[QUOTE=Jetryder223;99185]To the original question - Why wouldn’t a big old Detroit Diesel 2 Stroke Engine be the simplest answer? There are a bunch of them in old tugs and whatnot. Granted, they probably lack the grunt for big ships but might still provide adequate get-home power for small to mid-size vessels.[/QUOTE]
Oh Lord Jetryder223, please tell me you did not just use the D word. Now go to the head and wash your mouth out with degreaser right now.
First off there is no such thing really as a big old Leakytroit. The bigest engine they ever made was a 16V149, and if you try to push more than about a 1000 H.P. out of one of those things they tend to have pistons come out the side of the bolck fairly often. They burn more fuel than most engines twice there size, leak more oil than BP, and are in general a complete POS.
Secondly due to the EPA you havn’t been able to buy one in the U.S. since about 99. (you can still get them in some third world countries) The only way you can get a new one here is to be able to sign a check as U.S. Army they still put them in tanks and a few other things, but the normal folks can’t get them oil leaking, fuel burning, ungodly noisy, P.O.S. any more. Thank the LORD!!!
OKaaaaayy…Guess no on the old dependable DD.
My Dad has one in our 80’s vintage sportfisherman and it runs like the Eveready Bunny. Just feed it diesel, air & 30 wt oil and it will go forever. No electronics.
Think I’ll slink back to the Academy & Scuttlebutt sections for a while.
[QUOTE=Jetryder223;99196]OKaaaaayy…Guess no on the old dependable DD.
My Dad has one in our 80’s vintage sportfisherman and it runs like the Eveready Bunny. Just feed it diesel, air & 30 wt oil and it will go forever. No electronics.
Think I’ll slink back to the Academy & Scuttlebutt sections for a while.[/QUOTE]
Ah, Buddy, we are Pals, phuck’em all, they can take it.
[QUOTE=Jetryder223;99196]OKaaaaayy…Guess no on the old dependable DD.
My Dad has one in our 80’s vintage sportfisherman and it runs like the Eveready Bunny. Just feed it diesel, air & 30 wt oil and it will go forever. No electronics.
Think I’ll slink back to the Academy & Scuttlebutt sections for a while.[/QUOTE]
No need to slink off there jetryder223, everybodys opinion is welcome here. It is just that I have grown to despise Leakytroits
Ironically when I was a teenager way back in the early 80’s, my family owned a couple shrimp boats. The first boat I ever really worked on was my uncle’s. It was a 74 foot wood hull shrimp boat. It had one 12V71 for a main engine and one 2-71 for a generator. From growing up with those things since I was probably barley 13 or 14 years old, everytime some one worked on an engine I was there with grease up to my elbows with them. I learned alot at a very young age. However after 20 plus years of dealing with Leakytroits I have grown to despise them. The 71 series which is probably what is in your fathers sport fisher I can tolerate a little but the 92 and 149 series I get the hives just thinking about them.
An old joke we used to tell about the Leakytroits, says if you take a picture of a Detroit Diesel and hang it on the wall, very soon oil will start running down the wall.
Most of the rest of the family had Cats with an occasional Cummins thrown in the mix. My grandpaw had an 85 footer with a 3412 Cat, old school mechanical injection. That was a tough old engine. It ran for 15 or 16 years before he ever had to pull anything more than a valve cover off it. Then when we finally overhauled it after about 18 years grandpaw was mad cuz it didn’t last 20. Of course we all kind of laughed at him, but not to his face, or we would have got our ass’s whipped. when it was time for the overhaul yours truly was right there in the middle of it. I was probably only 16 or 17 at the time. I remember them saying the boat was older then me, and still purring right along. Kind of hard to beat those old boats and engines. I know I have a lot of fond memories from each.
Here’s a 71 series for ya.
[QUOTE=tugboatchief;99282]Here’s a 71 series for ya.
http://youtu.be/m48vyc5beNg[/QUOTE]
Way cool - I want one.
The family Sportfish is powered by a pair of 6-71 DD’s with 2500 original hours and 30 years old without ever needing a rebuild. It consumes about 1 gallon of 30wt every 12 hours and smokes a bit on startup. But it’s simple, old tech with no electronics.
I know, I shouldn’t compare the needs of a recreational boat with a commercial vessel but I was just thinking if you are looking for an emergency “get-home” wing motor - why not a cheap DD salvaged from an old tug?
I usually keep the “special” parts i find when doing work at home. Ive got a cap from a 92, bent all to hell, truck disconnected rod and still came home ticking like a bastard. Ive also got a 3306 piston with 2 valves permanently lodged in the top of the piston, lots of stuff like that. I own 4 detroits at home right now, 1 in a truck, and 3 in equipment, like them or not they run, with out alot of trouble. If i could stick a 471 in everything i would, no computer to go bad, feed it fuel, oil, and air and go on your way. The new engines are great when they work, but what do want me to do when the boat goes black, because my generators ECU doesnt feel like working today? I know that we have back ups upon back ups, but i would take a “Heidi class” moran tug over alot of boats anyday.