Re-Power on a single engine 34' sport fisher Californian

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Edward14

Edward14

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2017
Messages
26
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Dreadnought
Vessel Make
1981 34' Californian Sport Fisher/Trawler
I currently have a single 3208 Caterpillar 210hp natural I want to re power it any suggestions on an engine??
 
What is your reason for the repower, and performance expectations?
 
Pau Hana said:
What is your reason for the repower, and performance expectations?
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My 3208 is old I just bought the boat and it was setting for a long time without being used I don't want to put a ton of money into re building it if I can re power it for around 40,000 and get better performance I was thinking a 4.5S J.Deere 275 hp it will be used as a fishing vessel / live aboard fuel economy and range are very important maybe if I can achieve 5 gph at 8 knots that would be awesome it's a single I know they did not make many singles most are twins but I wanted a single I'm thinking about getting a marine engineers opinion.
 
The 3208 is rated for somewhere in the neighborhood of 30000 gallons of fuel, so old may be a relative term. Hours and maintenance are much more important.

A new common rail engine may certainly give you great economy- but factor in how long it will take to recoup that outlay, especially is the Cat is still operational.
 
Pau Hana said:
The 3208 is rated for somewhere in the neighborhood of 30000 gallons of fuel, so old may be a relative term. Hours and maintenance are much more important.

A new common rail engine may certainly give you great economy- but factor in how long it will take to recoup that outlay, especially is the Cat is still operational.
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Yeah it is still operational it's got a lot of blow by from the dip stick but and a mechanic at 100 an hour will add up maybe needs to be sleeved? Also needs new alternate, leaking oil from the oil cooler badly I'm noticing a lot of spray paint on the engine so maybe trying to hide more It only has 1,400 hours on it but was not used a lot and I don't think it was taken care of to well and not much history on maintains logs I got it on a low ball offer anticipating the worst for the engine I'm going back in-forth in my head wether to re power or fix my current engine if I can save on fuel as well that is another consideration the specs give much better fuel economy on the Deere and is lighter by about 400 lbs.
 
Well, in you have the coin to throw at it- go for it!

Also, toss some punctuation into your post- makes it easier to read :)
 
Pau Hana said:
Well, in you have the coin to throw at it- go for it!



Also, toss some punctuation into your post- makes it easier to read :)
Click to expand...



Right on man, I'm just trying to get other opinions on a good engine to re-power with cool thanks [emoji106]
 
It would make a lot more economic sense to repair or overhaul your Cat than buy a new engine and the cost savings will more than pay for any fuel savings for the rest of your life. At 1400 hours, your Cat should be good for another 6600 hours or so.

How long do you plan to keep the boat? Adding a $40K engine repower won't get you that much on the market when you go to sell. If you get back 20% of your investment you will be lucky.
 
Have you had the chance to run the boat and get some performance numbers?

A 34 should "sorta" plane with 200hp, but to do it comfortably you would want an engine rated above that so cruising speed is attained around 70% of engine power, so around 300hp min to cruise at plane.

If you do not intend to plane it, you can go with a lower rated engine, but this will affect resale.

It depends what speeds you want it capable of.

The lowest dollar option would be to have the 3208 pulled and gone through.

3208's normally have a lot of blowby, but it should not be coming out the dipstick. There are blowby regulating valves on rocker covers, if those are not working it could force blowby out other places.

Deere and Cummins have good offerings in the 200-300hp class. Cummins has a reman 210 and I think 270 and 315 available.
 
Edward14 said:
My 3208 is old I just bought the boat and it was setting for a long time without being used I don't want to put a ton of money into re building it if I can re power it for around 40,000 and get better performance I was thinking a 4.5S J.Deere 275 hp it will be used as a fishing vessel / live aboard fuel economy and range are very important maybe if I can achieve 5 gph at 8 knots that would be awesome it's a single I know they did not make many singles most are twins but I wanted a single I'm thinking about getting a marine engineers opinion.
Click to expand...

Drive up to Oxnard and talk to Tony Athens. He is the go to marine engineer on this specific question, having done more repowers in this HP range than anyone on the West Coast.

Part of the question is matching the hull to the motor and drive train. This is well within in Tony's knowledge base.
 
sunchaser said:
Drive up to Oxnard and talk to Tony Athens. He is the go to marine engineer on this specific question, having done more repowers in this HP range than anyone on the West Coast.



Part of the question is matching the hull to the motor and drive train. This is well within in Tony's knowledge base.
Click to expand...



Ok great thanks I will definitely go see Tony.
 
Ski in NC said:
Have you had the chance to run the boat and get some performance numbers?

A 34 should "sorta" plane with 200hp, but to do it comfortably you would want an engine rated above that so cruising speed is attained around 70% of engine power, so around 300hp min to cruise at plane.

If you do not intend to plane it, you can go with a lower rated engine, but this will affect resale.

It depends what speeds you want it capable of.

The lowest dollar option would be to have the 3208 pulled and gone through.

3208's normally have a lot of blowby, but it should not be coming out the dipstick. There are blowby regulating valves on rocker covers, if those are not working it could force blowby out other places.

Deere and Cummins have good offerings in the 200-300hp class. Cummins has a reman 210 and I think 270 and 315 available.
Click to expand...



Yeah I ran it on the sea trial it did not achieve full rpm at full throttle it got 2600 out of 2800 but there are no gauges to tell me what speed and fuel burn previous owner said it was 12 knots max and 10 at cruise.

I would only need 10 knot max and cruise at 7 or 8 but would be nice to have the option to get on plane.

Thanks,
 
The scary thing about changing engines is it's not just as simple as pulling one out and dropping a new in. You've got transmission, mounts, realignment issues. Plus the while it's out factor. You can easily get out of control and and spend way more than the boat justifies. There's a reason most people rebuild an existing engine. But go talk to Tony he has the knowledge.
 
Donsan said:
It would make a lot more economic sense to repair or overhaul your Cat than buy a new engine and the cost savings will more than pay for any fuel savings for the rest of your life. At 1400 hours, your Cat should be good for another 6600 hours or so.

How long do you plan to keep the boat? Adding a $40K engine repower won't get you that much on the market when you go to sell. If you get back 20% of your investment you will be lucky.
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Just guessing a number to overhaul my 3208 what do you think the cost would be I have yet to get a ball park from a mechanic they just say time and material.


I plan to keep the boat for at least 10 years probably more but yeah I am aware of the re sale it don't really bother me none my boat will be a tough resell.
 
mbevins said:
The scary thing about changing engines is it's not just as simple as pulling one out and dropping a new in. You've got transmission, mounts, realignment issues. Plus the while it's out factor. You can easily get out of control and and spend way more than the boat justifies. There's a reason most people rebuild an existing engine. But go talk to Tony he has the knowledge.
Click to expand...



Yeah you are right but I would definitely be changing out the transmission and any other parts that need to be changed but I definitely want an engineer to help out with it if I do a re power, my boat is in San Diego at the moment do you know any diesel mechanics out here I have talked to two and they seem to think it should be re powered maybe just because it's easier for them.
 
Edward14 said:
I currently have a single 3208 Caterpillar 210hp natural I want to re power it any suggestions on an engine??
Click to expand...



Anyone know a good Diesel mechanic in San Diego California??
 
There is a shop on east coast in MD (T&S) that is the go-to place for local 3208's. Take them the engine, they go through it, pick it up a couple weeks later and they even give a warranty. I have asked them for verbal quotes on high hp turbo 3208s and it ranged from $10-20k depending on what was wrong with it.

There may be a similar shop on the west coast. But palletized shipping is really not that expensive.

Another option is to get a 3208 turbo 375. Easier fit than changing brands.

Whether the engine is 210 or 375hp, burn rate will be the same if boat speed is the same.
 
Edward14 said:
Just guessing a number to overhaul my 3208 what do you think the cost would be I have yet to get a ball park from a mechanic they just say time and material.


I plan to keep the boat for at least 10 years probably more but yeah I am aware of the re sale it don't really bother me none my boat will be a tough resell.
Click to expand...

In reading your issues, they just don't give the impression the Cat is in that bad of shape but Ski would know much better than I. For a ball park estimate, maybe under $10K and it will serve you well for the 10 years you plan to own the boat if maintained properly. The mechanic won't know until he starts digging into it what needs to be done and what it will cost. He should be able to give you an estimate for a complete overhaul but it sounds like they don't think it is necessary to go that far. 1400 hours is not a lot of hours but sitting unused for extended periods of time will require some things such as gaskets, hoses and the like.
 
I just did a major rebuild of my DD 6-71 (450hp) including all new hoses and stuff. Cost was $21K all in. I can't see yours being more so even if you pull it and send it in to a shop you'll be way ahead.
I would not be looking at the labor rate per hour at this point. Find a GOOD Cat mechanic in your area and have him do a complete assessment on the engine. Can't see that being more than a Buck. If you have the ability to pull the engine easily and the work is sufficient enough to justify then pull it for the repairs/rebuild. It allows you to access the ER and do a ton of cleanup. Then simply drop it back in.
The engine you have has a proven track record and doesn't require you to throw it to the scrap heap.
Just my opinion.
 
Here's what I would do.

Run it as is until it shows any sign of kicking the bucket.

Find and buy a used or remanufactured 3208t with around 300hp. Because I have a working engine in the boat I can take my time, go over ever sq inch, paint it, etc. It also doesn't hurt to see your engine out of the boat to learn the ropes.. Could save your bacon one day(if you have a single you should know it well).

I'd even think about buying one that needs a rebuild so I can know what gets replaced and build it to higher specs.

When the weather sucks i'd swap them out. Should adapt well to the transmission and since it's the same dimensions fit in there well.

Don't love the reputation of the 3208 so I might look into other options.
 
Does the engine start easily from cold? Is it burning oil? Both are related to excessive blowby. If it starts easily cold and doesn't burn oil, then it is likely to be blowby control as Ski is saying.

You need to find a local mechanic who understands what Ski is saying about blowby control. It sounds like the guys you are talking to only want to replace what may be a good engine.

But if you just want more power, a turbo charged Cat 3208 would be a relatively inexpensive solution.

David
 
Contact Seaboard Marine in Oxnard and ask them who the local 3208 go-to guy is. I don't think they work on them much, but they will know who the good local independents are.
 
Economy would be more likely found w a SD or FD hulled boat.
 
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