The S&S 34 on Port Phillip
- Built
- 1969 – mid-1980s
- Length
- 34 ft
- Drive
- Shaft drive
- Original engine
- Volvo Penta MD2B or MD11C (some MD2; a few late boats Bukh)
Around 180 S&S 34s are on the Australian class register, with a strong Victorian fleet — Port Phillip, Queenscliff and the Gippsland Lakes — including boats berthed a few minutes from our Spotswood workshop. This is the class of Melbourne–Osaka and solo-circumnavigation legend, and its owners maintain their boats to match that reputation.
That devotion is exactly why the S&S 34 is Australia’s classic repower candidate: the hulls are worth keeping for another forty years, but the engines they left the factory with are not.
The Volvo MD2B and MD11C — fifty years on
Most S&S 34s still carry the raw-water-cooled Volvo Penta MD2B or MD11C they were built around. These were fine engines in 1974. Fifty years of salt water through a cast-iron block is another matter: genuine parts are increasingly no longer available, and a rebuild of a half-century-old salt-cooled block is money spent twice — the corrosion always comes back.
Volvo Penta itself publishes a factory repowering path from the MD1/2/3 and MD11C to the modern D1 series, with purpose-made engine bed brackets that minimise glasswork in the conversion.
Why these engines reach the end
- Raw-water cooling passages corroding through the block and head
- Exhaust elbow and manifold rotting from the inside out
- Genuine spares no longer available or exorbitant for MD-series engines
- Hard starting, smoke and oil leaks that no service can permanently fix
The pattern across every brand: sailing auxiliaries corrode out long before they wear out. At 50–100 engine hours a year, the calendar — not the hour meter — decides when a yacht diesel is done. Repower or rebuild? Read our honest guide.
What we fit in the S&S 34
Volvo Penta D1-30
Our recommendation29 hp · 3-cylinder · shaft drive · freshwater-cooled
- Volvo’s designated replacement for the MD-series — factory repower kits including MD11C-specific bed brackets
- Right-sized for the S&S 34’s displacement hull; quiet, smooth and heat-exchanger cooled
- 3-year factory “helm to prop” leisure warranty with no engine-hour cap
Yanmar 3YM30AE
The alternative29 hp · 3-cylinder · shaft drive
The equivalent modern Yanmar — compact, mechanically simple, and the same 29 hp class. As an authorised dealer for both brands we fit whichever suits your boat and preference; we’ll talk it through at inspection.
Yanmar 3YM30AE specificationsWhat an S&S 34 repower costs
Typical range for an S&S 34 shaft-drive repower including the engine. Every boat differs — beds, exhaust, prop and stern gear — so we quote fixed after inspection.
How your repower runs
- 1
Inspection & fixed quote
We survey your engine, beds, shaft or saildrive, exhaust and electrics — at your berth or on the hard — and quote the complete job fixed, usually within days.
- 2
Book the yard
You book the hardstand and we coordinate dates. Royals (Royal Victorian Yacht Club) and Savages Wharf at Williamstown are ideal for us; we also work at Wyndham Harbour and Sandringham YC with some added travel cost.
- 3
Out with the old
Old engine out, bay cleaned and prepared — and we dispose of your old engine as part of the job at no extra cost.
- 4
In with the new
New beds and mounts, engine in, shaft or saildrive fitted and aligned, exhaust, cooling, fuel, electrics, controls and panel — engineered, not improvised.
- 5
Sea trial & handover
Commissioning checks, a proper sea trial on the bay, factory warranty registration and your service schedule. You get a finished boat, not a box of loose ends.
Factory warranty, dealer-registered
Volvo Penta — 3 years
Full “helm to prop” leisure coverage — engine, transmission or saildrive, controls and genuine accessories — with no engine-hour cap.
Yanmar — 2 years, extendable
24-month leisure warranty as standard, with Yanmar’s extended program taking eligible engines to 5 years of coverage — ask us when we quote.
As an authorised dealer for both brands we supply, install, commission and register every engine — one job, one responsible party, warranty watertight.
S&S 34 repower — your questions answered
My MD11C still runs — why repower now?
A running MD-series Volvo is on borrowed time, not good health: sailing auxiliaries corrode out long before they wear out, and parts scarcity means the next major failure can be terminal. Repowering while the boat is sound — on your schedule, not mid-season — is cheaper and far less painful than an emergency re-engine after a failure at sea.
Will a new engine fit the original S&S 34 engine bay?
Yes. The D1-30 and 3YM30AE are both physically smaller than the MD-series engines they replace, and Volvo’s repower kit includes bed brackets designed for this conversion. We engineer new mounts, shaft alignment, exhaust and cooling as part of every installation.
Is it worth repowering rather than selling?
That’s your call, but S&S 34 owners overwhelmingly repower — the class holds its value, a new engine transforms usability and resale, and a comparable modern 34-footer costs many times the price of keeping a great boat great.
Where does the work happen?
At Williamstown, minutes from our Spotswood workshop — Royals (Royal Victorian Yacht Club) and Savages Wharf are our preferred yards. We can also repower at Wyndham Harbour or Sandringham Yacht Club, with some additional travel cost. You book the hardstand (we’ll point you to the right people) and we handle everything from there. Geelong owners: we’ll ask you to bring the boat up to Williamstown.
How long does a repower take?
A standard repower is about two weeks on the hardstand. Engine lead times are currently reasonable — but plan ahead a few weeks so the engine is on the floor before your boat comes out of the water.
What warranty comes with the new engine?
Volvo Penta engines carry a 3-year factory “helm to prop” leisure warranty with no engine-hour cap. Yanmar engines carry a 24-month leisure warranty, and Yanmar’s extended program can take eligible engines to 5 years of coverage — ask us when we quote. As an authorised dealer for both brands, we commission and register every engine so your warranty is watertight.
Can you fit an engine I buy elsewhere?
No — we install engines we supply. That’s not a sales line: it’s how we can stand behind the entire job, from engine to beds to sea trial, under one warranty and one responsible party.
What happens to my old engine?
We remove and dispose of it as part of the job, at no extra cost.
What about an electric conversion?
We’re developing an electric repower offering in-house and will be bringing it to market. If you’re weighing diesel against electric, talk to us before committing either way — we’ll give you the honest state of play for your boat and how you use it.
Request an S&S 34 repower quote
Tell us your boat, where it's berthed, what engine it has now (roughly is fine) and how you use it — we'll come back with honest advice and a fixed quote, usually within a few days.
Boat model names are used to describe the vessels we service; Mariner Engineering is not affiliated with the boats' designers or builders. Mariner Engineering is an authorised Volvo Penta and Yanmar dealer.