53MY speeds...

[MikeP]

As I posted in a different thread, our boat's current top end with clean bottom/running gear was 17.7 yesterday running in approx 12-20 ft of water at the mouth of the Chester River on the Chesapeake Bay. That was a 2-way average top speed, which didn't really vary much since we were running across the current both ways.

This speed is at WOT, showing approx 2300 RPM. One thing I would like to know from folks with 53's is whether your boat will stay on plane if you back the throttles down. I dropped them back to 2000 RPM and the boat slowly settled/slowed to around 13.8/14.

I didn't leave it there long enough to really see if it would maintain that speed or whether it would continue to slow/drop off of plane because after 5-6 minutes my coolant temps were going north of 190 and I didn't want to continue at that power setting. I haven't cleaned the HE's in two seasons so that was expected...and I need to do that this week. I'm thinking I might try the "in place" cleaning though I have never done that; I always pull the HE's/boil them as per the DD service manual. Previously, with freshly cleaned HEs, I maintained WOT for nearly an hour with the temp never rising above the mid 180's. But for some reason, I never tried backing off and holding a lower planing speed.

 

[Avenger]

17.7 kts.?!?.. I don't know if the word "speed" is appropriate here.

 

[Pascal]

Disclaimer... My boat never exceeded 14.2 kts since I have naturals... For now.

That said, I ve always been under the impression than a turbo 53 would stay on plane at cruise setttings. You may want to try 2075 or 2050 to see what happens to speed and temp, and maybe check yr techs too to be sure the 2000 you noted wasn't more like 1950

As I always said, running 13/14 kts makes no sense whatsoever as you re burning 2.5 to 3 times the fuel for just 50% more speed.

I assume y checked your trim tabs?

 

[Freeebird]

I'll post this again, and you guys can argue about it, again...

http://www.hatterasowners.com/Brochures/53ED/53EDA-0083.htm

 

[SKYCHENEY]

I have to cruise at 2100 to really stay on plane in most conditions. That give a pretty consistent 16kts.

 

[MikeP]

I'll post this again, and you guys can argue about it, again...

http://www.hatterasowners.com/Brochures/53ED/53EDA-0083.htm

Well, that boat has the hi-powered 450HP motors; ours are those puny 435HP motors so no wonder that boat can hit 20+ Knots!

OK, I'm kidding. I can see that a new boat with nothing on board - as a test boat would be - could hit higher speeds but I don't think that our 53 (even if empty) could hit 20K unless you dropped it out of the back of a C130!

And yes, 17-18 knots is not what anyone could really refer to as speed and worrying about .3knots is a bit...well...anal. OTOH, people I used to work with in engine building used to claim that my pic was in the dictionary next to the def of "anal."

 

[oscarvan]

OTOH, people I used to work with in engine building used to claim that my pic was in the dictionary next to the def of "anal."

I prefer: "detail oriented".

 

[Freeebird]

I prefer: "detail oriented".

I think most would! LOL

 

[jim rosenthal]

OCD. On the other hand, I drove one of my cars fifty miles today; it has an engine that was tuned by MikeP. I can tell you he knows exactly what he's doing.
When Hatteras Yachts builds a Superstock contender, it will be Mike that builds the engine(s).

 

[oscarvan]

OCD.

No sir, CDO.... the letters MUST be in alphabetical order!

 

[Boatsb]

The title is an oxymoron. Like military intelligence, happily married....

 

[Freeebird]

No sir, CDO.... the letters MUST be in alphabetical order!

Too bad you're not COD so we could refuse you.

 

[oscarvan]

The title is an oxymoron. Like military intelligence, happily married....

Actually, if I wasn't married to my wife, and living up to my promise, I'd be dead or in jail. So that moron I am not.

Too bad you're not COD so we could refuse you.

You sooooooo funny.

 

[rsmith]

As I posted in a different thread, our boat's current top end with clean bottom/running gear was 17.7 yesterday running in approx 12-20 ft of water at the mouth of the Chester River on the Chesapeake Bay. That was a 2-way average top speed, which didn't really vary much since we were running across the current both ways.

This speed is at WOT, showing approx 2300 RPM. One thing I would like to know from folks with 53's is whether your boat will stay on plane if you back the throttles down. I dropped them back to 2000 RPM and the boat slowly settled/slowed to around 13.8/14.

I didn't leave it there long enough to really see if it would maintain that speed or whether it would continue to slow/drop off of plane because after 5-6 minutes my coolant temps were going north of 190 and I didn't want to continue at that power setting. I haven't cleaned the HE's in two seasons so that was expected...and I need to do that this week. I'm thinking I might try the "in place" cleaning though I have never done that; I always pull the HE's/boil them as per the DD service manual. Previously, with freshly cleaned HEs, I maintained WOT for nearly an hour with the temp never rising above the mid 180's. But for some reason, I never tried backing off and holding a lower planing speed.

When I delivered your boat for the PO in 93 or 94 I forget now what year we were running 15-16 knots @2100 offshore in deep water. That was pre GPS so they were Loran speeds. The boat was fully found but no personal items were on it yet. 22 years later and running the same kind of speeds is pretty good. I don't think the engines have ever been overhauled.

 

[MikeP]

I didn't realize that you had delivered the boat, to the PO; that's neat! Do you know if it was "Brigadoon" at that time or still "Kups 'n Labels"? That was its name under the original owner, who, as I understand it, was a supplier of some sort in the food/kitchen industry.

The engines were overhauled in 1999 at 1910 hours which is one of the reasons we bought this particular boat - as well as the fact that it was so well cared for. Per the logbook, the port engine let go on a cruise to Baltimore on Jul 1, 1999 (for the Jul 4 festivities), dumping 12 qts of oil in the bilge. The PO elected to have both overhauled which was completed on Aug 23.

When we sea trialed it on the Delaware River about 30M north of Philly in 2004, it hit 18.4 at WOT (average in both directions). I don't recall how much fuel/water was on board and although there was good bit of gear, we've probably managed to at least double it!

 

[rsmith]

I didn't realize that you had delivered the boat, to the PO; that's neat! Do you know if it was "Brigadoon" at that time or still "Kups 'n Labels"? That was its name under the original owner, who, as I understand it, was a supplier of some sort in the food/kitchen industry.

The engines were overhauled in 1999 at 1910 hours which is one of the reasons we bought this particular boat - as well as the fact that it was so well cared for. Per the logbook, the port engine let go on a cruise to Baltimore on Jul 1, 1999 (for the Jul 4 festivities), dumping 12 qts of oil in the bilge. The PO elected to have both overhauled which was completed on Aug 23.

When we sea trialed it on the Delaware River about 30M north of Philly in 2004, it hit 18.4 at WOT (average in both directions). I don't recall how much fuel/water was on board and although there was good bit of gear, we've probably managed to at least double it!

I've known Mr Maltbie since I was 6 years old all of his boats were Brigadoons. He was one of my mentors. We picked up the 53 in Lauderdale on the Dania canal. If you got to know him at all he has a very dry sence of humor. Long before chart plotters GPS or loran c we were running one of his boats up the Delaware River I was probably 12 or 13. It's night I'm running the boat and he's reading the chart. He's teaching me how to use range lights to stay in the middle of the channel. Many are behind so you need to look over your shoulder constantly checking that they are in alignment. Suddenly a mid channel bouy comes out of the darkness. Threw the wheel hard over and barely missed it. Mr Maltbie looks over at me and says " your doing an excellent job keeping in the center of the channel." Did you know he ran landing craft in the pacific in WW11.

 

[MikeP]

I knew he was in the WWII navy in the Pacific but didn't know what type of equipment he served on. My wife and I really enjoyed talking to him when we first looked at the boat and later sea-trailed it. Definitely seemed like a neat guy and certainly took excellent care of the boat.