine. Don't forget:enjoy!! :captain:

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Just checked and it seems to have been a lister in the boat I was thinking of .


Istr an AS1 being on ebay a while ago. They do seem to be a cut above the standard Lister HA,HR,HB fare so often seen in ex Gucci boats.

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As I understand it most Guccc boats ended up with ha2/hb2 because the nationals and Russell's were getting a bit old. Also they were modern and simple. I would imagine waterways bought job lots of them, especially at the bigger yards.( bulls bridge and Google)  Armstrongs were less common and might have been fitted as one offs either at smaller waterways yards or by privateers who bought the boats. I've had ha and hb both have been waterways blue at some point. I think armstrongs have a reputation of being more complicated and expensive. Listers are after all modified jack of all trade engines.

love them wouldn't have anything else and can't hear anyone complaining of them, after 35 years of standing behind them

Goole fludging autoparrot

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14 hours ago, stagedamager said:

Getting spares for a marinised engine isn't too bad. Getting marinised parts for an industrial is however nigh on impossible....

That was the point I was trying to make but Mr Ironsides seemed to reckon that very few marinising bits were required to get an Industrial to Marine unit

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8 hours ago, roland elsdon said:

As I understand it most Guccc boats ended up with ha2/hb2 because the nationals and Russell's were getting a bit old. Also they were modern and simple. I would imagine waterways bought job lots of them, especially at the bigger yards.( bulls bridge and Google)  Armstrongs were less common and might have been fitted as one offs either at smaller waterways yards or by privateers who bought the boats. I've had ha and hb both have been waterways blue at some point. I think armstrongs have a reputation of being more complicated and expensive. Listers are after all modified jack of all trade engines.

love them wouldn't have anything else and can't hear anyone complaining of them, after 35 years of standing behind them

Goole fludging autoparrot

From what I understand the Lister HA/HB units used by BW were in a lot of cases Factory Rebuilds as the cost was less I think was a good deal for both Factory & BW lister farmed out a good number of units they had laid about & BW cash splash was less I know SUC at Norbury were offered rebuilt  SR units when the purpose built pleasure boats first started being built in larger numbers don't know if the offer was taken up as all the units were finished in silver paint & looked to be new

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