Jefferson 42, 260 Cat 3208's or Cummins 210's?

Greetings all. We've narrowed our search down to Jefferson 42 models, particularly in the '86-89 years. There are three particular models the Admiral and I are planning on viewing soon, all with similar interiors, equipment, etc. One noted difference between the models are that two have Cat 3208 260HP engines, and one has twin Cummins 210 HP engines. Knowing that our intent is to take the boat on a 6000 mile Loop trip next year, will all of that 6000 miles at low speeds (7-8 knots) except for the occasional "push", my tendency is to favor the 210 HP if for no other reason than economy. However, I'd like to ask other members if there are other considerations that we should take into account concerning these two engines. Maintenance and spares costs and availability, service availability, and other issues that we may not be considering may outweigh pure fuel economy, so we'd love to hear from others.

We would LOVE to hear from other Jefferson 42 owners, or other owners of similar boats with these engines. For reference, the J42 is heavy compared to some similar models (30,000 lb displacement). In addition to maintenance and service considerations, if possible I'd like to get an understanding of the difference in fuel burn we can expect between the 260 HP Cat and the 210 HP Cummins on a 6000 mile trip at 7-8 Knot cruise.

Thanks in advance!

My best friend has a 1986 42 Jeff with twin Perkins 6.354 200 HP turbodiesels. (It's about to go up for sale here in Northern CA.) He gets about 13 Kts at WOT when all is tuned, cleaned and running properly. He cruises closer to 10 kts, sometime pushing 11 kts, at about 8 gph. A fellow TFer with a similarly sized GB 42 has Cat 3208 naturals gets similar results.

If I was picking between the two, I'd go with the inline Cummins over the V8 Cats to get better engine access for maintenance. Those 3208s take up a lot of engine room real estate. All 3 engine models have great reputations.

The 42 Jeff really absorbs people! You can have 4 on the FB, 4 on the sundeck, 4 in the salon and 4 in the galley/settee and no one is rubbing elbows. And that's not counting the staterooms! Very livable and easy to move around with no ladders and wide side decks...as long as you don't mind steps with each change of area.

FlyWright said:

If I was picking between the two, I'd go with the inline Cummins over the V8 Cats to get better engine access for maintenance.

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Interesting! When I was negotiating to buy SeaHorse II, the fact that it had a Cummins 330B in it was a big positive to me. I've had 2 pairs of 3208s in the past and they are a hell of a engine but as stated above, they do take up a lot of room in the ER. My past experiences since 1995 have included owning Perkins, Cats, DDECS, Cummins & a gasser Volvo. I've had good luck with all of them but the simplest ones to work on are the Cummins. (IMHO) I love them!

I have a GB42 with twin Cat 3208 naturals. I trust them to be there when I need them. That said, if I could snap my fingers and magically swap them out to the Cummins 5.9s I would. The extra outboard space for maintenance would be helpful. However, if I found your J42 with Cats and all the systems met your expectations and the price was right, I wouldn't hesitate to buy her. I'm only 5'9" and can still squeeze into some pretty tight places!

I've had both engines and not a negative thing to say about either. I'd look for the best deal on the right boat but get the engines check out.

Thanks for all of the input everyone. The concept of the extra outboard space is exactly the type of information that we would not have thought about. I spent a lot of years on some submarines where there was so little space outboard the 300KW motor-generators that you literally had to lay in the bilge and reach up and around the deck clip to remove and install brushes...I've grown fond of extra space for maintenance since then!

Cat parts are pretty universally available.

You can find a Cat dealer most everywhere.

Parts, Parts, parts. If you have an engine you are going to have to work on them.

Don't know about the Cummins.

SD

My dock neighbor has a 42 Jeff for sale .It needs some TLC a turbo and new canvas but other than that the boat is sound.It has never seen salt water He is very sick therefore his wife wants it sold .My guess is it will go for around $35000.00 the last asking price was 59,000 The boat is located in Toronto On.If you want the full Specs let me know .

ocean said:

The boat is located in Toronto On.If you want the full Specs let me know .

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Ocean, would this be located in Hamilton? If so I had a good friend take a look and send me some video, and several issues steered me away, but the broker really recommended I fly out to look. The one item that could not be "fixed" is the fact that the one we were considering there did not have the dinette opposite the galley, a feature that the Admiral has become fond of.

No the boat is located in Toronto So far there hasn't been a broker involved'The last I heard was the wife was considering using a broker at out yacht club

ocean said:

My dock neighbor has a 42 Jeff for sale .It needs some TLC a turbo and new canvas but other than that the boat is sound.It has never seen salt water He is very sick therefore his wife wants it sold .My guess is it will go for around $35000.00 the last asking price was 59,000 The boat is located in Toronto On.If you want the full Specs let me know .

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Hi Ocean
I am in the market for a 42 Jefferson and live in the Toronto area. I would really like it if you could send me the specs on the boat.

Hi
I don't have the Specs but you can contact the owners
Terry and Dorothy Ward
416 261 2927
Email tdward@rogers.com

Please don't mention that I said it might go for around $35,000 This is just an uneducated guess considering the market
Bert

The Cummins 6B is still in production whereas the 3208's have been discontinued now for some time, not to say there are no parts for 3208's, but more for general info.

If it was my choice I think a lot would come down to how many hours, the service history etc and less on which one. I wouldn't kick either engine out of the engine room.

There are no shortage of parts for Cat 3208s. Where did you hear that? Internet?

Lets try a little reading comprehension, I said there was NO shortage of parts even though production has stopped on that model engine, just stating the facts, letting the person asking determine their own direction, pretty much my style for 40 years on the water. ;-)

I reread your sentence. I concede. I read it wrong....forgive me!

ocean said:

Hi
I don't have the Specs but you can contact the owners
Terry and Dorothy Ward
416 261 2927
Email tdward@rogers.com

Please don't mention that I said it might go for around $35,000 This is just an uneducated guess considering the market
Bert

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Thanks Bert,

I won't mention any pricing!

Giggitoni

100 lashes with a wet noodle

Marlinmike said:

not to say there are no parts for 3208's, but more for general info.

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The double negative got me the first time I read it, too.

I have had two boats, each equipped with a Cummins 6BT 5.9-M, for the last 14 years, and have made over 35,700 nautical miles. I spend from the middle of May to the first week of September on the Inside Passage.

The engine is simply bullet proof, easy to service and absolutely trouble free. In fourteen years they have never failed me, not even once. My calculations are that I average 1.4 USG/hour on fuel consumption averaging about 7.3 knots at 1200 rpm. I seldom run her at more that 1200 rpm as this brings me to hull speed. The boat is 36 lwl, 38 loa and weighs 2600 pounds with half liquids. I have 4580 hours on this engine, and I can't remember what the last one was.

I do all my own maintenance and really don't consider myself all that mechanically inclined. A fine piece of equipment.