Californian 34 with Sea Horse 21

I took this picture of my two boats, one the Californian 34 "Sweet Marie" which I have owned for a few months along with my 21' trawler "Tortuga" which I have owned for almost 20 years. The 21' is powered by a Volkswagen 1.5 liter Diesel. She burns about 1/3 of a gallon per hour at 7 knots. Before we had kids we towed her up from So Cal to Anacortes and spent a week in the San Juan Islands. Felt like a yacht to us back then.

Really spiffy!

Dare I say "cute"? Tortuga looks like a lot of fun.

I'd love to see more about that VW marinization. I've heard of many but never had the opportunity to talk to a user about them. Did you purchase Tortuga with the VW diesel already installed or DIY?

CPseudonym said:

I'd love to see more about that VW marinization. I've heard of many but never had the opportunity to talk to a user about them. Did you purchase Tortuga with the VW diesel already installed or DIY?

Click to expand...

Craig - Still lots of the Pathfinder engines out there.

History of the VW Pathfinder Marine Engine

Thanks for the link Chip. I talked to a guy a couple years ago that had plans to marinize his own running take out from a Rabbit for use in a small lightweight cruiser. I never realized they once came from the factory.

My motor is a very early version. It is a 1.5 liter with mechanical lifters. Runs great. Other than the timing belt which is easy to replace I have had no issues. 39 horsepower, 2700 sustained cruise, 3600 max. Parts are cheap and easy to get on line (VW Parts Place). The only real marine component is the mani cooler made by Bowman and the Jabsco 2620 pump. The gearbox is a Hurth. Both the boat and motor are a 1980. I found the bost sitting on tires on the back of a commercial fishing wharf ice house in Wilmington CA. Had been sitting for over ten years and had about a foot of water in it. The engine only had about 20 hours on it. Made the guy an offer and he took it. The next day I found a used trailer and brought her home. It cleaned up pretty well considering how long it had been sitting uncovered.

Thanks. I have to admit it has been called cute in the past. It is a lot of fun.