Engine # tell make?

I have the engine number of a boat but I cannot get aboard yet to determine the make of the engine. Does the format of the engine number reveal what manufacturer made it? The number is E323820

I'm not an expert, but knowing the boat model that you are looking at might help people narrow down the possibilities.

The boat is a 1978 Mainship 34 but I didnt bother to mention that because the boat has been re engined and I dont know if it was replaced by a Perkins or not. I dont know if that is a Perkins engine number. I cant get aboard the boat to inspect it because the owner is down with the flu and I am just trying to sleuth about a bit till he gets well enough to show me the boat.

That seems to match up with the country code and serial number from this Perkins engine identification webpage, so it could be a post 1978 Perkins.

OK, I looked at that page earlier and saw several letters and numbers ahead of the engine number so did not think the simple number I had was related. But now I see that the number on the title may have been only the year (E) and the 6 digits. Makes sense that it would be a 1978 Perkins. Thanks for directing me back to that reference.

That’s not a Perkins engine serial number. Perkins has 15 digits.

Well.....could have been if my analysis was correct. But I am open to any interpretation/analysis. I checked Cummins, Yanmar, Lehman, Catapillar, and Detroit and none of them have this format.

In 1978 and 79 Mainship put a few Mitsubishi diesels in boats.
They were 6 cylinder turbocharged at about 200 hp.
That could be one of those.
Good luck finding parts if you buy it.

My 1978 MS 34 Mk 1 has the 200hp Chrysler marinized Mitsubishi engine. The serial number reads as E3xxxxx- -xxxxxx where x’s are digits. Hope this helps.

V/r,
G Haldeman
M/V My Way
Baltimore

OK, that sounds like it might be the one!
Now,how do you like that engine and what performance, fuel and speed, do you get from it? I have heard a rumor that this engine was "making metal", i.e. there was some metal detected in an oil sample. It may have been a new engine two years ago and some new engines can have "bad" oil samples in first runs.

Call the owner and ask. He might have a bad flu, but should be able to take a call..

The current owner doesnt know much about the boat, the previous owner, unfortunately, died. The dead one was the one that changed out the engine. And it may even be that the engine number was NOT changed on the title and is just showing that the FIRST engine was a Mitsubishi and who knows whats in there now. Just gong to have to wait for the weather to warm up and he get well enough to show the boat.

Its below freezing here today and wont warm up till tomorrow!!! I need to move ...AGAIN. We actually had to let the cat sleep indoors last night! Probably tomorrow night as well as I think it will still be in the 40s tomorrow night.