Am I wrong if ...

[DanoDano]

I decide to walk away from my contract on a trawler because I can't get comfortable with the reliability of the Lehman 225 twins? They are supposedly recent rebuilds done by the current owner himself.

I've tried to get comfortable with them by doing my Internet research but it always seems to come down to "the 120's are great but stay away from the turbos" argument.

I don't know if that's coming from those who ACTUALLY own the 225's or just being spread through hearsay.

I would really like to hear from 225 owners who have experience with these engines.

 

[Pau Hana]

Depends on the purchase contract- here in Washington, the buyer can walk at pretty much any time.

As far as the Lehman engines- turbo, or non-turbo, they have a great reputation. Maintenance is the key issue on any older engine- if there are good records as to the care and feeding of the Lehmans, I don't believe there is any real reason for concern.

 

[DanoDano]

Thanks for the reply Pau Hana.

Should have been more clear....I can legally walk away....that's not an issue....my concern is the twin 225's.

If I like everything else about this boat, are the engines enough reason to walk away?

 

[Marin]

(Dano-- Sent you a Private Message re turbo Lehman info).

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
If they're so reliable, why was a rebuild necessary unless they had lots of original hours. Is the present owner a deisel mechanic and if he/she is, how good a mechanic are they?
Sure the engines are a good enough reason to walk away. Heck, the wrong colored curtains in the saloon is good enough for some people.

 

[Art]

Short of raising a sunken boat for restoration... or rebuilding a burned to the gunnels boat to regain working condition... twin engines are about the most costly items to replace.

If PO was the rebuilder make darn sure he/she knew what they were doing and get comprehensive papers on all items completed as well as parts used. Then - - > hire a real good marine diesel mechanic to fully survey both engines and review the papers you received about the engines.

Be Careful and Good Luck!

 

[BruceK]

Why not talk to American Diesel, the Lehman "successors", Bob and Brian Smith, Bob was VP of Lehman. They supply the parts to keep them running. The 120/135s seem virtually indestructible, I don`t see why the turbos should not be ok, but with less cubic inches and higher output, logically they could wear out faster.

 

[FF]

>I don`t see why the turbos should not be ok, but with less cubic inches and higher output, logically they could wear out faster.<

The modern way to look at engines is as fuel eating machines.

At 3-4 GPH they will consume say 30,000 gal of fuel in 8,000 to 10,000 hours ..

Burn the fuel 2 times faster and engine life will be cut in half.

The no turbo from most of the Lehman comes from the usual low speed operation where there is no boost from the turbo.

With no boost the engine is less efficient than a NA , so why bother with a turbo?