Rich Hampel wrote in
:

MOST diesels will optimize or get maximum service life if run at 75% of
max. rpm.


I used to believe this, too, until a friend sold his Hatteras 56 with twin
Detroit Diesel 8V92TA twin turbocharged firetruck engines in it. He
thought the Hat56 was a trawler, rarely ever running the beasts above
idle/trawler speeds until I came along and one day opened the throttles
full to "blow the soot out" of the wet pipes....leaving a trail of soot
visible from the Space Station if it were passing overhead.

His wife was impressed that it would plane like a runabout. Dan was
impressed when he started gasping for breath after looking at the flow
meters...hee hee.

These two-stroke diesels were taken apart by General Diesel and inspected
after hundreds of hours of this low-speed "abuse", paid for by the buyer
when he sold it. Both engines were in fine condition and GD replaced ONE
injector spring they found a little weak since 1981! Running at 10-15%
power in "trawler mode" didn't seem to have any detrimental effect on them,
at all.....

What a great ride she was after I fixed the Naiad hydraulic stabilizer
control system that never worked. Even in the swells, she rode as flat as
a table while going up and down the swells.

I miss her.....so does Dan's credit card companies when I insisted we "fill
'er up" instead of leaving her empty like he did so the water could collect
in the fuel tankage....(c;