free opinions!

[AlMar]

I'm thinking about scaling down a wee bit. I know I'm going to miss the ENOURMOUS room on our 32, but for a couple of reasons I'm considering a 28. In any case I shied away from the Beast when I first was looking for my Albin. (I just couldn't equate GM and Diesel). I'd like opinions of those owners having the Cummins or Beast; as those are the boats I've been viewing. Please include cruise speed and GPH. Thanks,
AlMar

[Denis]

I purchased a 1994 28TE last spring. It has a 300hp Peninsular in it and had 530 hours when purchased. It now has 670 hours on it and I can't say enough about the engine. It's smooth, quiet enough to talk over at cruising speed and is very fuel efficient. The boat cruises at 18 knots at 2800 rpm with a full load of fuel and 30 gallons of water and all the other stuff of boating loaded on. I do not have a fuel flow meter but last year I averaged 5.6 gph and so far this year I am averaging 4.6 gph. Top speed is about 25 knots at 3600 rpm. This boat and engine are a good fit, everything is easily reachable also. Denis

[zelatore]

Generally, the Yanmars have been our most popular motors in the 28s.

Cummins have had some popularity, and we've had several with Volvos, but I think the Yanmar 315hp is the best option in that boat.

I've never dealt with the Beast motor, but when it comes to re-sale, the Yanmar and Cummins seem to do the best. The Peninsular is generally considered a 'avoid it if you can' option on a used 28TE. I've never hear anybody speak positively about them.

Of course, there may be regional preferences, but given the option I'd look for a Yanmar.

Denis - sorry, I don't mean to offend. I'm glad you're getting good service from your rig. I've heard too many horror stories about Peninsular powered rigs that barely hit 20 knots flat out; had no support network; etc...

[AlMar]

I certainly like the sound and power of the Yanmar, but How long has That engine (in that application) been around? My question from an engineering standpoint is, That much horsepower out of that few cubic inches HAS to cause a lot of heat, and I have to wonder (considering the Yanmar part$, how long they will last. Got to admit it's a beautiful engine.
AlMar

[Elizabeth Ann]

One thing to consider about the Yanmar is that it is the first diesel engine built for marine applications. Not sure how important that is to you, or to anyboody, but I figured I'd throw it out there.

[Capt Paul]

ELizabeth Ann,

When you say "First Diesel Engine Engine built for marine appilcations", Do you mean the first one built buy Toyota? It is my understanding the basic engine design had been around for a while.

Paul

[Elizabeth Ann]

No I did not mean that. The word on Yanmars is that they were specifically built and designed to be used for marine applications. That being said, when they went to the drafting tables and computers they knew these things would be on boats, in saltwater, etc etc. Itd pedigree, so to speak, is in the marine industry.

In otherwords, they weren't diesel engines that were built for truck, tractors, and so on, and then retrofitted for marine applications.

Does this make better sense? If it's true or not, I don't know. Does it make it a 'better' engine? I don't know. All I do know is that this is the word on thew dock - they are bulit lighter, smaller, and generate more horse - all to accomadate the needs of the diesel marine world.

Personally, this appeals to me - but I'm a little different than most.

[chiefrcd]

Look for some post by Digitrade, he's put over 3000 hours on one Yanmar and then replaced it I believe. Made me feel good about the Yanmar. I'm putting on between 200 and 300 hours a year, so the boat will probably last me the rest of my boating life. The engine parts are expensive and you can do some aftermarket shopping to find some items. They are high speed diesels and require that you run them as the manufacture states....they like HIGH speed.....at least every few hours to blow them out. The only known issue that I'm familiar with is that the first few years there is a valve guide issue. They make a kit to replace the keepers, seals, caps and guides. My engine came from Mack Boring and they paid for the repair and the parts. The engine had 600 hours on it and was 6 years old. My cost was $35.00. I'm not inclined to put down anyones boat, but in the resale area Penns. don't do well. In the year that I looked for my boat, I talked to a number of mechanics about the engines and they all recommended either the Cummins or the Yanmars. The only Cat. I found was one of the "soft" block models, and I ran away from that one. But if you take good care of them...I think all the engines will take good care of you back. Regular maintainence and some preventive maintenance goes a long way when you're out there on one engine....

[zelatore]

'regular maintenance'...that's the key to every engine! If you follow the manufacture's recommendations, most motors give good service. Frankly, with a used boat it often comes down to who owned it more than what's installed!

As for the Toyota/Yanmar connection, it does exist. My understanding is that yes, the basic block was a Toyota design. Yanmar did the engineering for a new block when this motor was being developed and found there was already a unit on the market that met all their needs and didn't require the cost and time to engineer a new block. I'm no fan of Toyota/Lexus cars, but no mater what you think of them they do have a good reliability reputation. I suspect that's true for most of their products. Yanmar does make their own blocks for some of the motors, and they buy them from other companies for other models (I believe one of the big motors is a German block...not sure on that). But Yanmar marine engines are built only for marine applications as opposed to say Cummins or Cat who use the same basic motor in various applications. That may not make them 'better' but it does sometimes help them 'fit' the application better. As an example, consider the famous old Cat 3208...a workhorse of an engine, but a terrible thing to service in most boats. V8's are short and wide and most boats are long and narrow. That's why most marine diesels are straight 6's these days.

Lastly, Yanmar OEM service parts aren't cheap, but they aren't much different than Cummins or Cat. And they are certainly cheaper than Volvo Penta!

[tomcat rio]

total cost, about $25k, including installation and a new zf63 transmission.
...
have about 50 hours on it so far. seems to be fine.
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peninsulars seem to have an awful lot of 'bad press', but as a rule its hearsay and non specific. i suspect a lot of it is based on the old 6.2 liter gm engine, not the current 6.5 which is not built by general motors.
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the yanmars seem to be great engines and are quite fuel efficient.
my concern, valid or otherwise was that the are relitively high reving and small displacement. ergo, not macho, like me
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my simple reason for deciding on the peninsular was that it cost less, was a direct replacement (almost) for the previous engine. i would guess that it will take me ten years to put 1000 hours on it. the boat will be 23 years old at that time(i'll be 70). so resale and cost recovery were not major factors.
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http://static.flickr.com/46/127547476_258f7ef042.jpg
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http://static.flickr.com/48/127546886_b09806683b.jpg

[tomcat rio]

actual fuel flow (flow scan ) and gps speed .
average fuel consumption is 7.5 gph

[AlMar]

Tomcat, I agree with the hearsay part of opinions on the Beast. It's part of the reason I've been skepital about looking at one, but I've also not been able to find anyone who's had one with a major problem. All the ads for 28's with Peninsulars specify "GM". So if not them, then who makes em? Thanks for the post.
AlMar

[chiefrcd]

Visit:

www.boatdiesel.com

Probably the formost on line diesel boat website. If you looking or have issues it's worth the 25.00 to join.

[DougSea]

Tomcat, I agree with the hearsay part of opinions on the Beast. It's part of the reason I've been skepital about looking at one, but I've also not been able to find anyone who's had one with a major problem. All the ads for 28's with Peninsulars specify "GM". So if not them, then who makes em? Thanks for the post.
AlMar

The Peninsulars you're going to find in the mid to late 90's Albins are marinized GM diesels. And it was certainly the engine of choice (for Albin) during that period, I saw very few other engine types when I was looking.

I was a bit nervous about buying a boat with the "BEAST" but the price range I was looking at meant it was my only real choice. I ended up with a 1997 boat with 545 hours on it's Peninsular. I just past 600 hours this past weekend and it's been running well. I am having some issues with hitting rated RPMs but that has come about AFTER I had my prop and shaft re-conditioned due to a little incident with a floating piece of lumber in Long Island Sound. I'm going to have the prop re-checked once I haul her for the winter. Don't have any good fuel burn numbers yet but I'd be happy to share them once I do.

Chief's link to boatdiesel.com is a great source for general marine diesel information, including a good article on sea-trials, but there's not a lot of Peninsular specific information. Still worth the $25 though.

I think overall you want to find a relatively low hours engine that's been well maintained. When I opened the engine compartment on the one I bought it was very clean, belts in good shape, new filters, etc. Sold me on the boat.

You might also want to make sure there's a mechanic around you who's familiar with the BEAST.

I'd be more than happy to answer any other questions you might come up with (at least as best as I can!) and I hope you find yourself a great 28TE!

Doug

[tomcat rio]

6.5 liter engine to these guys. the same engine is in the big hummers.
not a gm company...
http://www.amgeneral.com/vehicles_gep.p ... 72c9a1118d
...
General Engine Products LLC
A Subsidiary of AM General LLC

General Engine Products (GEP) produces the Optimizer 6500 V8 diesel engine at its 92,000-sq. ft. Franklin, Ohio, assembly plant. This engine can be found in new HMMWVs, HUMMER® H1s, as a service replacement engine for numerous vehicles and in marine applications.

The new, modern engine facility went into operation in July 2000. The 6.5 liter engine had been built for many years by General Motors at their Moraine Engine Plant. With GM's technical support, AM General developed the new facility and made numerous improvements to this already reliable power plant.

Besides supplying the engine to AM General as the basic power plant for the military HMMWV and the civilian HUMMER H1, GEP sells the engine to the General Motors Service Parts Organization as a service replacement engine. GEP also supplies the engine to the military as a service engine for existing HMMWVs. Recently the Optimizer 6500 has been used in marine applications.

With numerous diesel engine requirements throughout the world, GEP is well positioned for sales into many markets. The plant is capable of rapid expansion to handle expected growth in sales.