55 Convertible Repower underway

[G-FORCE]

FINALLY! Initial Sea Trial last Friday. We still have some weight to put back in her (generators, hardtop, galley), but she showed a strong 34 knots at 92% load, full fuel, and seven guys. The CATs are amazing. Much more responsive than I thought. The Twin Disc Express Shifts are amazing. No lurching, infinite control from almost zero shaft RPMs to full engagement. Attached are preliminary stats and comparison with the Detroits. Will post final sea trial numbers in a couple weeks after we get all the weight back in her.

[jim rosenthal]

VERY cool!!!!! good for you, finally back in the water after all this time and effort. It sounds like she will go faster than 34kts- maybe as high as 37 or 38 WOT at full load? That is very fast indeed when you are fifteen feet above the water, you are going to feel like you are flying.

Where does she live once she's home?

[G-FORCE]

VERY cool!!!!! good for you, finally back in the water after all this time and effort. It sounds like she will go faster than 34kts- maybe as high as 37 or 38 WOT at full load? That is very fast indeed when you are fifteen feet above the water, you are going to feel like you are flying.

Where does she live once she's home?

Hi Jim,

I don't think we'll see any more speed. CAT wants to see top end load right about where we are now. Will split the summer between Ocean City, MD and the Chesapeake. Probably winter in Manteo for bluefin. I think you are in Annapolis or Baltimore? Send me a message with your contact info and ill look you up. Boat is going to Annapolis Harbor Boatyard for some cosmetic work in 1 week.

[Genesis]

I like that 2100 RPM cruise a LOT. Those slip numbers are insane -- whoever did the props did them right.

[G-FORCE]

I like that 2100 RPM cruise a LOT. Those slip numbers are insane -- whoever did the props did them right.

Black Dog did the props. They confirmed their calculations with a naval architect, but obviously they were right on. The Veem Interceptors with 5 blades have over 100% swept area coverage, so they are very efficient. It was blowing 25 knots during sea trial, so we ran in the troughs to try to get semi accurate numbers, but that 2100 rpm reading seems a little erroneous. Will post final sea trial numbers in a few weeks.

[Genesis]

It might not be off. It's not that unusual to have a "sweet spot" while on plane where the running angle (and therefore hull efficiency) lines up just right with the engine's BSFC and you get this sort of result. I'll be interested in the final numbers of course but in any event you definitely have a winner.

[jim rosenthal]

Had the chance to ride along on the sea trial of G-Force with Seth and the Caterpillar techs today. VERY impressive- considering all that power, how well she handles at low speeds getting in and out of a marine with a lot of narrow fairways and tight turns. No lurching, no slipping in and out of gear- just whisper-quiet and totally in control (this is the TD electronic controls; this would not be possible with cable controls)

Out in the Bay, lots of speed, really impressive acceleration, and a rock-steady boat with the gyro stabilizer unit engaged. Altogether a great day on the water- I think she's going to the White Marlin Open before too long, which sounds like a splendid time for all.

Thanks again to Seth for the invitation for today. I have not gotten out on the water for entirely too long, this was a very welcome break from my usual activity which these days consists entirely of roller and brush.

[Scottbee]

Just wanted to blow some life back into this thread to see if there is any follow-up information. Would love to hear more regarding the SeaKeeper gyro system and the performance of the other new systems.

[G-FORCE]

Thanks for the prompt. I have been meaning to follow up and post as well as get some new pictures up. Ultimately I will have a before and after album, but haven't completed that yet. In summary we sea trialed this summer (Jim Rosenthal was there and posted about that), then we took her to OC for the White Marlin Open. We were one of only 12 boats to fish the first day in 6 - 8s. A real test for the gyro. 6 - 8s are still rough, but it really takes the edge off. Doesnt do too much at cruise, but trolling it is a HUGE difference. Stuff stay put and people arent sliding all over the place. In fact later in the summer the gyro had a cooling fault and wasnt working. We were in a panic! How could we possibly go fishing without it . We had a great season with plenty of billfish, tuna and wahoo and cruising the Chesapeake in the fall plus a few Stripers. Still picking away at some final details. Just installed a GOST security system with remote camera monitoring, etc... The C18s are incredible, the responsiveness far exceeded expectations. WOT dropped from 34 kts to 32 kts after the hardtop, enclosure and full weight was put back, but still pretty darn fast for a 1985 beast. The Eskimo icemaker that dumps into the transom fishbox had been persnickety at times, but I think we have it figured out. Thankfully the all in one air conditioners are actually quieter than the old split system and freed up space in the engine room so we could move the batteries from the aisle to outboard of the engines. The dripless shafts keep a dry bilge and the owner (my wife) is very pleased with how her interior turned out. Was it worth the time, effort and money? Probably not, but we have a great boat and enjoy her immensely. I'm attaching a couple new pictures, but will post the before and after album when I complete it. Looking to head to Rudee or Oregon Inlet (if it is open) for Bluefin in Feb and Mar. The major service providers in the project were; Tolchester Marina, AVFM Custom Fiberglass, Annapolis Yacht Interiors, Annapolis Harbor Boatyard and the fishbox is by Tom Slane. All of them did excellent work and I highly recommend them.

IMAG1792.jpg

IMAG1794.jpg

IMAG1845.jpg

[G-FORCE]

IMG-20120917-00018.jpg

DSC04169.jpg

IMAG1819.jpg