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#102 ·
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#103 ·
When I bought my current 55(58)DB, I ran it from Chicago (Hammond) to Charlevoix on April 23 (2016). It was a rare Lake Michigan day in that the lake was so flat the horizon was almost discernible most of the trip due to the sky reflecting off the water. I pulled out at 0800 and made Charlevoix for the 1900 bridge opening. That included a 50 minute fuel stop in Frankfort.

Since it was so calm, I ran the rhumb line from Chicago to Ludington, which put me out of sight of land and cell coverage for almost 4 hours. I remember thinking if I go down, no one will have any idea where to look. Also, the water temp was about 42° so I wouldn’t have treaded water very long.

It was a nice fast trip, but in hind sight I should’ve followed the shoreline. That was the first time I had ever driven the boat and anything could have went wrong from engine failure to sinking. But hey, I saw my window for clear weather and took advantage.

View attachment 123645
 
#104 ·
tc410 said:
When I bought my current 55(58)DB, I ran it from Chicago (Hammond) to Charlevoix on April 23 (2016). It was a rare Lake Michigan day in that the lake was so flat the horizon was almost discernible most of the trip due to the sky reflecting off the water. I pulled out at 0800 and made Charlevoix for the 1900 bridge opening. That included a 50 minute fuel stop in Frankfort.

Since it was so calm, I ran the rhumb line from Chicago to Ludington, which put me out of sight of land and cell coverage for almost 4 hours. I remember thinking if I go down, no one will have any idea where to look. Also, the water temp was about 42° so I wouldn’t have treaded water very long.

It was a nice fast trip, but in hind sight I should’ve followed the shoreline. That was the first time I had ever driven the boat and anything could have went wrong from engine failure to sinking. But hey, I saw my window for clear weather and took advantage.

View attachment 123645
Click to expand...
If you think you can and don’t you’ll be wondering the rest of life why you didn’t.
 
#105 ·
tc410 said:
When I bought my current 55(58)DB, I ran it from Chicago (Hammond) to Charlevoix on April 23 (2016). It was a rare Lake Michigan day in that the lake was so flat the horizon was almost discernible most of the trip due to the sky reflecting off the water. I pulled out at 0800 and made Charlevoix for the 1900 bridge opening. That included a 50 minute fuel stop in Frankfort.

Since it was so calm, I ran the rhumb line from Chicago to Ludington, which put me out of sight of land and cell coverage for almost 4 hours. I remember thinking if I go down, no one will have any idea where to look. Also, the water temp was about 42° so I wouldn’t have treaded water very long.

It was a nice fast trip, but in hind sight I should’ve followed the shoreline. That was the first time I had ever driven the boat and anything could have went wrong from engine failure to sinking. But hey, I saw my window for clear weather and took advantage.

View attachment 123645
Click to expand...
Oh please …we would have missed you
 
Discussion starter · #108 · (Edited)
Before the purchase my broker warned me that an aftercooler upgrade was necessary.
Apparently Cat was unhappy with the old design so they improved it and no longer support the old design which meant “NEW” aftercoolers.
I planned out the upgrade in January so that as soon as the boat hit the water I could get it done.
Tuesday 4/12 was game day.
I had an independent Cat guy come up from Florida and do the change plus service both engines and the Jenny top to bottom including raw water impellers.
The guy and his helper drove up 1100 miles on Monday, showed up at the boat at 7:15 am Tuesday and were finished at 5:00 pm.
There was a bad sensor on the starboard engine keeping it from starting so he figured that out and fixed that first.

I had been devising a plan for a week that I was going to be standing at the hatch door taking everything to and from the engine room to the dock so they didn’t have to come out until they were done.
I had the first mate order a door dash so when it got lunch time their food was on the table just inside the upper salon.
His original plan was to finish up at noon on Wednesday with a couple hours of sea trial Wednesday afternoon.
We sea trialed Tuesday evening as bad weather was moving in overnight.
The Cat guy said it’s the first time an owner has helped them with a job and as a result my bill would be cut significantly from the estimate.
Then he told me that if I moved down to Central Florida he’d hire me as a helper.
I took it as the compliment it was intended to be and respectfully declined.
(Now that I think about it that’s the first time in my life I’ve been offered a job).
I told him I’d love to do it but I fear I’d have to sell my boat.

Anyway, back on topic. All went well and we’re a step closer to the trip home.
Just waiting for the ice to clear out at Mackinaw.

Here are some pictures of the aftercoolers.
As you can see Cat added the rubber seal between the core and the housing for two reasons.
It allows for expansion and contraction between the core and the housing while also sealing the top housing against the lower housing.
 
#111 ·
Tucker K5 said:
That’s what I’ve been hearing.
Please let me know when you think it’s clear enough to head that way.
Click to expand...
We've been ice free down here for a few weeks now. I just took a look at cameras all the way up our side of the lake and it looks pretty clear. It might be just the straits still clearing out.

Note that it's currently snowing in Charlevoix :):)

https://www.earthcam.com/usa/michigan/grandhaven/lakemichigan/?cam=lakemichigan

https://harborlightsresort.net/webcams/

https://www.9and10news.com/weather/live-weather-cams/charlevoix-cam/



But then I found this guy. Walloon Lake is not too far from the bridge. Quite a lot of ice here but this is an inland lake.

https://alumni.umich.edu/camp-michigania/webcam/
 
#112 · (Edited)
@Tucker K5 , I’d say you are lucky to have gotten all the parts you need to complete this, as well as getting the mechanic to show up and do such a quick and professional installation! If you had Cummins engines, you’d be waiting at least 6 months, and likely longer, for those parts!

Bon Voyage my friend! Keep us posted with stories and pictures of your trip and don’t forget to honk when you pass Charlevoix!
 
Discussion starter · #113 ·
I’m a fan of Cummins engines but the Cats were definitely preferred when we were boat shopping.
I definitely know I was fortunate to get parts and get the job done so effectively.
Of course planning it all out 3 months in advance didn’t hurt. Nobody really wanted to work with me making plans that far out but I just kept on pushing the issue until I was on the calendar for everyone involved.
 
#114 ·
Tucker K5 said:
I’m a fan of Cummins engines but the Cats were definitely preferred when we were boat shopping.
I definitely know I was fortunate to get parts and get the job done so effectively.
Of course planning it all out 3 months in advance didn’t hurt. Nobody really wanted to work with me making plans that far out but I just kept on pushing the issue until I was on the calendar for everyone involved.
Click to expand...
I'd be interested in some photos of any corrosion that was seen on the CAT aftercoolers that were removed. Corrosion issues were the reason they were updated. The removed look very clean. Are the cores the same?
 
Discussion starter · #115 ·
ttmott said:
I'd be interested in some photos of any corrosion that was seen on the CAT aftercoolers that were removed. Corrosion issues were the reason they were updated. The removed look very clean. Are the cores the same?
Click to expand...
The lower intake showed some indication that some water had either been seeping through or just that there was condensation in the lower intakes.
The mechanic said it wasn’t enough to do any harm but it was definitely time to get them changed.

My broker told me about a 70ish foot Lazzara that was sold (around the same time I bought my boat) on Lake Michigan then started south headed to the new owner and lost an engine on a failed aftercooler. They had planned to do the aftercooler service when the boat got home.
He said people on the Great Lakes on average don’t think they need to do the aftercooler service at all because they are on fresh water.

There was no way my boat was making the 1700 mile journey home without them.
 
#116 ·
You were smart to do the service. We don’t need to service things like aftercoolers, gear coolers etc as often, but still needs doing.
Most folks up here don’t have problems related to aftercooler maintenance, but there is always the right way, the wrong way, and the way someone gets away with. Weather is supposed to improve considerably late next week. Congrats on the boat!
 
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#117 ·
This pic is at 800hrs, fresh water only. No corrosion but I did find impeller pieces here, gear coolers and heat exchanger. In this pic 12% of the tubes were plugged with pieces.
View attachment 124621
 
Discussion starter · #118 ·
my3sons said:
You were smart to do the service. We don’t need to service things like aftercoolers, gear coolers etc as often, but still needs doing.
Most folks up here don’t have problems related to aftercooler maintenance, but there is always the right way, the wrong way, and the way someone gets away with. Weather is supposed to improve considerably late next week. Congrats on the boat!
Click to expand...
I just recently started talking & texting with the PO.
He had no idea that the aftercoolers needed to be changed.
I expect he would have figured it out the hard way this summer if he’d kept the boat.
 
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