New skipper, advice please on a 1989 Marine Trader, Det D's/J&T 6-71TA's....

Capn James Brett · Dec 21, 2015

Phil Fill said:
We presently are at South Padre TX with the land yatch. We are heading north Dec 28th to fly out of Dallas Jan 7, so we have two weeks to kill. That's a hint.

The Eagle has teak decks, however every year they have to be maintained, sealed, and covered from October to June. The back and Portuguese bridge is canvas covered so both area are usable area all year. The back deck is varnished and heated. The front deck is covered with a thick heavy white tarp where we store some of the summer stuff. So make sure the teak decks are maintained, rain proof and covered.

So how do you plan on transporting the boat to Everett and why. We are thinking of moving South for the winter, and keep the boat in the PNW for the summer. There are many boats for sale in the PNW? The Seattle boat show is the last week in January.

Phil, thanks again. Will seek your counsel on how/what you do on the decks to preserve them. Getting the boat to the west, is something I am currently seeking out skippers and also boat transport bids, since it's a USA-USA transfer. If I can get down there to Tex soon, will hail you and see if we can meet up.
Folks, thanks again for all the input. I am learning a great deal here and will heed the suggestions.
As for the Hatteras, I just don't know that much about them, their reputations etc.

sunchaser · Dec 21, 2015

The BSFC for a JT running at 1600 RPM can't be very good. One thing DD did right was size the 6-71s build specs to the application keeping a close eye on BSFC for each application. The sweet spot for fuel burn on these "hopped up" engines is in the 75-80% range.

Used to run a 6-71 off highway fleet and we did out of frame rebuilds on average at around 2500 hours or 18 months. Tear one out in two hours and back in same. This was the cheapest way to go in the 350 HP range until OPEX for higher fuel burn and increased rebuild costs got to us vs Cat engines that were going above 7,500 or so hours.

Great engines in their day.

Phil Fill · Dec 21, 2015

One more comment. Well maybe, probable not.

Make sure it has enough heat for the PNW winter months. Get down into the 20 and 30, freezing weather for weeks. Most larger PNW boats have stand alone dirsel heat that will cost 20+ grand. Since we are not on the boat the diesel heat can not be run, so we are heating with electric, using the full 240 volts 50 amps for heat. So make sure the eletrical is up to date. We had the AC electric check in preparation. When on the boat we use the diesel as it keeps the entire boat warm and dry. Even the bilge and engine room. :flowers:

kulas44 · Dec 21, 2015

I will have to admit, I've never seen an N30 injector in a DD.

oscar · Dec 21, 2015

kulas44 said:
I will have to admit, I've never seen an N30 injector in a DD.

You are correct. 70's, 60's 55's..others.... no 30's... Senior moment.

caltexflanc · Dec 21, 2015

1) there are a lot of threads on this forum re: teak decks and a lot of us with them would disagree with Phil about spending time and money "preserving" them as such preservation typically means shortening their useful life.

2) yes, on the DDs pay attention to Kulas; he and I don't always agree on these matters, but do on the issues on this thread. Even so, you are getting mostly spurious "interesting to know" and not entirely relevant advice from us (and a ton of it from others) , only an experienced Detroit 2 stroke mechanic tell what is going on with those specific engines in that specific boat, and only by giving them a thorough physical and work out.

djones44 · Dec 21, 2015

caltexflanc said:
1) there are a lot of threads on this forum re: teak decks and a lot of us with them would disagree with Phil about spending time and money "preserving" them as such preservation typically means shortening their useful life.

There's a lot of covered moorage in the Everett area, so I would pay any price, and prioritize it above all, although that might impact your liveaboard plans. You might want to look at rail freight to Seattle for transport.

Personally I'd look for something 40-50 ft in the PNW that has been extensively upgraded or was a quality boat under cover all its life, and keep it that way. They exist in surprising numbers behind all those curtains you idle past in these marinas.

New skipper, advice please on a 1989 Marine Trader, Det D's/J&T 6-71TA's....

Capn James Brett

Veteran Member

sunchaser

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Phil Fill

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kulas44

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oscar

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caltexflanc

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djones44

Senior Member

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