Sea Ray SSS 1993 63 ft

Hi guys,

My camera is a go pro
My generator is 11kw I use about 4 litres per hour under full load

I cruise at around 18knots it is wishful thinking if they will cruise between 24 and 26 knots if they are inviting all sorts of vessels. The ocean would need to be like a lake to travel at those speeds. My maximum speed with a total clean hull is about 30 knots.

Lord Howe island is a long way I have met someone who did it in a 40ft carrabean they added a fuel bladder on the front deck. On the way over they sat on about 15knots and were smacked around a bit. On the way back they just stayed on about 10 knots took about 40 hours. I hold 2500litres x .9 leaves about 2200litres with some in reserve. Traveling at 10 knots I use about 20 liters per hour that equals to about 800litres for the 400 odd nautical mile trip that is if you fly in a straight line, the auto pilot will be a must.
Considering how wrong they can be with forecasting I honestly would not make the trip in one of the most angry seas in the world

Ozzie
 
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Ozzie: good point what if something similar to what happened to me on the way back a sudden storm surge or some wrong forecasting happened when you were 200 nm out to sea, there is literally no escape would be bloody scary and you would be lucky to survive if something stupid like 5-7 m swells popped up and you are hundreds of nautical miles from anywhere!! Is the Tasman sea really one of the angriest worldwide?? I really thought i nearly capsized when my starboard bow rail hit the ocean, that was pretty damned scary! Was enough to instantly turn me around no matter what anyone had to say on it...cant even imagine being way out to sea with no retreat options in a big storm, nightmarish!

Thanks for the cam name, ozzie Doug! I am going to get one :) mount it on my bow next time the seas are rough! take it on the jet all that good stuff!

How do you actually figure out your fuel consumption, what is the technique for that? Also your best cruising speed? Hmm maybe i will shoot an email off to searay they should know that stuff!

ozzie you thinking of going on the jervis bay trip? Would be pretty neat if you paul ianbat and I all went represent CSR..get barlowe to pop over from NZ ...hahah pop over from NZ you think Lorde Howe is far away lol There is one more user from our area, think the name is Annie and they have a catamaran i believe if i remember right..
 
Ray, I can testify about the nastiness of the Tasman Sea. After a visit to Adelaide, my ship transited to Hobart as a spell of bad weather was beginning; that was bad enough but the trip from Hobart to Newcastle through the Ditch was even worse. Unluckily for me, I'm not prone to seasickness (although I certainly didn't feel all that well after partying in the first two visits) so I ended up standing watch almost continuously since most other officers were down hard. So, I think I spent the whole visit to Newcastle sleeping.

Looks like to me you were in a situation where large swell waves (they take a long time/distance to dissipate) were coming up from one direction while there were wind waves (which grow quite quickly) were coming from another. Very hard for the weather models of any of the services to forecast well in that transition state.
 
They tried to the Jarvis Bay trip last year and the weather turned sour so the group went to Yeomans bay instead (the place I ran the jet ski to )

here is an article worth a read. I remember this happening.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998_Sydney_to_Hobart_Yacht_Race

on an other instance I came back from Noumea on a pretty large cruise ship and we were battered with 15m waves yes 15 metres this lasted for 4 days till we finally were back in Sydney harbour . We were supposed to dock a 6:30 am but didn't get in until around midnight. People were sleeping with their life jackets on. I can't tell you how many people had sea sickness.

My wife's next door neighbour with son-in-law (about 20 years ago) sailed to Lord howe never heard from again wives were to meet them there.

On another note re the GoPro have a look on youtube on some of the brilliant movies people are doing. Mine are junk compared to them but I am inspired to something similar

just type Gopro in youtube search window

here is a sample you can try and emulate although this is a yacht
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vAiLdbWfWc

Ozzie
 
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Rob,

I guess you were out for 4 days or so and if the generator ran flat out for 96 hours at 4L/hr then your calculations may be about right. In which case your main engines were super efficient!

I probably won't be looking to cruise to Lord Howe Island any time soon. The thought of 40 hours cruising at 10knots with no view except the ocean doesn't really appeal. Would have to have a lot of faith in the boat to attempt it! I have thought about a trip to the Gold Coast but at this stage with work etc. I'm happy with the odd night out.

Ozzie:

Completely agree on 24-26knots being unrealistic. 18 Knots is definitely comfortable for most modern boats.

Paul
 
I think a better trip is Nelson bay and staying at Dlbora marina lots of restraunts right at the marina. At trip out to broughton island is also a must. If any issues arise can stop in lake Macquarie or Newcastle. Also fascinating is passing close by all the ships anchored off Newcastle. Distance to Nelson bay iOS about 70 nautical miles from pittwater.

These guys that went to lord Howe went there only to go fishing, they did have another boat go with them.

Ian Reynolds on a riviera 56 fly bridge did the trip to lord Howe I believe there are some video clips on the Internet and even on riviera's home page. They only travelled at around 10knts and visited some reefs further north. They had pretty good weather and caught lots of fish

Ozzie
 
Alnav: wow that sucks, so your blessing of not getting sea sick became your curse! Must have been one very brutal trip being hung over in wicked seas gor days while all your buddies got to rest and sleep you had to stand watch for days!!
Talk about getting the short end of the stick!!! Bet that is one voyage you will never forget! When you stood watch is this outside on deck somewhere? What kind and size ship are we talking about?

There was a huge navy ship on a giant ship bouy just off taronga when I came in on Wednesday looked like some kind of landing ship I could not make out the flag. Crappy pic of it attached.

Ozzie: wow they set out and we're never heard from again or found or anything?!? Just gone ! Never found the boat or any hint of it? What a terrible thing! What kind of boat did they head over in?
Nope dont wanna go to lorde Howe haha I got all worked up over a 15 m stretch now multiply that by 20 hahah no thanks!
That must of been a very interesting cruise for you guys in those kind of waves! I take it you do not get seasick at all like me? I personally like big waves when on a big ship, I always sleep amazing if it's rocking... Just love it. Have been in a hurricane once in a cruise liner going from key west to miami ... the captain announced the waves were 60 ft I loved it was exciting to see water crashing 200 plus ft up over the windjammer restaurant on the top of the ship.
I have a similar story to yours, when I was working with my acrobatic act for Royal Caribbean we were doing a transatlantic crossing, st Thomas to Tennerife and ended up in 16 m swells for around 3 days. The ship was going nuts my partner was sick as they get. The funny thing I will never forget people were still at the casino playing slots.. This one guy was vomiting into a coin cup and playing on!! Nuts! The worst part of it was the show must go on, we had to work our acrobatic hand balancing act in a show on the last night. You could barely walk and I had to go and safely lift my partner up and do things like one handstands!
I remember being backstage scared to death as the scenery was slamming back and forth, a woman fell over and broke her arm just trying to get to her seat! We worked and somehow did the act flawlessly with just a lot of wobbles no wipe outs made us kind of mini legends amongst the entertainment
People on the line. That cruise director never forgot it and always told the story before announcing us from that day on whenever we worked with him :) that was one thing about working on the ships it was very difficult to do a balancing act on a ship hahaha sure added an extreme amount of difficulty to something that was already hard in the best of environments. Funny thing when we worked extended times on ships if we got off and did a show on land we had a very hard time initially as we acclimated to working with movement and the still non moving land threw us off!
One crazy thing I noticed when we were smack in the middle of the Atlantic I went up on too deck, the wind was blowing by me so strong I could not breathe. It's like the air was moving past me so fast I could not get it into my lungs !!

That camera is soo neat I am getting one for sure!! Will make some crazy videos! I will go out of my way to do adventurous stuff if I have that haha

Paul: I am surprised about all the boat speed things you have said. It sounds like my boat is very fast for a big boat? On the. Way back I was doing 15 -16 knots many times and I was not even at half throttle in very rough seas.
I was under the impression all of these big boats have huge engines and do 20 knots plus with ease...
When I had the mechanic onboard he made me floor it for a bit on the harbor and I was doing over 30 knots at the peak of it don't remember exactly what speed as I
Was pretty scared moving that fast in the harbor and this was with a bottom
Covered in barnacles. I went from kirribilli to the heads in a matter of minutes a trip that usually takes me 35- 40 mins So from what you are saying I am guessing this thing has upgraded engines.. I know it's jumps up to 20 knots with very little effort. When the throttles are floored it is pretty damned scary how fast it goes. I would say its at least as fast as the jetboat. I thought most cruisers have that kind of speed capability... Did not realize its unusual to be able to cruise comfortably above 20 knots. although I could be wrong about what my best cruise speed is have to wait to hear back from Searay.

What is the cruising speed and max
Speed of your boat? with the really beautiful lines your boat has it looks very fast like a huge massive speedboat ! The first time I saw your boat before I met you I looked at it for half an hour it's just so good looking and stylish, princess did such a good job of making her look amazing she is a real head turner absolutely beautiful looking boat! Much much nicer lines and better looking boat than my sea ray!

I love barbecueing, I will cook much more on my boat having one! He is giving me several full propane bottles as well. Apparently he only used it once he says it's too big for his boat. He has a 20 something sail boat I believe. I am not sure if it is the kettle grill or one of the other styles. Hoping it is the Catalina or one of those bigger ones! Put some hickory wood chips in there and spectacular dinners emerge haha paul you did not keep the grill from your Searay for the
Princess? Someone said to me they can be messy grease dripping down the side of the boat etc. have any problems with that?

I have written Searay to try and get the cruising speed and fuel
Consumption for this.
I was very surprised that the fuel guages hardly moved a centimeter from the run up to your area! Once I have all the inverters properly wired in I will use the gen a lot less and burn much less fuel ;) you know maybe I burned so little fuel on the way up because I never really went over 16 knots and didn't really
Push her at all. Was at around quarter throttle most of the way.
Have to test it out and run at full
Speed for a bit see what speeds I get to and how much fuel I burn in say 20 mins. Have been asking questions on a marine engine forum and they said detroits are famous for running flat out and staying happy. That they are workhorse engines!

Ozzie / paul do you guys have pod drives on your boats? I know they are quite a bit younger than mine, just wondering ?
 
Ozzie: I did some research and found this youtube series on the sydney to hobart disaster! Very well done documentary, holy crap what a tragic event....just insanely bad.... thanks for bringing it up ozzie, its an education that will make people think twice before taking chances... watch this documentary and instant respect for the Tasman sea developes . and a bit of fear..dont mess with her when she's mad!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ILAU5PLrKU part 1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_gRytmncAk&feature=relmfu part 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ2JtdACdZM&feature=relmfu part 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6cw3gaBXJs&feature=relmfu part 4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH2ovcaNVqg&feature=relmfu part 5
 
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A little bit of info I have dug up for you re your detroits




Detroit 60 Series (June 2000)

Words - Andrew Norton
Detroit Diesels has a proud two-stroke tradition. Yet it is no stranger to four-strokes... Andrew Norton
Those who have used early two-stroke GM/Detroit Diesels would be familiar with their throttle-responsiveness and reliability. And also how their distinctive exhaust note separates them from four-stroke diesels!

But times change. With their superchargers and complex machining of transfer ports in the cylinder liners, the two-strokes are expensive to produce. Hence to compete directly with other diesel manufacturers in both OEM and re-power situations, Detroit has released its 12.74lt inline six four-stroke 60-Series engines.

As most diesels in its power range are straight-sixes, Detroit has fallen into line and with its new four-strokes moved away from vee-block engines. And at 130mm bore x 160mm stroke, the 60-Series has the traditional long-stroke diesel design.

Detroit is no stranger to four-strokes. As a naval sea cadet in the early '70s, I learned boat handling on the Australian Navy's 40ft (12.2m) workboats, which were long in the tooth then and powered by four-stroke GM/Detroit Gray Marine diesels. These powerplants developed plenty of torque at low revs, and their ability to stand up to abuse from careless naval training officers and handle heavy tows and loads was legendary.

A few years ago, a friend of mine bought one of these workboats (ex Cockatoo Island Dockyard in Sydney) powered by the original engine and has had no problems.

This time around, Detroit has not taken existing engines and simply modified them to comply with exhaust emission regulations, but designed new models from the engine beds up fitted with four-valve heads and electronic management.

The electronic engine management system allows the engine to idle as slowly as 550rpm, maintain the correct fuel injector timing at all engine revs and under all loads, and allow for throttle/gearshift wires rather than cables to eliminate transmitted vibration to the helmstation(s). The set-up has the usual sensors for low oil pressure, engine overheat and overload indicated by higher than normal exhaust gas temperatures.

The result is a range of compact, fuel-efficient and clean-burning turbocharged and air-to-water intercooled diesels designed to compete directly with offerings from traditional four-stroke companies such as Cat and Cummins.

At present the 60-Series is limited to one model, the 6062 which is rated at 700hp at 2300rpm. More variations will follow.

The engine is rather unconventional (in terms of big diesels) in that it has overhead camshafts, logical for the four-valve heads but still a first when all of the competition have OHV designs with pushrods. The electronic fuel injectors are OEcharged' via rocker arms from the OHC and perform a number of functions.

One is supplying the correct amount of fuel and when as dictated by the Electronic Control Unit. This ensures the engine always gets the right amount of fuel according to revs and load.

Each rocker arm depresses a plunger in each injector. The cavity below the plunger is continuously filled with diesel fuel by the fuel pump and the fuel also cools and lubricates internal components in the injector. A drilled passage connects the cavity below the plunger to a poppet control valve (PCV), located below the solenoid. When the PCV is open, no pressure is created below the plunger and no fuel is injected into the cylinder.

When the PCV is closed, fuel is trapped in the cavity and the downward motion of the plunger pressurises the fuel, resulting in fuel injection. The duration of the PCV being open determines the amount of fuel injected and consequently the engine's power level.

The PCV is responsive enough to open and close twice in milliseconds. And as the PCV's are controlled electronically by the ECU one or more injectors can be turned off as needed.

For example, turning off half the injectors allows the half engine idle feature to function. This quickly warms the engine from cold as three cylinders must do the work of six. Once the engine temperature reaches a pre-determined level the remaining cylinders 'kick in'.

This, according to Detroit, substantially reduces exhaust smoke levels. (We were unable to determine whether the ECU uses the same three cylinders each time).

The new 60-Series ECU displays detailed and descriptive warnings when engine component faults arise and has sufficient intelligence to sense the difference between a disconnected wire and a true problem. At all times the system guards against low coolant level and oil and fuel pressure, high coolant and oil temperature, long or short injector response duration and low or high battery voltage. It also prevents the engine from overrevving in light load situations, such as when the prop breaks clear of the water.

Detroit Diesel also provides an Internet-based troubleshooting facility, enabling owners to sort out any problem should a service technician not be available by using satellite or conventional communications.

The company also provides full training for owners and crew if needed by calling a worldwide service number.

Caterpillar's electronically-managed 12lt straight-six 3196 is the 6062's nearest competition and develops 660 crankshaft horsepower at 2300rpm. In bobtail form (minus gearbox) it weighs 1177kg. Next up the line is the straight-six electronic 3406E, which develops 800hp at 2300rpm, displaces 14.8lt and weighs 1590kg.

Cat Marine claims an average fuel consumption of 28.4lt/hr for the 3196 and 50.6lt/hr for the 3406E.

Detroit's 6062 slots in neatly between the two Cats and as stated above develops 700 crankshaft horsepower (522kW) at 2300rpm and 600hp at only 1720rpm. Allowing for 2.5% gearbox loss, the propshaft output is 676hp at 2300rpm and 600hp at 1760rpm. Unfortunately, Detroit Diesel Allison Australia (DDAA) was unable to supply torque curves and maximum torque figures.

According to graphs supplied by DDAA, at Wide Open Throttle (WOT) the fuel consumption at rated power is 132.6lt/hr, falling to 113.6lt/hr at 1760rpm. But based on an average propeller power curve, at 1760rpm the 6062 consumes a very reasonable 57lt/hr while developing 300hp, while at 1500rpm and 188hp the consumption is 35.9lt/hr and at 1200rpm and 96hp a low 20.7lt/hr.

According to DDAA, Detroit Diesel conducted direct on-the-water trials against Cat Marine's electronically-managed 3406E (800hp at 2300rpm) and found that in a Sea Ray 560 the 6062 was able to reach 2000rpm from 550rpm a full 2.2secs faster than the Cat. When carrying 15 passengers the boat planed from a standing start on only one engine.

During a 50-foot (15.2 metres) 'pass by' test at 2100rpm, the 6062 was 10 dBA quieter than the 3406E under identical conditions. Says Detroit, the 6062 registered at 79 dBA or less than a ringing telephone!

At 41lt the 6062's oil capacity is somewhat larger (better to resist sludging between changes) than the 3196, but less than the much larger-displacement 3406E.

In bobtail form, the Detroit mill measures 1557mm long, 1031mm wide and 1153mm high and has a fairly hefty (for its displacement) dry weight of 1542kg. Compared to the two-stroke 9.05lt Detroit 6V92-TTA DDEC turbo-intercooled diesel, which develops 625hp at 2300rpm, the 6062 is 363mm longer but 138mm narrower and 16mm lower. However, the 6062 weighs 275kg more than its two-stroke counterpart and at WOT consumes 10.8lt/hr more fuel.

The 6062 is a much bulkier and heavier engine than the nearest electronically-managed Cummins competition, the 10.8lt QSM11, which develops 635hp at 2300rpm and weighs 1122kg in bobtail form. It's 264mm longer and 175mm higher but only 53mm wider. This makes it well suited to twin-engine installations and allows for much more of a crawl space between engines than the 6V92-TTA DDEC.

Surprisingly, for its output, the 6062 has a relatively low exhaust temperature of 335?C up to 150?C less than some of the competition. With its thermostatic control, the heat exchanger cooling system maintains a temperature of around 80?C the optimum for a watercooled four-stroke diesel.

The engine is logically laid-out, with the seawater cooling pump and a high-mounted starter motor on the port side and oil fill/dipstick, high-mounted alternator and aircleaner on the starboard side. The management interface module is located atop the gearbox, and the exhaust outlet is directly above the gearbox.

Detroit matches the 6062 with its own single-speed DD6114A hydraulic gearbox which weighs 206kg.

While other manufacturers have taken existing mechanically-injected diesels and made them comply with tough emission regulations by adding electronic management, it's refreshing to see the 'latest' four-stroke manufacturer offering a complete package from the outset.

If the 60-Series is anything like its predecessors, then the opposition had better be prepared for a real stoush!
 
Ozzie: thanks so very much for the engine info!! This is for the 6 cylinder 6v92 engines. I have the 8 cylinder 8v92tta engines. Twin turbos, twin super chargers and after cooled thats what the tta stands for.

I am not sure how big the differences are, I think mine is maybe a bit older and less efficient but not sure.
I just finished watching some YouTube videos on them apparently a very popular very high powered motor that people like to put in things like drag racing semi trucks. Has a hell of a lot of horsepower and torque.
Has some downsides though such as they always leak oil from multiple locations and it's next to impossible to stop that. The mechanic told me a story of a boat owner who wanted the oil leaks stopped. They tore it down replaced every seal etc and it still leaked they just could not stop it. It's multiple small leaks all over the engines not like gushers
Apparently very reliable engines that can do close to a million miles between rebuilds if cared for tear em
Down rebuild and good for another. But again hearsay I don't know any of this for fact.
I have contacted Searay to get all my specs. Best cruising speed, range, top speed . Operating temperatures ..etc all stuff I should know !
That was an interesting read, I can't say I understood all of it but looked up all the things I did not on the net as I read through.
From what you posted it sounds like these detroits are great engines. Just the question of how big the differences are between the 6v92 and the 8v92tta
I'm guessing basically the same engine with 2 more cylinders both v92 series but may be way wrong haha

The 63 sss I nearly got had 12 cylinder mtus in it boy I'm glad I didn't end up with that imagine the fuel costs haha

Thanks again Ozzie, you are awesome!

Ozzie what engines do you have in your boat?? Pod drives??
 
Rob,

The Princess is a shaft drive boat so no pods. It will cruise really comfortably at 22/23 knots and should be fine up to about 27 knots (shows 80% engine load). Top speed is a bit over 30knots. Good thing with it is the engines are rated at 2200 rpm but at WOT it sees something like 2260rpm easily - means it's under propped and there is less load on the engine.

Do you know the hp rating of your engines? Did a quick Google search on them and they do seem to have a good reputation. I'm still a bit surprised that they only used 400L on your trip - especially if you spent time at 15 knots as the engines would have probably been pretty loaded up at that speed. Most efficient on the Princess is about 8/9 knots and fuel consumption goes up considerably above that.

We sold the BBQ with the Sea Ray because the Princess has a built in one that is electric powered. When it's time to use it you just start up the generator and start cooking. Probably not as good as the gas powered but very convenient.

Are you heading out this weekend? Weather's not looking real good...

Paul
 
Paul: not sure what the HP is I need to find out. I have sen varying numbers in different places going from the high 300s to high 500s have no idea where exactly it is between those. I also think turbos etc add horsepower but just don't know enough about this stuff!

Sea ray just got back to me great customer service responding so quickly!
Seems like our boats are very similar in operating capabilities. This is what they sent me.

"Your boat with the Detroit 8V92's will cruise at 2100 rpm running anywhere from 26 to 30 mph and burning 30 gph of fuel on each engine. WOT is 2300 rpm runing 34-38 mph and burning 39 gph on each engine"

Love those built in barbecues!! How awesome to have it right there! I wish somehow I could retrofit one on my boat like that where it's just part of the cabinetry. Man that princess is a nice boat? What's her name again? Melinda 2 right?

I am not sure if I am going out or not like you said the weather is supposed to be bad but still thinking about it. May just go 2 miles off shore shut down and whale watch as its been very active last few days according to the news. Would be cool to get some great shots of a whale! Spending most of my life in the Caribbean whales are a real novelty for me :) also the barbecue I am buying is in middle harbor I think I would rather just take the boat than drive my car to manly!! At least a boat drive is enjoyable unlike a car trip!
Dunno probably will go, how about you??

One thing I was surprised in the specs sea ray sent me is the range my boat has. Only came out to about 240 miles.
Given the fuel consumption specs I posted above does it make sense I burned so little fuel on my run to your area? Maybe my fuel guages are off!

When are you next planning on going to DH ??
 
Hi Rob,

I have the straight shaft Caterpillar C9 575hp.. If I cruise at idle (700rpm) 6.5knts I use 7.5 litres per hour for both engines. My boat holds 2500L x 0.9 =2250L with 10% in reserve2250/7.5L=300 cruise hours.
300 x 6.5 = 1950 nautical mile range with 10% in reserve.

The cats have electronic read outs and tell me how much fuel I use. WOT = 30knts at 220 lph for both engines. At this speed I can run for 10 hours and go a distance of 300 nautical miles. Once you go on planning speed you might as well sit on about 80% of load as your fuel usage for the distance only changes marginally
 
Ozzie: still trying to wrap my head around liters and such measurements from this part of the world haha used a conversion app on my phone. You have really good fuel efficiency much better than mine :) must be nice to have the digital read outs that tell you almost everything! I have the analog dials, each engine also has its own set of guages on the motor and neither work!

What is your boats name I think you posted it once but I have forgotten ?
I bet you also have the built in barbecue :) that's the great thing about the newer boats they have since added everything the older ones were missing and made the engines more efficient etc

Thanks for posting your specs so I could compare. It looks like all 3 of our boats have very similar specs, cruising speeds. Wot speeds etc you win on fuel efficiency and range, not sure of Paul's range he didn't post it. I have 700 gallon tanks which is 2649 liters.

Going back to your friends that disappeared on their way to Lorde Howe. You said two boats went and they both were never heard from again, not even a mayday nothing ? What happened one of those not forecasted sudden fronts appeared all
Of a sudden? What an aweful thing!! The ocean on this side of the world is definitely one not to toy with!

Back where I grew up in the Bahamas you did not really have to worry as the seas never really got that rough. Swells didn't really make it through the shallow waters that surround the
Islands and there was always a safe harbor nearby no matter where you went as its a chain of 700 islands mostly uninhibited, it's rare you are ever too far from land.
One rare event we went through there an was an earth quake happened somewhere off the coast and massive 60 ft waves pounded all the islands and did huge damage. There was a little island community called Spanish wells. Was a tiny little island where the lobster fleets ran out of. After the event everything was just gone all the buildings all the
People everything it just washed the entire island away! I lost a friend in that, he decided to go surfing in those waves and was never heard from again! The waves were so powerful they moved ten ton concrete harbor breakers several miles. This was around 1990 or 89 can't remember.
Bahamas had a lot of neat things to offer like islands full of iguanas or pigs that swim out to your boat to
Get food. It's a beautiful place :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVcKglSuGe8&feature=youtube_gdata_player
 
Rob,

I don't know any official figures for the Princess but some real basic calculations are:

2600Litre capacity x 0.9 = 2340Litres with a 10% reserve. The boat will run for 14.6hours at 160L/hr doing 23knots giving a range of about 330nm.

I think a 300nm range is fairly standard for sports yachts and I think yours would be closer to that than 200nm.

Just got home from doing a bit of maintenance on the boat. Weather is very poor and it's supposed to be windy tomorrow so I'll probably give this weekend a miss. Hope the weather's better next weekend!

When you say your gauges don't work are you referring to all or just some? It's pretty important to know what your engines are doing at least in relation to coolant temp (almost wrote oil pressure as well but then remembered I'm pretty sure your engines are two stroke!). I've got the analogue gauges on the dash and two LCD displays that show everything - LCDs are good until they need to be replaced! Got a quote from the Australian distributor at $15k for the pair - fortunately getting them direct from Germany for a fair bit cheaper.

Paul
 
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Paul: this is what Searay sent me on range.

So you can run approx. 8.5 hrs at cruise @ say 28 mph your range would be 238 miles. At WOT you can run 6.5 hrs. at say 36 mph would give you a range of 234 miles.

I was talking about the guages downstairs in the engine room on the engines themselves. All the guages on the dash work.

I think two stroke on these big engines does not mean the same as the little two stroke outboards. It does not burn oil like them it uses regular 10w 40 oil and has oil pressure guages etc. I think it being two stroke is just referring to how many strokes the piston does per fire. Again
I think, I should really learn all of this!!

So yeah that is the range Searay said
I have so you and Ozzie have much much better range than me!! Probably because it is a relatively old boat being a 1999.

Yeah the weather is really bad. The forecast I just looked at shows sunshine for tomorrow. If so I will go to DH and use the dock for
Some much needed cleaning!

Holy crap on your led displays, that is just outright brutal for a part that probably only
Costs them
20 bucks to make!! They sure go all out in what they charge big boat owners geez!! Good to hear you found a cheaper source!! What a painful repair bill!!
 
The only LCD display I have is the systems
Monitor.
What do your LCD displays monitor?
Ever thought of putting one of those weather stations you can get in jaycar on your boat?? I may get one looks like it would be a useful and neat addition!
 
Rob,

I wasn't sure if the Detroit's had an oil sump etc like 4 stroke engines. The LCD displays show a lot of data on the engines - can't remember everything but it includes temperatures for coolant, oil, intake air, exhaust and gearbox oil, pressure levels for coolant, engine oil and gearbox oil, Engine load as a percentage, fuel consumption etc. They also show any alarms if any of the sensors show a reading out of spec. Having so many sensors is good for monitoring but also means there is a heap more things that can play up and need maintenance.

I saw that the sun is supposed to come out tomorrow which may be good however BOM are predicting 45km/h winds which may make docking a little bit trickier. Depends if you're dock is protected.

Haven't really thought about a weather station on the boat. I have a shortcut to the BOM site on my phone and that's my weather station lol

Just watched the five youtube links you posted on the 98 Sydney to Hobart. Absolutely crazy stuff! Could not imagine being out in those sort of conditions - 90ft waves and some of them were in 40ft yachts!

Paul
 
Paul: I hear you on more systems more things to go wrong but being able to see all that info it makes it much easier to diagnose a problem if it occurs and much less likely you will damage your engine! Wish I had those monitors!!

Saw a few videos on run away diesels last night!! That is bloody scary! Especially when they start feeding off the oil! Put some big heavy bags in my engine room to throw over the air intakes just in case!

The sun is out like they said, I'm at the boat so gotta do something! Wish I was in Pittwater like this time last week end!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_8Fc9qAZcw&feature=related damn ouch! Imagine that happening in your engine room!
 
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Oh and yeah 90" waves and hurricane force winds in those videos is just completely insane! It must have been so brutal for the people involved!
 
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