If you were starting all over, would you buy a Hatt with DD engines again??

[Eddieclemons]

Replace EMP with Lightning strike. Now imagine you get caught offshore in a bad thunderstorm when you get hit. Which engines do you want now?

That's a pretty easy answer.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Changing interior soft goods etc isn't very expensive. But changing a painted wood interior to finished wooden paneling like most older Hatteras yachts have or had is VERY expensive. The materials and means are out there, but the cost is formidable. And since most of your boating time is spent inside the boat, don't buy a boat with an interior you detest.

 

[Eddieclemons]

Replace EMP with Lightning strike. Now imagine you get caught offshore in a bad thunderstorm when you get hit. Which engines do you want now?

That's a pretty easy answer under those conditions

 

[oscarvan]

EMP attack mitigation: Install air starter. Yes, the compressor motor won't work either. Use bicycle pump. May take a while.

Boatsb: I have the ISB340 6.7 with Allison 2500 in my 30,000 pound diesel pusher. 68 mph for 35,000 miles now at 9.17 mpg. Fresh oil every 10,000 miles, clean fuel, clean air and clean radiator/CAC. Just keeps on trucking. Love that motor.

 

[jmooney]

Regarding the EMP, Detroit made a hydraulic start system. Hydraulic starter, engine mounted pump ,accumulator, and a manual pump. Starter can turn in either direction. You could get by without the engine pump if you only used this system in an emergency. However, I have only seen the accumulator for sale . The only hydraulic starter that I have seen for sale was for a 4-71.

 

[Eddieclemons]

It's been along time ago, but I recall getting my hands on an stationary DD with an air starter and the reserve air tank I believe was charged off the engine from start to start. I cant remember what you did if the air tank became empty with the engine not running.

 

[Tricia II]

It's been along time ago, but I recall getting my hands on an stationary DD with an air starter and the reserve air tank I believe was charged off the engine from start to start. I cant remember what you did if the air tank became empty with the engine not running.

In hazardous areas on offshore production platforms, electric start was not allowed. We used either air start or hydraulic start. The hydraulic start systems was manually pumped up reservoir then flip a valve to start. These systems charged the hydraulic reservoir when running.
I've never seen an air start system recharge itself, unless the engine had an air compressor mounted on the it.
Cranes that turned on a pedestal had issues with the air system staying in service due to crappy slip ring systems for air and power. So the hydraulic systems worked great. I've never seen anything bigger than a Detroit 6V71 on hydraulics.

As a young kid, most all oilfield boats up to 150 ft or so had DD's or Cat and very few Mercedes. Larger ones had some big Cats or EMD's before the pollution thing hit them too. All boats had DD generators because they ran 7 days straight at 1800 rpms, then swapped to the other gen so maintenance could be done on the gen just shut down. They were loud and leaked, but very reliable. Again, the EPA regulations killed the generator applications. But, the EPA didn't restrict service company engines and equipment for oilfield applications. Detroits are highly sought after because of the hydraulic starters and no power needed on the pump skids. Just pump up the reservoir and open the start valve. She will run till out of fuel.

I have no issues with the loud obnoxious 853N beasts under my salon floor, they are not fast but they are very reliable. Since 1966, the only thing that has stopped them from starting was dead batteries.

 

[jim rosenthal]

Not strictly on topic, but sort of:

I spent a few weeks at Norshipco in Norfolk when I was a resident- we had a community medicine rotation and I spent it in the shipyard. One of the things I saw was a fairly good-sized ship with a single huge engine that ran on bunker oil. The starter was an 8v-92 Detroit. IIRC, they used to light a fire in the combustion chambers in some of those big engines to preheat them before cranking them, but I didn't actually see that.

 

[zigzag930]

...... I'd love the smoother, quieter and more efficient engines. They have less exhaust smell too.

What??? I love the smell of DD"s in the morning, LOL

 

[SKYCHENEY]

What??? I love the smell of DD"s in the morning, LOL

I prefer the smell of bacon

 

[Captain Ralph]

What??? I love the smell of DD"s in the morning, LOL

Nothing better than the starting howl and the smell of a good Detroit in the morning.
Reminds me of victory..

BTW; my 45 year old DDs run great.

 

[Bob Quinn]

A note on electronics. A guy in my marina had a new boat, don't remember the what engines, but it had an electronic engine module go. $12k for new module. Just sayin.

 

[Pascal]

A note on electronics. A guy in my marina had a new boat, don't remember the what engines, but it had an electronic engine module go. $12k for new module. Just sayin.

Had a failed ECU on a C32 about 3 years ago it was only $4k and available overnight. My MTU mechanic told me he s waiting for a 16V2000 ECU for a boat hit by lightning… 3 months so far and $40k+

 

[rsmith]

Had a failed ECU on a C32 about 3 years ago it was only $4k and available overnight. My MTU mechanic told me he s waiting for a 16V2000 ECU for a boat hit by lightning… 3 months so far and $40k+

I used to fish Marsh harbor for the month of June one year there was a mega yacht there at the end dock got talking to the crew. It had a a dead engine management computer in the MTU’s and they had be stranded for over a month. They still had charters flying in and entertaining them by running their intrepid to the local islands

 

[Tricia II]

BTW; my 45 year old DDs run great.

Mine are 57 years old and purr like kittens, very loud kittens. 853N's, never overhauled.
I have all the maintenance records from the first 2 owners and nothing major ever occurred to them.

 

[jim rosenthal]

For quite a few years, Detroits had a lock on most of the marine diesel market in the USA; there weren't a lot of other choices. While this may have held progress back a bit, it did allow the companies who marinized DDs to continually improve their products. They are probably the most reliable diesels every installed in boats.

And they do sound cool, especially the V12s.

 

[Captain Ralph]

Mine are 57 years old and purr like kittens, very loud kittens. 853N's, never overhauled.
I have all the maintenance records from the first 2 owners and nothing major ever occurred to them.

Outstanding.

 

[Steve Mannshardt]

Absolutely. 1978 53’ YF. 8V-71TI’s. High hour by the way.

 

[Bob Bradley]

I loved my '79 43C with its 435hp 6v92ta's. She was slow, and loved to drink, but very dependable. Just like the owner. And they'd light off the instant I touched the start button.

That said, I'd never go back now that I have Cummins QSM11s in my '86 45C. Faster and a lot less fuel consumption. I do miss the sound of the DDs.

 

[cww]

Of course I would, they're some of the most reliable marine engines ever made. They're also about the only route left to good cheap boating with a big boat, their parts prices are very reasonable compared to CAT, MAN, or Cummins. The only downside is that you're certainly not winning any races at 16 knots. But given the overall calculus I think that's a good trade off.

I rebuilt my 8v71ti's last year rather than repowering. It cost about $70k for both engines. My logic was that repowering would cost more than double what the rebuilds cost and even if I did bite the bullet and do it, whatever modern engine I would replace them with was unlikely to provide the 30 years of trouble-free boating the DD's provided. In my case, the rebuilds were needed due to an idiot mechanic, it wasn't even the engines' fault.