Yanmar Re-Power Gives Big Power Gain with No Weight Penalty
Every so often a boater arrives at Yanmar, keen to re-power their boat for reasons other than the existing engines being worn ragged. Richard Wilson is one such customer who recently re-powered his luxury 53’ Ocean Alexander with a pair of Yanmar’s new release 8SY-900M diesel engines.
Having had more boats than he cares to count over a life time of boating, it’s fair to say that Richard is a boatie who is exceptionally well informed and knows his way around boats, large and small. His current boat is Synergy, an Ed Monk jnr designed boat which was custom built for Richard in Taiwan in 1990. The original engines had logged 1760 hours in 18 years.
That is a long way short of being worn out. However the two stroke diesels were rated at 735hp and did not deliver the power nor the absolute reliability that Richard now sought.
“I briefly considered moving to a new and bigger boat, but I was more comfortable with the concept of a comprehensive refurbishment of Synergy,” Richard Wilson said.
The basic plan was to re-power with modern technology diesels that delivered more power than the existing engines. At the same time the boat would receive a complete re-fit of soft furnishings, new air con and so on.
For the engine room, Richard Wilson did his research. Some brands were too heavy, some not powerful enough and others did not have the features sought by Richard to rejuvenate the 25 tonne Synergy.
That left the Yanmar range with ticks in all the appropriate categories. Bill McLeod of McLeod Engineering in Cairns (an authorized Yanmar and Twin Disc Sales and Service dealer) strongly recommended the new Yanmar 8SY-900M marine diesel engines with TwinDisc transmissions. More research by Richard Wilson confirmed that the Yanmar brand was held in the highest esteem.
“I asked around boating friends, professional boaters and marine experts. There wasn’t a single person that I spoke to who had a bad word to utter about the Yanmar brand,” Richard said.
A pair of Yanmar 8SY-900M engines were ordered. These are a V8 marine diesel with a displacement of 15.6 litres with electronic unit injectors and electronic engine management. Rated at 900 MHP at 2300 RPM, the 8SY -900M has a dry weight without the gearbox of 1650 kgs.
The key attributes of this model engine are those typically found throughout the Yanmar range of marine diesel engines. The 8SY-STP has an impressive power to weight ratio, direct injection and dual turbo chargers. And with an overall length of 1236 mm (engine only) the Yanmar 8SY-900M is a compact powerhouse which easily slotted into the engine room aboard Synergy without any modifications to bulkheads needed.
At the helm, the advanced electronics of the Yanmar 8SY-900M is plainly evident on the dash. The control head successfully combines dual engine throttles in one simple module for the ultimate in drive-by-wire control. The multi-function LCD display receives data from the engine ECU interface to ensure that the skipper has all the essential data at a glance.
With the old engines removed and the new Yanmar’s slotted into the engine room, the re-power supervised by Bill McLeod was undertaken professionally over a comfortable two month period. All work was carried out at Rivergate Marine & Shipyard in Brisbane who Bill McLeod has a close working relationship with. The project being completed with great organisation and expertise.
With the power aboard Synergy being increased from 735 hp per engine to 900 hp per engine, (while at the same time engine weight was reduced by approximately 120 kgs all up) the power package has delivered on all counts. With the added power and the new Twin Disc 1.75:1 transmissions installed, new five blade counter rotating props were also fitted.
“We can now travel faster and in more comfort with the Yanmar engines in the engine room,” Richard Wilson said. “At wide open throttle we are running at 2300 RPM for 32 knots, while a comfortable cruise speed is 1800 RPM for 22.5 knots.”
With just 12 engine hours logged with the Yanmar engines, the fuel consumption is better, despite the big boost of 330 hp in power.
“Having now been through the Yanmar re-power experience I can say that I am really, really happy with my new Yanmar engines and the performance of the boat,” Richard Wilson concluded. “Like the boat name Synergy, the combined effect is greater than the sum of the individual effort, everyone pulled together for a wonderful outcome.”
“We still have some work to do with the props to achieve better performance, but I could not be happier with my choice of Yanmar.”
Power Equipment is the exclusive and authorised Australian, NZ, PNG and South Pacific distributor of Yanmar Marine and Industrial diesel engines importing product from Yanmar plants in Japan, Asia, USA and Europe. With an extensive marine dealer and branch network, Power Equipment has the expertise and experience to assist boat owners and boat builders for both new installations and repowers. Power Equipment also distribute the Yanmar powered MASE diesel marine generators range and Gori high quality folding sailboat propellers.
For further information on this story contact:
Michael Blair
National Marine Sales Manager
Power Equipment Pty Ltd
Tel (03) 9709 8500
Fax (03) 9709 8544
Email michael.blair@yanmar.com.au
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