On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 11:37:08 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

I've been looking at these:

http://www.topazboats.com/Site/32Express/32x.html

but I don't really want diesels.

===============================

Trust me on this one, you absolutely do want diesels. In order to get
decent speed with gas engines on a boat of that type you will be
looking at a fuel burn of over 40 gph. Diesels, about half that.

Wayne.B wrote:
On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 11:37:08 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:


I've been looking at these:

http://www.topazboats.com/Site/32Express/32x.html

but I don't really want diesels.


===============================

Trust me on this one, you absolutely do want diesels. In order to get
decent speed with gas engines on a boat of that type you will be
looking at a fuel burn of over 40 gph. Diesels, about half that.


I forgot to follow up with Tom on that, although he seems to have a lot
more boating experience than I. The issue of vibration is boat specific
I think. The Egg Harbor I used to have had a resonant RPM while
accelerating that caused all the hatches in the cockpit to vibrate
loudly and the Cat 3126 engines were noisy, but it was not a big issue.
The Navigator sounds and feels more like a Greyhound Bus, probably due
to the extensive engine room insulation and the smaller Volvo diesels.
It is very smooth and quiet with the auto syncs on. The only time the
boat vibrates is at closed throttle idle, in neutral and with the syncs
off. Exhaust smell and "station wagon" effect is non-existent when underway.

On smaller boats I prefer 4 stroke outboard(s). On bigger boats, I am
hooked on diesel power and will never go back to gas.

It's really a matter of personal preference.

Eisboch

On Sunday 14 November 2004 1:38 pm in rec.boats Eisboch wrote:

The Egg Harbor I used to have had a resonant RPM while
accelerating that caused all the hatches in the cockpit to vibrate
loudly and the Cat 3126 engines were noisy, but it was not a big issue.

This is major design issue. Resonant vibration is almost
certain to lead to fatigue cracking and structural failure.If you found the
CATs to be noisy you almost certainly have other serious issues with
inadequade mounts and poor insulation.

Sounds like a boat to avoid at any price.

--
My real address is crn (at) netunix (dot) com
WARNING all messages containing attachments or html will be silently
deleted. Send only plain text.

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 08:17:56 -0500, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 11:37:08 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

I've been looking at these:

http://www.topazboats.com/Site/32Express/32x.html

but I don't really want diesels.

===============================

Trust me on this one, you absolutely do want diesels. In order to get
decent speed with gas engines on a boat of that type you will be
looking at a fuel burn of over 40 gph. Diesels, about half that.

Well, I don't have to commit as of yet. And I'm sure that once I
actually get into this market when "we" sell the Contender in a year
or so I'll be wanting a test ride, blah, blah, blah. Then again, I
can be price driven as proved with the Contender. The only reason I'm
holding back on the E-TECs is because of this "we" factor with "my"
boat. :)

I must admit that on single screw boats of this class, I've been
impressed with diesels, but to tell the truth, most of my boat diesel
experience is mostly teaching folk how to use their built-in stern
thrusters, slow speed maneuvering and general boat handling when they
upgrade from the 20 foot Trophy to the 35 foot whatever. :)

Later,

Tom

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 20:10:47 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:
I must admit that on single screw boats of this class, I've been
impressed with diesels, but to tell the truth, most of my boat diesel
experience is mostly teaching folk how to use their built-in stern
thrusters, slow speed maneuvering and general boat handling when they
upgrade from the 20 foot Trophy to the 35 foot whatever. :)
===============================================

I forgot to mention the most important diesel issue for a fisherman:
range.

My Bertram 33 could not fish the canyons because of gas engines.
Even with a 320 gallon tank, safe working range was only about 130
miles. With diesels almost double that, with faster cruising speed as
a bonus. A modern high speed diesel should not vibrate if installed
correctly - solid stringers, good engine mounts/alignment, properly
sized props, straight shafts, good cutlass bearings. Noise is mostly
a matter of a proper exhaust system and engine room insulation. My
Grand Banks is quieter on the flybridge than the Bertram 33 with twin
454s.

Within 5 years I upgraded from a single engine 24 ft I/O to a twin gas
33 flybridge sportfish, to a twin diesel 49 trawler. Big, big
differences in handling between the boats. The jury is still out but
so far I consider the 49 to be the easiest to maneuver. It does not
tend to get blown sideways in cross wind docking like the Bert did.