32' Hat powerplants.

[Maynard Rupp]

I have a young friend that is looking for a good convertable. He doesn't have lots of mooney and I am trying to help. He found a 32' Hat convertable that looks good in the photos. This boat has Cat 3116 engines. According to the brochures on this site these boats either had 350 hp. merc cruisers or 3208 cats. My older son has the express version and his has 300 hp. 3208 cats. Did Hatteras ever use the 3116 cats, or do we think someone retrofitted the boat. I don't know anything about the 3116. Are they good or bad?

 

[captddis]

The 3116 was not around when the 32 was built. They have a checkered history. A lot of them were replaced when new. I have a couple customers with them and theirs have been fine. Others have been constant problems.
If you check on boat diesel, there are pages on the 3116. It would not be my first choice, however if they have not had problems with the engines in the boat. Then they will probably go the distance.

 

[jim rosenthal]

These are okay engines if you have a bit of luck and don't beat them up. They had their share of headaches, maybe more than their share. Mine have been okay- just so-so. B series Cummins are better. 3116s with all the updates etc are okay.

 

[Genesis]

3116s are definitely a repower. They did not exist when those boats were made.

They have had a series of problems, most involving a set of bad blocks that came from France - they apparently were improperly hardened and wore unevenly and on very short hours (under 1000.) A number of people had major problems with them. Cat also cranked the ponies up way high on these for what they were, and it had the predictable results, which didn't help things a bit.

If the boat has all the updates on the engines, it might be ok. I personally would never own a boat with 3116s (or 3126s, the later version) in them unless the engines were discounted to basically "free" on the deal, because IMHO the risk is still there and as the non-original buyer and with as many years as have passed you're going to eat anything bad that happens now.

YMMV of course, and there are plenty of people who have had good luck with these motors. For me, its like a boat with MANs - the risk is just not worth it.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

Thanks Karl and everybody else. I thought I had heard bad things about those engines, and I couldn't find them listed as an option from Hatteras. My son has enough trouble with his 3208 engines. I sure don't want to recommend a worse engine than those to this young guy. You can see the boat on Yacht World. Advanced search, Hatteras 32 then select convertable. It is the boat in Brick NJ and they have a photo of an engine.

 

[Genesis]

3208s were fine until the hotrodders started cranking up the horsepower. At 325-350ish they were great motors. At over 400 it was another story entirely.