120 minutes on plane

[aerobat77]

hey !

we are on a 3 weeks holiday with our 240 as every year and travel via inland channels to the open sea , mosty at displacement speeds due to speed limits . this year yesterday we reached the sea and had a trip of +60 statue miles on open water .

with calm seas i did a trip i think i have never done before : full 2 hours on planing speed without slowing down a single time , a bit worried if the drivetrain will do it ;-)

i have to say : yes we can ! it was about 3800 rpm all the time with roughly 28-30 mph gps . i must say the wind start to suck after an hour or so , maybe its better to run with canvas for prolonged times . carefull small adjustments with trim tabs is needed , as well good trimout on the drive .

beyond that nor the engine neither the drive had any issues . one thing i noted after docking : the gear oil in the reservoir was pretty hot after the ride !

 

[Stee6043]

Absolutely, that thing wants to run! Sounds like a fun trip. But...you know....you didn't share any pictures

 

[FootballFan]

Let that horse run...

 

[craigswardmtb]

Those Bravo 3's do get hot. I would dip mine after an hour on most long runs. You can always tell once you the pull the boat and can see chalky paint on the top of the drive.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Aerobat,
This is the reason replacing marine parts with automobile parts isn’t always a good plan, or real economy. Boat engines are meant to run full out, all day. And that requires “the best” of everything.

And yes, the wind can be tiring. I had to get a pair of sunglasses made for motorcyclists that had foam gaskets around the lenses because my eyes would water. It also is another reason for having good clear in your canvas.

 

[b_arrington]

The wind is a big reason why I wanted more glass when I was looking for my next boat. We do a couple long trips each year and stand at my AJ helm got tiring. I could sit if I used a cushion for a booster.

I looked at one of the newer Sea Rays at the Newport boat show and was shocked at how low the windshield was. When standing it was about at my navel. Even sitting I think my head was right at or above the glass. I told the Sea Ray rep it was a poor design choice.

 

[Henry Boyd]

The wind is a big reason why I wanted more glass when I was looking for my next boat. We do a couple long trips each year and stand at my AJ helm got tiring. I could sit if I used a cushion for a booster.

I looked at one of the newer Sea Rays at the Newport boat show and was shocked at how low the windshield was. When standing it was about at my navel. Even sitting I think my head was right at or above the glass. I told the Sea Ray rep it was a poor design choice.

Isn’t a full glass windshield great?

 

[sbw1]

Isn’t a full glass windshield great?

As you get older, cockpits with the comfort of a car become important to extending your boating tolerance. We would run for 10 hours all bundled up in the Tiara with the AC running, autopilot engaged and the drop curtain in place. No wind and if Lake Michigan is calm, very little fatigue.

 

[boatman37]

View attachment 87141
As you get older, cockpits with the comfort of a car become important to extending your boating tolerance. We would run for 10 hours all bundled up in the Tiara with the AC running, autopilot engaged and the drop curtain in place. No wind and if Lake Michigan is calm, very little fatigue.

Hey where did you see my boat at? Yours looks good next to mine....lol j/k of course

 

[sbw1]

Hey where did you see my boat at? Yours looks good next to mine....lol j/k of course

Yes it does. Pic taken 10 hours north of the Grand Haven pier point. We have been making that run for going on 40 years. Used to do it in 2-3 days. As the boats got better, it became a 1 day run depending on lake conditions.

 

[Maggieiscrazy]

I would be investing in a drive shower. They make a big difference.

 

[Henry Boyd]

Ah Boat Envy. This puppy was tied up next to us in Portland last summer, their scuppers were right at the same height as our hardtop.

 

[sbw1]

Ah Boat Envy. This puppy was tied up next to us in Portland last summer, their scuppers were right at the same height as our hardtop.

The crew of that boat was very nice. The owners (Fishers of Fisher Body) had great parties and the captain would drop off wonderful flower arrangements for our boat the day after a party. The admiral loved getting the fresh flowers.

 

[Great lakes pirate]

View attachment 87141
As you get older, cockpits with the comfort of a car become important to extending your boating tolerance. We would run for 10 hours all bundled up in the Tiara with the AC running, autopilot engaged and the drop curtain in place. No wind and if Lake Michigan is calm, very little fatigue.

Is that Unity behind you there? Harbor Springs maybe? Pretty sure that boat was owned by Elana Ford (granddaughter to Henry) when that picture was taken.

 

[b_arrington]

Isn’t a full glass windshield great?

Yeeeeessssssss! So good. And you still get the breezy feeling with the center window open.

 

[Gofirstclass]

View attachment 87146 As the boats got better, it became a 1 day run depending on lake conditions.

Just curious, how far would you cover in that long day's run?

 

[aerobat77]

But...you know....you didn't share any pictures

without pics it never happened ;-)



we are leaving hamburg for the mentioned 2 hours run to the entrance of the kiel canal which connects the northsea with the baltic sea.


then another 8-9 hours at 1600 rpm crossing the entire channel .

kiel at the baltic sea is reached !



i swear that after the endless hours of channel trolling the boat and engine were happy after the run - it idled smooth as a kitty after that ;-)

 

[Stee6043]

Awesome pictures. Thanks for sharing!

 

[sbw1]

Just curious, how far would you cover in that long day's run?

Running offshore in the shipping lanes so there are only minimal course changes we would log about 250 NM from Harbor Springs city marina to our dock up at the north end of Spring Lake. For us, that is the upper end of our comfort zone.

 

[sbw1]

Is that Unity behind you there? Harbor Springs maybe? Pretty sure that boat was owned by Elana Ford (granddaughter to Henry) when that picture was taken.

Pic was taken maybe 10 years ago. It is an auto family owned boat. A friend of mine who lives there commented that a Fisher family member was the owner. Maybe a Fisher married a Ford? I don't have first hand knowledge. Don't remember the name of the boat either. It is one of many that size that enjoy a visit to Harbor Springs. It is getting to be one of the smaller sized large boats as 100+ footers become more common.