New engines, Wife says Absolutly!!

[Kevind767]

Hello Brain Trust,

1983 38’ Convertable III
Cat 3208T 300hp

Engines coming out, and new bilge painting and update starting.

Wife says…. “Lets look at putting new engines in it”, especially after redo of the interior etc.

Yanamr, FPT, Cummins, Scania, Cat…….?

Port motor just came out, and sitting on trailer in driveway.
It just got real.
Both Cats are running and need to be Needle Gunned and repainted, but they are a 50 yr old design, and Extremely heavy.

So what are the thoughts on which power package to seriously consider?

Going over to Boat Diesel, to see what others have done.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[PeterPalmieri]

Do whatever the wife says. QSB 550s?

[Ironworker]

I have been very pleased with my QSB's. The have no detectable smoke or smell and relatively quite. They fire right up and were easy to install.

I would suggest upping the Horse power but you'll likely need new shafts and struts.

[Kevind767]

As the saying goes….
In for a Penny, in for a Pound

1 3/4 shafts on it now.

[JeremyD]

I've seen the QSB's done with relative ease. Was watching a boat in the Mediterranean with John Deer 315's that looked like a solid package.

What do you have that you can get support for locally?

[Amberjack]

1 3/4” shafts are plenty for any power you could squeeze into a Bertram 31

[Carl]

1 3/4” shafts are plenty for any power you could squeeze into a Bertram 31

Not for a 31, but a-

1983 38’ Convertable III
Cat 3208T 300hp

[Kevind767]

Support for CAT’s, Cummins, John Deere, and FPT that are local to me.

[JeremyD]

my attention to detail sucks - but yes if you have a 38 - then I would definitely up the HP - Cummins QSB 550's would probably put a smile on your face.

[Amberjack]

Carl, you are correct of course. I have 1 3/4 shafts on Amberjack and think I may be over sized but that’s what started this train of thought.

Kevin I look forward to hearing what power plant you decide on and what shaft diameter the power people call out. My repower happened the same way yours did. My wife got tired of watching me fret over our worn out big block Crusaders and said it was time to replace them with diesel power. Our wives are smarter than we are.

[Tony Meola]

Think about the cost of parts. The nice thing about Cummins you can get a lot of everyday parts at the local Cummins Truck dealer. I usually buy my engine antifreeze, oil and all filters from the one near me. The price of Valvoline Blue from them is actually a little cheaper than every other place near me.

Just makes life a little easier.

[Kevind767]

Thanks Gentlemen.
Will keep you appraised with the choice of motors.
BTW, my wife likes this boat more than I do!!

[Carl]

BTW, my wife likes this boat more than I do!!

That my friend is a good thing!

I'd answer on motors, but aside from what Tony said about parts and Jeremy about service I do not know much about one motor over another. I love the 6BT Cummins, but they only go up to 370 or so hp. On those I have to say if I have to work on them they are designed to be user friendly. No special tools and very accessible. Engineered to be worked on makes routine maintenance easy.
Things like oil filters are mounted out and open with the opening facing up. Sounds stupid, but dads Steyer has the filter horizontal...makes for fun changing the HOT oil. Need to replace waterpump...lots of fun trying to reach in and around, then small screws so the heads round off. Volvo with rubber o-ring seals on the aluminum piping...expensive to replace if the part can be found and with aluminum and salt water its only an amount of time before they pit. Cat...great motors but as you said heavy and they need specialized expensive tooling. Replace a .02 seal in the fuel (injection ?) pump requires removing several huge items to gain access.

If the larger hp Cummins are designed like the 6BT's I'd be looking at those.

Good luck, let us know the way you go and why.

[Tony Meola]

I have to agree with Carl, I am partial to Cummins.

[Kevind767]

QSB 550 is a true contender..
My only worry( issue), is that is that is the max HP package out of that block presently.

Is that such a smart idea, ie. longevity and stress on the engines?

[Carl]

You’re coming from heavy 300hp cats to 550hp Cummins. You can move a bit quicker without taxing motors much at all and they should last a good long while. Or you can run em hard and all bets r off.

Could also step down in hp, run em like you ran the Cats with a longer motor expectancy, less coin involved.

It really all depends on what your going after… longevity or do you have a new need for speed. Speed costs more on all levels. Or a compromise…only you can answer that.

[Kevind767]

I’m past the “Need for Speed”

Yes I don’t mind going fast, but that is not my main want with this Repower.

If I’m going to spend the money, I would like the best package for the next 10 years.

[Kevind767]

Looks like the QSB6.7 425hp is going to be the choice.
Not yet finalized, but Damn close.

[Ironworker]

Looks like the QSB6.7 425hp is going to be the choice.
Not yet finalized, but Damn close.

Kevin,

Download the operators manual on these engines before you make a final decision. If you do a lot of trolling these might not be the right engines for you. There are limitations on prolonged idle speeds with the 6.7s.

5.9s might be a better choice.

[kubiac33]

FPT n67 450 is what I’m putting in my Bahia Mar. More efficient, less smoke, less noise in comparison to Cummins but the dealer network Cummins has is undeniable.

I’m a FPT dealer and would definitely be into passing some savings to a fellow Bertram brother if you go the FPT route.

[Carl]

FPT is not a brand I am familiar with, can you give a little background/highlights on them. Who uses them. This is only for my own curiosity as I have Cummins with no intention of changing in the foreseeable future.

[kubiac33]

FPT is not a brand I am familiar with, can you give a little background/highlights on them. Who uses them. This is only for my own curiosity as I have Cummins with no intention of changing in the foreseeable future.

They’re an Italian company and are,I believe, number 3 in the world for industrial powertrain manufacturers. Cummins and FPT developed the 5.9 24 valve jointly and split ways for the 6.7. A Cummins 6.7 and FPT are pretty identical looking but that’s about it. CAT has a partnership with FPT for lower power engines and Yanmar uses their n67 for Yanmars 6lf.

Top highlights is the price, efficiency and how clean they burn. 500 hr oil change intervals is a testament to how clean they burn. Warranty and customer service is top notch. I even heard of them replacing a motor that was poorly installed for free. They likely did this because they’re pushing the USA market hard currently and didn’t want any bad publicity even if it wasn’t the engines fault. Their marinization is compact and clean but I will say a couple models could be better in terms of access to maintenance items but I suppose even Italian engineers can’t help themselves. I think once the dealer network is extensive they’ll rise as the top dog, especially if emissions continue on the same path since they’re leaps and bounds ahead of the competition in that department. My biggest gripe with them is the lack of a 4 cylinder that meets tier 4 and the paint could be a little cleaner but they are most geared towards commercial use where looks aren’t just as important as performance and longevity.

[Tony Meola]

Carl

Iveco is the other name for them. Pretty similar to Cummins. When I was repowering, the boat next to mine that was also getting done was a 28 Carolina Classic. The owner of the boat is the Owner of the Xtreme Diesel website. He was putting the Iveco's in his boat. I talked to the Cummins dealer about them, and he said they were very similar to Cummins. He was installing them into the boat for the guy as a favor and he said since the guy is a diesel expert it was fine because he did all his own work and ordered all his own parts. He liked them, but he said due to the availability of parts he said they weren't for the average repower in our area.