42 LRC with Perkins 185's ?

Good day gentle persons, I'm new to the forum and we are just looking at getting back in to boats. I'm semi-retired, just doing some part time consulting for another year and we have been looking for an older diesel boat in decent condition. Our plans are just short overnight/weekend trips for the next year and then more extensive cruising around the gulf, then either up the east coast, or Bahamas and near Caribbean.

One of the boats we've just seen is a 1977 42 LRC with the 185 hp Perkins. We're go slow kind of folks so I would anticipate cruising around at 6 1/2 - 7 kt's or so most of the time, can anyone with experience at those kind of speeds chime in with fuel burn numbers they have experienced. The boat gets used on a regular basis and seems to be reasonably solid, the out side trim will all need to be redone, door slide's and those kinds of things but I couldn't find any signs of major leaks in the interior except near the port side door.

We have to decide this weekend on an offer, then if it's accepted we're planning a mechanical survey first, then a full marine survey and sea trial if it passes the mechanical ok. This was my first time looking at a Californian, and my first thoughts on board were, wow, this is a substantial boat for just 42'. I've also been reading the tide ride stairs thread, I can see where that would be very useful on this boat.

Thanks for any assistance or thoughts in general on the boat.

Generally speaking, the Californians are known as stout vessels with good bones but the value of each vessel depends on its maintenance history. Perkins engines are similarly reliable and tough but, again, maintenance history matters. IMO, fit and finish are not to the same caliber as Grand Banks or some Taiwan Trawlers of similar size.

I have a 1977 34 LRC Californian with Perkins 85 HP 4.236's. I have been very satisfied with its reliability, versatility and value.

Guessing 3 gph each engine at 7 kts. If you are lucky, 2 gph each at 7 kts.

Are the 185s turbo'd?

Yes, they are turbo's.

JCM-Houston said:

Yes, they are turbo's.

Click to expand...

On my non turbo'd 4.236s (85 hp), I get 1.6 GPH per engine at 7.5 Kts in a 34 LRC. Your engines are turbo versions of the 6 cyl big brother to my 4 cyl Perkins. Your engines are 50% larger and your boat's heavier but longer. At 6 kts, you might not even have the turbos kicking in.

I'd expect 5 GPH total if under turbo speed and 6-7 GPH in turbo range. You probably have the option of 9-10 kts cruise, right?

Yes, everything I read says you can cruise at 10-12.

The 185's were T6.354 Perkins. These were the most common engine in both the 38' and 42' Marshall built LRC's of the 1970's. The 42's were essentially the 38' with 4' added to the hull. Most of the extra space seemed to be in the salon, which also added space in the engine room and flybridge. The beam was the same.

I figure 7 gph at 10 knot although I usually run in the 8.5 knot range.

Yacht World excerpt from the article on 42" LRC in the sticky note on this forum:

"Unlike the Asian trawlers, the Californian 42 LRC interior was crafted of mahogany, not teak. In addition, the 42 LRC was faster than other trawlers of the 1970s. The Californian 42s engines (twin 185 hp Perkins diesels in the first boats; twin 210 hp Caterpillar diesels in later versions) were reliable and remarkably fuel efficient. The earliest models offered fuel economy of about 1 mpg and a cruising speed of around 12 knots. The twin Caterpillars boosted cruising speed to around 14 knots, while maintaining similar fuel economy."

Thanks, I had read that article, but didn't plan on cruising that fast. We figure 60-80 miles a day is plenty for us, so probably cruising in the range of 8 knots would do it.

I used to run a lot faster, when the boat was new and I was younger. Now days, 8 knots is fast enough for every day use. I would suspect you're closer to the 5 GPH at that speed.

You can actually cruise at 8 knots on one engine if you so choose. Running with friends who have slower TT's, I will run away from them with both engines running at 1400 rpms. Which is too slow to get the engines up to temperature. The velvet drive transmission are perfectly happy free wheeling and the boat is much much quieter with only one engine running. I swap engines every two hours on long runs.

But having the extra speed is nice too, if the weather blows up, passing through high current area (Deception pass, Cattle pass, Dodd Narrows, etc.) or you just want to get in before dark, that option is there for you.

Have a friend with a 40' sundeck TT with those engines, and he burns about 5.5 gal/hr at around 7-8K