Calling all DD 6V92

[Reelsly]

I'm looking to purchase a 1998 55DB with DD 6V92 DDEC 625HP. Yes, I've read EVERYTHING on the net regarding these motors and I understand the bad and the ugly. What I don't see online is the GOOD. Is there anyone out there that has these motors and has good things to say. I understand that a MOH will be something that I will need to do within the next few hundred hours. I also understand that these motors tends to be loud, smokey, and less fuel efficient. With that said, the boat is priced right and even with a MOH within the next couple hundred hours, I'll be OK. I don't run boats hard and always keep up with maintenance. Am I completely nuts? :huh:

 

[fwebster]

I don't own Detroits but regularly run a tournament sport fisherman for a friend with 8V92's. What you hear is right...loud, smoke enough that you won't have a mosquito problem, leak oil, and leave a fine oily mist all over the engine room, but they are very powerful and extremely dependable engines as long as they are in good health. The top ends need rebuilding at something like 1500-2000 hours intervals so you need to have a good and thorough engine survey before signing on for this trip.

Current costs to rebuild a Detroit is in the $7000/cylinder area, so you need a good understanding of what time is left and the costs in Florida to rebuild the engines in that particular boat. We used Florida Detroit Diesel out of Panama City to rebuild the engines in the Hattaras mentioned above. That particular boat has plenty of head room in the engine spaces to work, but you may have to tear apart the salon in a 55DB to access the top of the engines and that will increase the reman cost significantly.

The 55DB is a great boat.....you will enjoy her.

 

[Gofirstclass]

I have Cats but before I bought my boat I was researching everything I could read about diesels. One of the things a guy from SR told me was that the Detroits were pretty much as described above (noise, smoke, etc.). He did say that if and when the DD's broke, they were a lot cheaper to repair than the Cats.

Frank is correct when he says it's a great boat and that you will enjoy her. We have had a TON of fun on our boat in the 5 years we've owned her.

 

[mquiet]

I looked at a 55 with the DDec after talking with a Detroit mechanic would would service the boat for me I ran. He mentioned all of the above comments, but said the real issue is the engine was not designed for the HP it is pushing. The turbos tend to let go and the replacement is made by Mitsubishi and runs about 10k to fix. It comes down to the wallet as like all boats it is value versus cost. All engines have some type of issue.


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[RollerCoastr]

Lots of the noise is attributed to exhaust design, and SeaRay's tend to be far on the quieter end of the scale. I shared a dock with a DD-powered SeaRay that I couldn't hear when running, and then later shared the dock with an Ocean yacht with DD's that had to be shouted over at idle!

DDEC's make a difference too. They'll puff some smoke during the pre-run cycle in a cold start, and then clear quickly. In the cold north, we may see a puff again when shifted into gear, but when warm, you won't see smoke from a healthy and correctly propped DDEC unless you're burning off excessive carbon.

The DDEC displays IMO are really nice. They're good at providing early warnings in plain English scrolling along the bottom of the display and they dress up a dash like no gauge ever can. They are back-lit in red, so they're very easy to read at night, without concern of glare. Then there are the controls themselves. THE BEST DAMN LEVERS IN THE INDUSTRY. I like just sitting at the helm with the engines off and a drink in my hand, engaging the shifters and pretending to be boating. There have been several iterations of them, but in '98, they'd come in a choice of 2 or 4-lever configurations with big, solid-feeling drive-by-wire levers that give a definitive and smooth CA-CHUNK. The throttle is linear, smooth and precise and the sync is simply a button that puts the digital tachs in-sync right to the last digit.

They're not very efficient, and while they push a 480DB or a 500DA along without issue, a 55 seems like a lot of boat for them.

 

[IanBat]

I have been keeping my eyes open for a replacement boat now for a couple of years, Flybridge and more compromised towards fishing.
As soon as I see a Detroit fitted, I look no further.
Personal, probably. But, Army trained mechanic, 9 years. The Armoured Personnel Carriers, ran them. Also 9 years as a state service manager with the largest hire company in Australia, we ran both the straight and the V engines.
I hate them, noisy, smokey, oil leaks......screaming GM's.......all noise no go.
Part of our tune up kit in the Army was a wooden clipboard. In case the engine ran away, you placed the clipboard over the air intake, if the engine then sucked the blower seals in and continued to increase RPM, you left the engine bay quickly.
I just believe there are far better engines.


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[bahamabreisus]

2500 hours, no major issues on our 8V92s. We are pre DDEC. I've heard there are issues with them. We also have 3 friends with regular 6V92s and no issues

 

[Steve500dancer]

I am running 96 6V92TAs and I don't have any smoke issues at all even on start up, no oily film in my engine and very little oil leak. I did have to rebuild one motor a couple of years back and paid $25k for a complete inframe including hoses, heads and blower. That was also one of the most expensive Detroit Guys around. The reason it had to be rebuilt is that it had been overheated and not at all takin care of. The wet seals went bad between the heads and sleeves.

I did drive a 99 Regal 40' last weekend with Cummings in it and only 450 hours. That thing was way louder then detroits and smoked on start up as well as a little at WOT. I was expecting a lot quieter motors and better response. I like my detroits compared to the Cummings.

 

[Reelsly]

Thanks for all the responses. Wish me luck. I'm in contract on a 1998 55' DB. Engine and hull survey will tell me what I need to know. I love the boat and hope everything works out. Fingers crossed.

 

[bahamabreisus]

Are you looking at the one in Ft Pierce, I heard it was a beautiful boat

 

[Reelsly]

Yes. Just hope it's not lipstick on a pig. I'll update after the survey.

 

[bahamabreisus]

Let us know.