I finally took the dive on used twin 2001 Yanmar 4HLA_STE (230/240 hp) with ZF 63A gears. Haul them myself from Virginia to Florida (12 hour drive) and shipped to Puerto Rico. The Crusaders 454 are coming out for good!
I know Bob is going to chew my ass out, but it was a good deal I could not pass. When he decides to sell Phoenix, I will be the first one to bid on it (if I have money left .
Now the journey begins.......I know I will suffer through this but this is a labor of love and I know you all will make my task easier, like Dug just did by providing me with his set up (prop measures).
So, those of you running these same engines what can you tell me from the outset? Wheels? Performance? Thanks in advance
Welcome to the empty pockets club. LOL Good luck with the re-power. Been 10 years since I put my Cummins in, no regrets. You will love the diesels especially at the fuel dock.
Each will give a slightly different wake pattern when trolling, which will also change with how the boat is sitting in the water at any given time. I've personally caught more fish with the 20X21 4 blade props than with any other. Not the fastest or most efficient, but perfect for tuna at 6.7 knots.
I think a Yanmar installation can be a bit easier as the motors are lighter, rev higher then Cummins and do not require going so large with the exhaust.
Cummins or Yanmar, can't go wrong with either, best of luck with them, enjoy the journey!
Congrats! Couldn't open the pics, but we have a pair of '98 4LH-STE's, only a bit over 1,000hrs on them. I had props reconditioned and have the printout - will find that for size/pitch and get to you. Performance is as follows, and this is in a '64 Soft-top Express: 18kts @ 2,300rpm/7.5gph combined, 22kts @ 2,700rpm appx. 10gph combined, top speed 29kts @ 3,300rpm. Several people cruise around 3,000rpm all day long - I prefer to baby engines, and make ride a bit more comfortable.
Interesting note - one of our engines, port I believe, sounds "different" - after considerable trouble-shooting including a Yanmar dealer, it's the transmission running "backwards" for the opposite rotation. With the wheels we are spinning, at idle, both engines push the boat to a wake situation, so we routinely drop to only one engine in forward gear in tight spots where wake is a concern. Likely have to do this trolling as well.
Ours are smokers - never burn a drop of oil, just smoke until up on a plane. Turbos kick in noticeably over 2,500rpms. Blackstone Labs has done the oil sampling annually for us - if you used them they'd have plenty of data to match up for comparison if you chose to do that.
For the weight to power ratio, and reliability, I can't say enough about this selection of motor for the 31. I'll get you the prop specs from Hale Prop.
Best of luck.
Bob Norton Jr.
"Dalmatian - Essex, CT"
1964 Bertram 31 Soft Top Express
David, congratulations! I'm confident that you will be thrilled with the outcome of your repower. When I was contemplating my repower I talked to Mr. Mastrey at Mastrey Marine (Yanmar dealer) and he explained that the 4-LHA engine was designed "from the motor mounts up to be a marine engine", as opposed to marinizing an existing engine. He shared an example of a commercial boat that had 10,000 hours on a 4-LHA. I don't know how to post on-line, so send me your email address and I will scan and send you some excellent articles on the Merc 454 / 4-LHA swap-out. My email address is tdrake31 at gmail dot com.
David - the props on our boat are 19 x 19 x 3 cupped wheels. I have the recon sheets if you ever wanted them for balancing specs, and have both operation and service manuals. If you need something in those pm me and I can scan. Best of luck.
Bob
Bob Norton Jr.
"Dalmatian - Essex, CT"
1964 Bertram 31 Soft Top Express
Carl wrote: ↑Dec 1st, '20, 09:11
...thought it was just me.
Me too!
I have posted links (using Google photos) on other forums and have had some people tell me the same thing. Then others can seem to open the same link on the same forum. This frustrates me coming from "super-big tech Google". I have ensured that my links "shared" and not restricted and still have probs sometimes
Im running 4 blade 20x20 Med cup 21-22kt at 2750rpm, ill be pulling my engines this week to fix the engine beds and get the shaft angle shallower. When they pulled her for the season i was able to put a tape measure on everything and boy did they do a shit install. one engine is an inch closer to the rudder than the other, i have 5.5 inches from the blade tip to hull bottom. And the biggest thing is the props are 11 inches away from the rudders. She ran decent with all her issues but the my biggest complaint is the vibration. when the replaced the port side engine with the new one they used a new adjustable mount that has a trunion so it pivots with the engine angle and the engine mounts stay straight. on the strb engine it has the original straight mount and because of the angle the mount is leaning all the way and i have metal to metal contact. it is night and day engine to engine as far as noise goes. get the trunnion mounts you will not regret it
saburke17 wrote: ↑Dec 1st, '20, 11:39
get the trunnion mounts you will not regret it
When I did my repower I purchased "trunnion" mounts and then welded them to the Cummins "L" bracket mounts so I could bolt them up to the side of the 4BTs. Honestly I did not know (and still do not) if I am using them properly. I left my engine beds from the 5.7 mercs and used these trunnion mounts.
I felt it was a no-brainer because I did not have to deal with any bad angles or shimming. I bolted the trunnions right to the isolators. I prob got 400 hours on them and they were easy and made the install that much easier. When doing a repower there is about a list of 1700 things you have to do, so anything that is easy is a good thing (unless it is a bad thing...lol)
My little 4BTs shake like hell at idle no matter what isolators you use but with that said I would recommend the trunnion mounts from my non professional opinion
I used photobucket in the past but now you have to pay for it. I tried Google pics but it seems that nobody can see them. How do I make those links public, if anyone knows?
bob lico wrote: ↑Dec 1st, '20, 17:12
Saburke why did you replace engine?
Bob, the asshat who "rebuilt" the engine did something wrong. a bearing spun, then the piston had extra slop so it tattoo'd the head with its part number. crankshaft got messed up pretty bad. engine had like 10 hours on it at that point. My yanmar guy said it was cheaper to buy a new one, crank alone was 6k.
i've been having delusions of speed lately, reached out to steve at the local cummins dealer yesterday and they quoted $26,500 for a brand new 350HP slimline QSB and that was with the new 4inch screen. that's a hellava deal. since everything is already out and stringers are being cut and dropped.............
Hueso wrote: ↑Dec 1st, '20, 17:51
I used photobucket in the past but now you have to pay for it. I tried Google pics but it seems that nobody can see them. How do I make those links public, if anyone knows?
What are your engine shaft lengths for the 230's? I know every engine install may be different but I need to buy new Aquamets 22 1 3/8 and would love to have an idea of an average length.
What are your engine shaft lengths for the 230's? I know every engine install may be different but I need to buy new Aquamets 22 1 3/8 and would love to have an idea of an average length.
David
What ever length the guys give you, you should really measure yours up first or order them a little longer and let the shop cut them down after you have fitted everything.
I got lucky when I did mine, the Diesel shop new of a brand new pair of shafts from a guy who started a repower but never finished it. He had them up for sale at about half the price of new. They were too long so we had them cut down.
Congrats on the repower!!!!! Where in PR do you live? We lived in Aguadilla for, 4 years with my job. I shipped a boat and truck down. Hopefully the hacienda goes easy on you at the docks!!!! You will never run a gas boat again after those diesels.
I live in San Juan and the boat is in Fajardo. Where was your boat docked?
Steve:
My friend Micky (the site member redoing a Hatteras 34) had a twenty something Shamrock with a Yanmar 170 hp. I believe it was a perfect set up. I think it would be great in a B20. Have seen for sale good running Yanmars 170 hp for less than $5,000.
I have 4LHA-STP’s. Rated 240-250 in the EU.
I’m not a mechanic, but what I learned from practice is: Never use any other coolant than the designated Yanmar one. Never use anodes other than the Yanmar ones. Never skip a service interval.
Nothing else. My motors perform and sound like well adjusted sewing machines.
Good luck, enjoy your trips.
Lucky found in Craigslist. If you look there, be very careful. Do background checks whatever way possible if you are going to commit. Schedule a bench test in a known and reputable diesel machine shop and do the exchange there.
If you want to discuss detail just let me know and I will provide you my phone number.
I was one click away from laying out 10k on a Pair if John Deere diesels some years back.
EBAy- Top rated seller had a video of a pair, looked brand new, started right up, no smoke, with gauge panels. Guaranteed or money back he claimed. Then there was the Ebay Protection Plan he was a top rated seller and backed or something by Ebay. I had never seen that before. He was in such a need to get rid of them that he'd even deliver them himself...from a couple states away.
I asked my dads opinion who was eager to see me get a pair of diesels. I showed him video, we chatted with buyer a bit. My dad was so for it he was going to front all the money as I was hesitant about spending at that time. At that price, even if they didn't fit I could get my money back selling around here....but something seemed wrong. Then once the Buy it Now page came up with the need to make a wire transfer the brakes went full on.
I contacted Ebay...they very quickly told me it was a scam. The person was using the Ebay page and superimposing his own on top looking just like their page. It was around that time all my computer passwords were being changed...spent the next several hours closing accounts, changing passwords BUT SO happy I never went the step further sending money.
As David said, be careful...
I thought I had a crank buyer saying he wanted my ol' 440's for a restoration boat in Germany. Back and forth for weeks, then silence.
One day I get an email asking if still available at same price, I answer yes. Few minutes later money is in my Pay Pall account, then a message if I could have them ready in a week. He sent a truck and gone.
i guess i was a lucky guy.the first time i pulled the 504" cummins out of boat and the marina wanted 600.00 for the Dumpster and along comes some dude who offered me 5000.00 -------take them. then i paid 15,000 for a pair of Yanmar 250 hp. i took the boat offshore and came home and yank them out and a guy offered me 20,000 plus shipping ----take them and the cummins 300hp 970 CPL. sold them to a guy in calif. with a phone call and took a personell check . i also sold 4 Yanmar 6 CYL. and never had a problem. other than making wooden crates to ship. just plane lucky with scammers.
i am in business my whole life ,you listen carefully to the answers the client or customer says and sometimes ask questions to a answer you know just to see how he answers .
bob lico wrote: ↑Dec 18th, '20, 10:30
i am in business my whole life ,you listen carefully to the answers the client or customer says and sometimes ask questions to a answer you know just to see how he answers .
...and that is why I did not move forward.
Something seemed off, gut said it was wrong...but I still wanted it to be true. Its why I said "be careful" and that whole look before you leap thing. Stop...think, trust but verify...yeah...sorry I'm beating a dead horse here.
the best education i ever received was from a gentleman whom worked for me . the guy had a PHD in EE and we were together on a Federal project for 3 years . a fantastic ability for BS or incompetents detection.
. 
