Beta Marine US Ltd. Distributors for Kubota based marine diesel engines and generators for sailboats, yachts and trawler boats.

Office:	PO Box 5	Tel:	(252) 249-2473
	11702 Hwy 306 S, Minnesott Beach, NC 28510	Fax:	(252) 249-0049
Showroom:	1218 John Small Ave., Washington, NC 27889	Toll Free:	(800) 682-8003

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We received this letter on September 26th 2005

This email was received on September 1st 2005

Dear Stan:

Hurricane Emily was out there when I left Bermuda, July 2005, in "Renegade," my 32-ft. gaff-rigged schooner. The winds were light. I was alone and needed to reach the US coast quickly in case Emily turned northward. Another depression was forming to the east...no time to be playing with the drifter and topsail. Although Emily stayed well to the south, the winds remained light and I motored westward. My 28 hp Beta Marine 1005 ran perfectly for seven straight days, using less than one-half a gallon an hour on average. The Beta Marine engine is versatile, reliable, and thrifty...a truly welcome addition to "Renegade." The schooner can now punch into a head-sea, stem a foul current, or purr along in a calm

Cheers!!!

Capt. Lee F. Werth (Schooner "Renegade") I have a 100 ton Masters license, but use whatever title you want or simply my name or Renegade's.

We received this email on August 10th 2005.

----- Original Message -----

From: Tony Lymneos

To: 'Stanley Feigenbaum'

Cc: 'Tony at home'

Sent: Wednesday, August 10, 2005 9:00 AM

Subject: A happy customer

Stanley:

I wish to thank you for your perseverance and help in fixing the BD-1005 Deluxe Panel problem that occurred during the re-power of our Pearson 35.

You and Beta Marine provided excellent technical support and replacement parts to help us diagnose the problem.
Once the problem was traced to a fault in the original factory wiring, Beta Marine immediately replaced the entire unit.

The engine and new panel are working well.

Best regards,
Tony Lymneos
A Happy Customer.

On February 14th 2005 we received this letter from Dennis Vitton:

Dennis Vitton

2855 Holiday Pines Road

Traverse City, MI 49686

February 10, 2005

Stan Feigenbaum

Beta Marine, North Carolina Ltd.

PO Box 5

11702 Hwy 306

Arapahoe, NC 28510

Dear Stan

With the summer of 2004 under the keel and 135 hours on my new Beta, BD1005, 28hp I ended the season very pleased with the new motor and prop. Thanks to you, Stan for your help and advice in install and getting the new system up and running in ”Aurora”, my 1967, Morgan 34c sailboat.

As you may remember I spend the winter of 2004 trying to decide either to overhaul or replace my 1967, oil leaking Westerbeke (Perkins 4 –107) with a Paragon transmissions. My decision to replace the 36-50 hp Westerbeke was based on the overhaul cost, $4 -5,000 and the increasing difficulty in obtaining parts for both the engine and the transmission. And even then after the time an expense of an overhaul I still would have an older engine with a transmission that is nearly impossible to obtain parts for. Your help in confirming my weeks of research as to engine type and size was a great help. It is still hard to believe that a 28hp Beta would out performs the older 36-50hp Westerbeke (Perkins) 4 - 107. But it does!

I installed the Beta 1005 myself with the help of a friend. The hardest part was getting the older, much larger Westerbeke out and new smaller and lighter Beta in. Sure, there were other problems with the install but with your help I was able resolve them. Now with a new Beta engine, prop, drive shaft, PYI-PSS dripless, and Vetus engine controls I have new confidence in taking her anywhere.

Below are some photos of the completed install and again, thanks for your help. Please feel free to have other boaters contact me or to use this letter as you please.

Thank you Stan.

Sincerely yours,

Dennis Vitton

We received this in an email from Stephen Walker on February 11^th 2005:

"Thanks.....I have to admit the service after the sale is excellent!"

"Walker Stephen A PSNS" <walkers@psns.navy.mil>

On December 1^st 2004, Sven Sampson on his Westsail 32, "Spiritus Invictus", sent us this in an email:

" By the way, the engine (BV1505) worked beautifully on my crossing from the Americas to New Zealand. Short of my new sails, it is the best purchase I made in preparing to cross the Pacific."

Frank Murphy Sr. and his baby " Pop & Pop"

October 11th 2004

Frank has restored this early 1930's 22' launch to its current pristine condition. Engine power comes from a BD1005 (28 HP). Boat speed is approximately 14 mph at wide open throttle (3600 RPM)

This email was received on July 26th 2004 (SailMail works)

Hi Stanley and Richard,
I have to thank you guys for all the help you have given me over the past several years. My wife and I have finally realized our dreams, quit our jobs and have gone sailing. We have been having a great adventure, seeing new places, meeting different people, catching fish and going broke. I have been following all your advice and the engines are running great. We are now in the Galapagos islands. We were chased by pirates off the coast of Columbia and were finally able to outrun them after 4 harrowing hours. During those 4 hours your 2, 20 hp Kubota engines performed flawlessly and helped us escape. I couldn't help thinking of you guys every time I pushed the throttle to full forward. Keep up the good work. -Dick Derowitsch on Sandpiper

We received this fax on May 13th 2004

Received on November 6th 2003

Stan,

As you know, I purchased a Beta BV 1305 with the 100-amp alternator from you at the Annapolis Boat Show in 2002 and installed it myself in the Spring of this year in my Sabre 38. I just wanted to express my gratitude for the great support and advice you provided me during this task. Thanks to you and the Beta Marine people, I managed to install the engine, along with a new exhaust system and a new feathering propeller, with relative ease. Now, at the end of the first full season of use, I am delighted to report that the engine runs beautifully - it is smooth and quiet from idle to full throttle. And now that it is time for winterization you can imagine how glad I am that the intelligent design of the engine has made the draining and changing of engine fluids and filters so much cleaner and faster than in the past.

Thanks again for a fine product and exemplary support.

Stan Hart

----- Original Message -----
From: "Muth, Edwin A (Edwin)" <emuth@agere.com <mailto:emuth@agere.com>
To: "'Joseph E DeMers'" <jedsail@mindspring.com <mailto:jedsail@mindspring.com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 02, 2003 11:58 PM
Subject: RE: Reference

Joe,

Please feel free to forward this or any email we had on the engine installation discussions to potential customers who want to know how well it worked out for me. I did the installation myself on the BV1505 engine. I have read in European magazines about the popularity of Kubota engines with Beta and Nanni brands, which are seemingly mainstreamed into production boats there. The following criteria were used to select Beta:
- I needed a brand that was supported in the US
- A well engineered, modern engine design, light, compact, and quiet.
- I liked the idea that the block parts were available in many tractor and construction equipment dealers (all the Yacht club people I spoke with who know the trades knew about Kubota). If any thing did go wrong, the parts would be affordably priced... Not the case with all brands - Buyer beware. My philosophy in business is that if you go with the popular brand (starts with a Y) you won't be disappointed but the company and its dealer won't work as hard to keep you happy as the aspiring brands. The other fact of life is that the larger orders get the attention. This proved to be very true in my case. I received far better support and timeshare for installation advice from Sound Marine Diesel than I ever would have hoped to get from a local Y dealer, despite the distance. Add to this the fact that you are buying a $7-10K range engine, and some fisherman wants a 35-70K engine in the 250 and up HP range, guess who will get the attention? So, using a product and brand that specializes in the power range that you need has value as well. If you are a capable do-it-yourselfer, (as I thought I was until I measured my prop shaft short by 3 inches -oops) this type of support (email, phone) and accessibility to answers works wonders.

I would not call any repowering operation a simple and painless one. There are always some glitches. But getting answers prior to the next steps or just bouncing off ideas for 10 minutes on the phone helps a lot.

Finally, the engine: So far, can't really tell its Mean Time Between Failures, since it has run quite well. But observations are:
- No problems, seems quite to expectations, out of the box.
- I love to show my friends the nicely thought through features like the oil pump and the serpentine belt, and the easy access. Even the boat yard (a Y dealer) liked it.
- The boat (C&C 40 hull #60) is happier with this engine than the previous Westerbeke 30, for sure. I was, indeed, 10 HP short, and it is nice to stay at 2K RPM in light air and achieve a good target speed.
- The engine seems 20dB quieter than the old one at idle. We can hear each other in the cabin and the vibration energy transmitted to the hull is a LOT less.
- The fuel consumption is a slight increase, given the higher power.
- The engine is 20% less weight and half the volume than my old W-30, and 50% more power (And I am therefore glad I repowered instead of rebuilding)
- The engine design is quite well thought through. These British marinizers must have gone to US engineering schools!
- Starts like a champ
- The stainless elbow is quite a nice feature
- The Iskra alternator is delivering the specified amount.
- The engine temp seems very stable at all power outputs.

That's about it. Good engine, good service, and Joe is simply a good dealer who helps out his customers and focuses on providing quality support and value to his customers, in a timely fashion. I got the time I needed to get the advice I needed.

I hope this helps anyone considering a Beta or Sound Marine Diesel LLC.

Edwin Muth
Managing Director, Satellite Radio Products
Engineering Director, Multimedia Products
Media Connectivity Division
Agere Systems (a Semiconductor IC company)
Holmdel, NJ

Some of our customers have a wonderful sense of humor.

And here is Ready Freddy's picture!

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