What is going on here? 740hp 30 mph Gulfsar Trawler??

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Barking Sands

Barking Sands

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Joined
Dec 24, 2019
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Location
United States
Vessel Name
M/V Intrigue
Vessel Make
1985 Tung Hwa Senator
https://tampa.craigslist.org/hdo/boa/d/spring-hill-gulfstar-gulfstar-43-hiroler/7241482735.html

I would not have though this was possible?? Isnt the 43 Gulfstar a displacement hull?

Amazing! This is not your average run of the mill Gulfstar 43 Motor Trawler. She has two Yanmar 6LYA-STP 370 HP diesel engines for a total of 740 HP! This is far above the normal Gulfstar 43 and allows her to reach up to 30 MPH with a comfortable cruising speed of 25 MPH. This is all done in the comfort of a large and spacious trawler.

Note: (Has seen 25 MPH solid with 27.1 MPH on a day with 12 knot winds and small swell. Impressive!!!)
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Barking Sands said:
try it now
Click to expand...

Darn nice boat! Thanks...

Wonder what number of nmpg at 25 knot cruise and also nmpg at just below hull speed. Bet she could be run on one engine at a time, a bit below hull speed, and still keep enough load on that engine so it stays running clean.

Really low hours too. :thumb:

Our Tolly does 22 to 23 knots at WOT and can cruise all day at 16 to 17 knots... getting 1 nmpg at that speed. Would be a rush to cruise that baby at 25 knots for continual cruise. Our's hull speed calcs out at 7.58 knots. At just below hull speed [6.5 to 7 knots] she gets right at 2 nmpg. On one engine at 4.5 to 5 knots - close to 3 nmpg is the burn.
 
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I was just surprised because I figured that particular hull was a displacement hull like all the old Gulfstars. I suppose it must be semi- displacement or a planing hull.
 
You can make anything fast with a big enough motor.
Don't they have a sailboat hull ? Rounded chines. Wonder how squirrelly it is at speed ??
 
The '70s vintage GS 43 did indeed draw heavily on Lazzara's sailboat design. The beam is a bit wider, and the transom is more squared-off. But the out-of-water photo shows that the rounded bilge is carried all the way aft. She was meant to, at best, climb part way out of the hole, burning dead dinosaurs at a furious clip.

That seems like a lot of Mr. Eds in a 47-year old, mass-production semi-displacement hull that wasn't designed for them. I'd wonder about stresses on the engine beds, stringers and bulkhead joints.
 
Solly said:
You can make anything fast with a big enough motor.
Don't they have a sailboat hull ? Rounded chines. Wonder how squirrelly it is at speed ??
Click to expand...

Thats what I am saying Solly. You have the classic 34 Mainship which is apparently a semi displacement which I hear is good to around 18 knots or so and it gets a little squirrelly? One of my favorites BTW.

I would love to see what this thing is like at 30 MPH :D
 
Blissboat said:
The '70s vintage GS 43 did indeed draw heavily on Lazzara's sailboat design. The beam is a bit wider, and the transom is more squared-off. But the out-of-water photo shows that the rounded bilge is carried all the way aft. She was meant to, at best, climb part way out of the hole, burning dead dinosaurs at a furious clip.

That seems like a lot of Mr. Eds in a 47-year old, mass-production semi-displacement hull that wasn't designed for them. I'd wonder about stresses on the engine beds, stringers and bulkhead joints.
Click to expand...

It is very very interesting though. And honestly the owner that did this had cajones. Seems as though maybe it turned out pretty well.

Dead dinosaurs at a furious clip indeed:lol:
 
The engines would almost be worth the asking price, but then you would have to get rid of the hull.
 
That's a lot of horses guzzling from a 300 gallon tank.
 
300 gallons would last roughly 6 hours without any reserves.
 
MurrayM said:
That's a lot of horses guzzling from a 300 gallon tank.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, burns so much fuel one must remove the fuel fill caps to keep from collapsing the fuel tanks? :D
 
Okay, so he has a very powerful engine. It does not mean he has to run it WOT
My car's speedometer indicates over 100 mph but that does not mean I drive it WOT.
 
Snip "You can make anything fast with a big enough motor."

The only flat section below the waterline on my Willard is the bottom of the keel. I don't think she'd plane with a pair of Pratt & Whitney's bolted to her deck. More likely to be driven under than plane. She'd get above hull speed only if the slings on the TravelLift broke, and even then would need sufficient height.

We active Willard owners constantly debate engine size. 120hp is generally considered the outer bound of reasonable, and that's a only out of respect for Ford Lehman owners

Peter
 
LOL reminds me of my N46. Had a 120(?)hp Lugger. Depending upon the SW injection temp, I could run it all day and night WOT. I dont think it ever went over 8.5knts. When the SW temp got hotter, the keel cooler could not keep the engine temp normal. I would cut back to about 7knts and the world smiled.
 
My guess is it does not run very well at 20+ kts. Either squirrelly or super bow high.

Note he said he has "seen" solid 25 mph, which is barely over 20kts. "Seen" a peak of 27 mph. A lot of hp going somewhere.

I'd want to sea trial it before getting too excited.

Nothing wrong with running those 6LY's at 8kts though.
 
It is essentially a wake boat that one can cook and sleep on.
 
Ski in NC said:
My guess is it does not run very well at 20+ kts. Either squirrelly or super bow high.

Note he said he has "seen" solid 25 mph, which is barely over 20kts. "Seen" a peak of 27 mph. A lot of hp going somewhere.

I'd want to sea trial it before getting too excited.

Nothing wrong with running those 6LY's at 8kts though.
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I had similar thoughts from reading it. That hull doesn't strike me as one that would run well at that speed, and his speed numbers don't quite match up.
 
Those engines seem a waste in that boat. Maybe the best thing would be to find a nice underpowered sportfishing or fast trawler with something like 220hp Cummins in the mid to high 30' range and do a swap. In the end you would probably not lose much on the Gulfstar and end up with a much improved other boat.
 
I'll take a guess that although the high-end planing speeds mentioned are somewhat exciting to fantasize about...

Once she gets over the hump onto full plane [with trim tabs best adjusted] that about 17 knots is the preferred speed for continued good handing and most affordable fuel usage... while still maintaining the quickness of full plane.
 
I wonder if the boat can take the punishment the high speed will inflict.
 
When the PO of our boat put in a bigger 100hp engine, he also put in an extra 40 gallon tank on top of the 100 that was already there.

We went from Kitimat to Pruth Bay on Calvert Island (just north of Cape Caution) bypassing Hartley Bay, Bella Bella, Klemtu, and Shearwater on the way down. Coming home we filled up in Shearwater, then went home to Kitimat poking our noses into the heads of all the mainland channels (starting at Mussel Inlet and only going 1/2 way into Gardner) on that one fill up.

The boat in question, even at 'trawler speeds', would be going from marina to marina in an area with low population and few services like where I live. Given the choice between potential speed and potential time/distance/exploration between fuel stops, I'd go for the latter.
 
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If I was in the market I would be willing to atleast take it for a test drive. If the high speed manners somehow where ok it really would be a hell of a boat. As someone said...it can do 8 knots as well.
 
mvweebles said:
The only flat section below the waterline on my Willard is the bottom of the keel. I don't think she'd plane with a pair of Pratt & Whitneys bolted to her deck. More likely to be driven under than plane. She'd get above hull speed only if the slings on the TravelLift broke, and even then would need sufficient height...
Click to expand...

I agree. I've seen a few Gulfstars out of the water, and there just ain't no way that thing does anything like 27 knots, lol.

It looks like a nice boat, but anybody expecting to go water skiing will be sorely disappointed.
 
I loved the line..."Hiroler is beyond perfect for cruising or for live aboard."

I didn't know there was such a thing!!
 
Barking Sands said:
I was just surprised because I figured that particular hull was a displacement hull like all the old Gulfstars. I suppose it must be semi- displacement or a planing hull.
Click to expand...
No, it is a displacement hull, only very slightly modified from the sailboat hull. 740 hp on a boat like that is an idiotic waste.

What does this guy think he is going to do? Go water-skiing behind his trawler!?! Obviously someone who has more dollars than sense.
 
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