range of pacific seaft lauderdalecraft 38

Hi I'm delivering a pacific seacraft 38 from fort lauderdale to Curacao we carry 415 gal fuel plus I plan to bring 100 gal bladder she is powered by 3126 cats I was wondering if she can make a 400 nm passage, perhaps running on one engine. Anybody have any experience pertaining to the range?

Thanks
Wayne

She weighs about 30,000#, right? So she should burn about 5 gph at hull speed. Slow down to under 7 Kts and maybe 3-4. So a range of 600 or so NM should be doable.

David

pacific seacraft 38

thanks David but I guess I wasn't clear... she is a Pacific Seacraft Trawler, not a sailboat

waynesf said:

Hi I'm delivering a pacific seacraft 38 from fort lauderdale to Curacao we carry 415 gal fuel plus I plan to bring 100 gal bladder she is powered by 3126 cats I was wondering if she can make a 400 nm passage, perhaps running on one engine. Anybody have any experience pertaining to the range?

Thanks
Wayne

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A 3126 will burn around 3 gph at 1500 rpm. I have no clue how fast that would be for a 38 foot boat with an unknown prop size and pitch, but have to assume it would be 8 knots or so - the company claims 11 knots at "cruise" with both engines with a 300 nm range. Why anyone would put 600 hp into such a vessel is a mystery to me, but I guess it is what it is. So, your range with a single engine running and 515 gallons of diesel should be very close to the distance from Ft. L. to Curacao, which is around 1400 miles. The key is to verify the actual speed at around 1500 rpm. If it is 8 knots plus, it appears you'll get there (barely), barring adverse winds.

It looks like Puerto Plata on the north coast of the Dominican Republic would be a good stop if you need to add fuel. There are several possibilities in Puerto Rico also. When Will you be doing the trip?
Steve W

I think a refill should be scheduled in your passage. Then after you put time and distance under the keel you can help us establish gph. I would also run on the twin.......

waynesf said:

thanks David but I guess I wasn't clear... she is a Pacific Seacraft Trawler, not a sailboat

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Smarten up David lol

Ocean Breeze NL said:

Smarten up David lol

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That is about the best vid I have see in a long time. Definitely a multi functional image.

Wayne:

Yes, I understood it to be a trawler. Used to (try) to sell them when I was a broker in Annapolis a long time ago. My comments still stand.

Semi displacement trawlers will use about 25-30 hp per 10,000 lbs to go hull speed. So 75-90 hp. Your cats will produce 18 hp per gph. So That is how I got 5 gph at a hull speed of about 8 kts. Slow down a knot or so and your fuel consumption will drop almost in half.

The only way you can go 400 miles is at or below hull speed.

David

why cant you stop in key west to top off and then stop in cuba and top off again?????

pacific seacraft range

The specs from Pacific Seacraft say 12 gal/per hour per engine at 1750 rpms will yieid 12 knots 1750 rpm on one engine gives me 8.4 knots so its a no brainer to make the 400 mile passage (punta cana, DR to Curacao) on one engine but that still cuts it really close.
I'm looking for someone who actually owns a PC 38 with 3126 cats to give me real life experience, not theory Thank you all for the input

why not run on 2 engines to key west at 7 or 8 knts and top off and see what the fuel burn is? or go on one engine and see?

Predicting fuel burn of a specific boat from the burn rate of another boat means very little. Fuel burn is a function of load and every boat (even w the same engine) is propped and loaded differently. Even identical boats that are propped only 50rpm different will have different burn rates because of their different loads due to prop pitch or some other reason. Burn rate is mostly dependent on load and a given engine at a specific rpm does not specify engine load. Just say'in.

Wayne,
If you can find a person w the same boat, gear and prop that is propped the same as you are ... 50rpm underpropped, 150rpm over propped, propped at rated rpm or whatever ..... as long as it is the same you can probably take those numbers to the bank but only if everything matches up. It should be fairly close even if ther'e are other variables that aren't too far off. I've been in boating a very long time and don't know the boat you speak of so good luck.

waynesf said:

The specs from Pacific Seacraft say 12 gal/per hour per engine at 1750 rpms will yieid 12 knots 1750 rpm on one engine gives me 8.4 knots so its a no brainer to make the 400 mile passage (punta cana, DR to Curacao) on one engine but that still cuts it really close.
I'm looking for someone who actually owns a PC 38 with 3126 cats to give me real life experience, not theory Thank you all for the input

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That 12 gal/hr must be what the engine would burn at max rated power for that rpm. We have two 250 HP engines in a 44' 30,000 lb semi-planing hull. Calculated hull speed is right at 8.4 kts. The prop chart fuel burn at 8.4 knots with both engines operating says about 4 GPH. I always figure 5 for a cushion...1.7 nmpg.

See if you can get a prop chart from the manufacturer. I'd guess that hull speed for that boat is a little less than 8 knots. It should easily make a 400 miles trip running both engines at that speed or less.

decided to carry six 35 gallon barrels of deisel fuel instead of bladder so range shouldn't be a problem thanks for all your suggestions

Psc 38 T range

Hello,
How was the trip? What speed/ rpm did you choose?
I read that running on one engine only can damage the transmission on the other engine. Did you find an easy way to secure the idle axle/prop?
Also was wondering where you located the 6 drums, to keep angle desired without taxing Bennet trim tabs.
I imagine you must have great pictures, hope you can post one or two.
Best