Things around Cairns have certainly changed since those days, but Greg’s passion for the water, fishing and boating remain as strong as ever.  So much in fact, that when the original gasoline engine in Greg’s 23 year old Cairns Custom Craft 7.0m plate alloy hull died, he decided that a repower, rather than a new boat, was the best option.

“The original 220hp 6 cylinder gasoline engine in ‘G Force’ did a pretty good job but was slightly underpowered,” Greg said.  “Towards the end it was pretty unreliable which is something that you don’t want when you go miles and miles offshore to fish the outer reef up here. And after 1000 engine hours it just died.”

After checking around the traps, talking to mates and visiting the boat shows, Greg settled on a 250mhp Yanmar 6LPA-DTZP marine diesel engine package complete with the factory approved and warranted Mecruiser Bravo Two-X sterndrive assembly.
 
“I could have purchased a V8 petrol sterndrive or lesser name diesels for less, but I was won over by the well proven performance and the incredible fuel economy that the Yanmar brand is reknowned for up here in North Queensland.“

“When I was doing my research a rep from another diesel engine company bagged the Yanmar 6LP Series for being a derivative of a Toyota Landcruiser diesel engine.  That was not a smart move because I’ve had a fantastic run with my various Toyota 4WD Landcruisers for over 20 years and figured that if I did as well with my new Yanmar in my boat then I would be just as happy.”

So the old gasoline engine and leg were removed and a sparkling new Yanmar 6LPA / Bravo Two-X package installed.  Compared to the old gasoline engine, the Yanmar was fractionally longer and taller, requiring a small amount of modifications to the engine hatch only.

“And that was about the only downside to the whole project.  The new Yanmar has added a whole new dimension to the enjoyment of my boating and fishing trips.  I’m totally confident in the engine and love the greatly reduced amount of fuel that I now use.”

Compared to the old gasoline engine, the Yanmar 6LPA-DTZP delivers about 30 more hp at the prop, but the new engine is only notionally heavier. The real benefit, apart from the reliability and reduced engine noise, is the increased torque, faster top end speed and enormous fuel savings. It is widely regarded that nothing delivers mid range torque better than sheer engine displacement, and at 4.2 litres the Yanmar 6LPA has capacity to spare compared to many of its competitors.

 
“My old Cairns Custom Craft now has a top end speed of 34 knots at wide open throttle which is at 3900 rpm. More importantly though, I can cruise at 3200 rpm with 22 knots on the GPS display all day long.”

The fuel tank onboard ‘G-Force’ has a 600 litre capacity even though Greg has never used a full tank since the repower. Through rigourous monitoring of fuel usage and distances travelled, Greg Hawtin says that at cruise speed his fuel usage is less than 1 litre per nautical mile travelled.  That is cheap boating in anyone’s language.

“My favourite trip is to head out and do an overnight fishing trip on the reef with 2 or 3 mates fishing for Red Emperor in 80 meters of water.  We leave mid afternoon and return mid morning after being at sea for approximately 20 hours. The trip is 90 NM return and the fuel usage is 80 litres,” Greg said. “The old engine on the same trip used 150 litres and took longer!”
 
As a senior technician with Telstra working in some of the most remote parts in Australia, and having previously worked in electronics in the RAAF, Greg Hawtin is passionate about new technologies and reliable equipment.

“My game is technology and the quality engineering that is built into the Japanese engineered Yanmar’s make them stand out from the rest.”

“I know that there are other marine diesel brands on the market, but to my way of thinking Yanmar holds a distinct edge with quality Japanese engineering, high resale value, reliability and a back up parts and support service that is simply the very best you could hope for.”

“When you are 40 nm offshore with a bunch of mates, an ice box full of fish and it’s time to come home, the very last thing you need to be worried about is the reliability of your engine. Yanmar has been a great choice and is one that I will buy again for my next boat for sure.”

For further information on this story contact:

Michael Blair
National Marine Sales Manager
Power Equipment Pty Ltd
Tel (03) 9764 0711
Fax (03) 9764 0678
Email power.equipment@yanmar.com.au