Can you answer this ? Please help me

Im seriously looking to buy a 2005 Mainship 34T , i was told by my mechanic to stick with the 6LYA YANMAR, and not go with the twin 240 ? Can our fine member please guide me as to which is the better choice and why?

If your question is single or twin, then the correct choice is the one you make.

The twins in that size boat will be harder to access. The single prop in that boat will be better protected - not sure if it has twin rudders with twins, in which case they are also less protected. The get-home/redundancy issue? Dealer's choice. Where do you want to use it and what are the ordinary hazards in that area? Will you be in easy range of a towing service if going with a single?

we only travel within the great south bay of long island , might do a block island trip, but other than that we drive 7 miles across the bay and park it at the dock for 3 days of fun .

SILENTKNIGHT said:

we only travel within the great south bay of long island , might do a block island trip, but other than that we drive 7 miles across the bay and park it at the dock for 3 days of fun .

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We use our boat in a similar pattern with very infrequent runs on a hundred miles through the ICW. I find the single engine Yanmar 315 HP sufficient for our 15-MPH cruise. I have been towed once in my over fifty years afloat, when this single engine had a seawater cooling hose blow apart. Previous boat was a twin engine Grand Banks where I felt the twins were essential.

I am betting your tech is thinking about serviceability cause it’s his sorry a** that has to crawl around in there. The Yanmar 240’s are bullet proof. The 6LY is also a great power plant and much easier to service in that application. It comes down to what you want....single or twin. I’d go with the single but that’s just me.

I just purchased a 2004 34 Pilot in August of this year. I was able to test drive the boat with a single and twins. With twins, the boat was a few mph faster, but seemed to not track as well compared to the single. So far, I have been very impressed with efficiency of the boat with its single yanmar 6lya(we put 45 hours on the boat in 60 days).

My previous boat had twins, and docking the boat with a single is MUCH different as I don't want to rely on using the bow thruster(even though it works REALLY WELL). I do most of my maintenance, and after crawling around taking off and cleaning heat exchangers, changing the impeller, my back is glad we bought the single!!!

Good luck, I don't think you can go wrong either way!

This is great information and support I really appreciate all this input.... But I do believe on that statement about how my mechanic is the one that is not looking forward to crawling around with 2 engines.
I just got rid of my 2003 MS 315 yanmar I love that engine !

So did you find owning the boat with twins easier with docking

IF you buy a boat with twins, I highly recommend getting your mechanic yoga classes, a heating pad and some aleve!

-Rich

I like that suggestion....
I prefer the 6LYA
I hope I find it in a 2005 MS 34T
They sell so fast. I just sold my 2003 MS pilot, 315 yanmar perfect boat 1050 hrs.
$65000. 00

On the test drive, yes I thought the twins were easier as I could split the throttles while docking. Once I bought the boat, I spent a few hours learning how to maneuver the boat while my wife tinkered with the cabin. On a calm days, I don't need the bow thruster at all to back into my slip. The boat holds its coarse pretty well with its deep keel. I find the bow thruster to be great insurance on windy days though. Whichever boat you decide, you will be happy with it.

-Rich

SILENTKNIGHT said:

So did you find owning the boat with twins easier with docking

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For maneuvering in and around marinas and piers, I prefer twins any day. However, now that I own a single with a bow thruster, I am OK with it.

They do sell fast!!! We totally overpaid on our boat and haven't regretted it yet! If you are ever in the Annapolis MD area, we can take our boat for a spin and you can see how she maneuvers.

-Rich

Any boat with twins? Not so. Have you ever been aboard a DeFever and seen the easily accessed and large engine room? Or a Great Harbor? Not all boats with twins require being a gymnast.

sickatea said:

IF you buy a boat with twins, I highly recommend getting your mechanic yoga classes, a heating pad and some aleve!

-Rich

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My apologies, 2004 mainship 34 pilot rumrunner with twins you need to be a contortionist to get to parts of the motors.

I'm sure the boats mentioned have ample space to service both motors, but 2x the amount of potential issues and upkeep!

-Rich

rgano said:

For maneuvering in and around marinas and piers, I prefer twins any day. However, now that I own a single with a bow thruster, I am OK with it.

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[emoji106] I was hesitant to even consider a single as previous boat had twins. Bottom line I am now sold on single with thruster(s)
The room with a single is very generous and encourages one to do more yourself. It also lend itself to assisting or standing by to learn when you have others do work. If you are nervous not having a back up spend the $ for unlimited towing policy and you will still be ahead vs maintenance of twins.

SILENTKNIGHT said:

I like that suggestion....
I prefer the 6LYA
I hope I find it in a 2005 MS 34T
They sell so fast. I just sold my 2003 MS pilot, 315 yanmar perfect boat 1050 hrs.
$65000. 00

Click to expand...

Hardtop? Generator?

My last boat had twins and I swore I would never buy a boat with a single. My present 390 has a single and a bow thruster and now I swear I will never buy a boat with twins.
John

We previously had a 38' Regal with win Cummins. What a pain in the butt to try to work on those engines. Getting to the hot water heater was almost impossible.
We have a 2006 MS34T single engine and love it. You can actually crawl around the entire engine and have plenty of space at every location to sit down to perform maintenance, do checks on the system, etc. Just wish the boat would go a little faster.

This choice is NOT black and white, and either could be just fine.


There are goods and bads of both choices, so pick what makes you feel happy.

The single/twin choice for me compared the downsides of requiring a tow to the downsides of increased maintenance. I boat in inland rivers, so waiting on a tow for more than a day (two?) in remote areas is possible but would also not be dangerous. I bought a case of MREs and stuck them under the bed, just in case. My 2005 MS34T is a single with thruster. I've never had to try the MREs.

My experiences;
N46 separate get home, separate shaft, folding propeller. The shaft nor propeller were protected. Used the main rudder to steer. Engine room cramped by 20KW gen. Was a 12KW boat.
N46, single engine, propeller protected by the skag. Single barn door rudder.
AT.
AT34, single engine, propeller protect by skag (sp). Rudder, a good size. Engine room, easy access to both sides of the main engine.
General observation, single engine can have excellent access to the engine. Single shaft, protected propeller, skag protects from the occasional bottom bump. Single rudder of a good size.

Choices, choices, choices. My DeFever 44 with twins saved me twice when a DriveSaver coupling fractured, yes, twice. DeFevers have large engine rooms (5.5 feet of headroom) with good access to the outboard side of the engines. There is even storage space there. A DeFever 44 has large rudders and a keel that extends beyond the propellers which are several inches above the the keel so the props are similarly protected from bottom strikes which happened twice in Canada, granite, the Canadian Shield.

The first save occurred in Ottawa, Canada, a bit too far for a BoatUS rescue. I was able to run 18 miles down the canal to a good boat yard for repairs. If that had occurred in the Georgian Bay or the North Channel or half-way to the Virgin Islands, good luck with that. Or, how about while entering a very difficult inlet, the kind that many guys insist that dual Racors are necessary, just in case the filter plugs up at just the wrong time?

I am quite happy with twins even though I have one extra oil change and impeller change each year, about $100, you know that wildly expensive doubling of maintenance expense. Still, I would not hesitate to consider a single-engined boat in the future. I would just factor in the risk associated with having just one engine. Where one boats is probably the biggest factor among many.

OldDan1943 said:

My experiences;
N46 separate get home, separate shaft, folding propeller. The shaft nor propeller were protected. Used the main rudder to steer. Engine room cramped by 20KW gen. Was a 12KW boat.
N46, single engine, propeller protected by the skag. Single barn door rudder.
AT.
AT34, single engine, propeller protect by skag (sp). Rudder, a good size. Engine room, easy access to both sides of the main engine.
General observation, single engine can have excellent access to the engine. Single shaft, protected propeller, skag protects from the occasional bottom bump. Single rudder of a good size.

Click to expand...

SILENTKNIGHT said:

we only travel within the great south bay of long island , might do a block island trip, but other than that we drive 7 miles across the bay and park it at the dock for 3 days of fun .

Click to expand...

Based on this alone, I would vote for the ease of maintenance of a single. You are in SeaTow/BoatUS areas for the worst failure.

The Single

pete

As the others have said, twins are easier to dock because you can split the sticks. The drawback to twins is the engine room will be tight, tight, tight.

With a single, maintenance is much easier. With some practice... determining the direction of prop walk, learning the effect of the wheel turned hard to one side and the result of forward and reverse, and the use of a bow thruster, you can learn to walk the boat sideways, if needed. It even becomes fun to do. [emoji2][emoji926]

You’ll need to establish your own list of priorities to decide with route to take.

34' Pilot

I love my single Yanmar with Bow Thruster. And with the Generator slightly to STBD centerline aft we have lots of room to climb around but best if your tech is short then 6'.

I own a 2006 MS34T with twin Yanmar 240's. She's also equipped with both bow and stern thrusters. And I love the control that twins offer. Yes, maintenance is a little more expensive. But the advantage of control whilst docking and maneuvering in small spaces is worth the extra expense.


Also, last summer, when I was about to leave a lock, my port engine wouldn't start. If she'd had only one engine, leaving the lock would obviously have been somewhat more challenging. Perhaps I could have moved sideways using the twin thrusters. (The issue was just a loose wire, but I couldn't resolve the issue while my boat sat in the lock.)



As far as servicing space is concerned, yes, it's a tighter fit, especially since I have twin Rolls Surrette batteries mounted between the 2 engines. But the mechanics have never complained. And when I do the minor maintenance stuff, I certainly wouldn't complain either.

twin 240

I have twin 240 in my pilot 34, once you figure out how to get to the outside of both engines you really have plenty of room to work. I live having twins and would buy the boat again the same way