And here I go again having to praise my much loved Universal (Kubota) M3-20 (18hp).
At 1500rpm it's using less than a pint an hour. Which translates to 5kts thru the water in calm conditions.
Matthias
On Apr 5, 2008, at 10:54 AM, <
brian@...> wrote:
I wouldn¡¯t focus too much on it being a $4500 boat.? The resale should be $13K to $18K depending on how nicely it¡¯s kept.? I paid $3K for mine with a supposedly dead diesel engine.?
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It¡¯s also important to realize that there is no such thing as a money making boat.
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I¡¯d recommend that you check your chain plates and rigging before you mess around with your hatch.? Push comes to shove you can wrap it in a tarp and close the hatch.? It won¡¯t be pretty but it will do pretty well.? You lose a chain plate or rigging with the sail up and you may lose the boat or at the very least the mast.
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That said, Tartans are well built and the 27 is a tank.? Assuming the Diesel conversion was done well you shouldn¡¯t have much to worry about.? With a lower price boat I would make sure you didn¡¯t have a fool as a PO.? My PO had all sorts of unsafe and stupid things.? The water strainer was hooked up backwards¡. The cockpit drain had doubled up bicycle tubing instead of hose and pipe. The list went on and on.?
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You basically want to spend some quality time looking around for potential trouble spots.? I¡¯d highly recommend keeping a current towing membership, a good anchor, a good vhf (or two), and a good bilge pump.? You can get out of most headaches with TowBoat US for $120/yr.? That may seem expensive, but I understand the hourly rate for tows in our area is $250.? I¡¯ve been towed in once in the last two years because my fuel filter clogged.? Speaking of which, you want to make damn sure you have extra filters with a cheap older boat.? No telling what is in that tank.? Mine wound up having a sponge some yahoo had stuffed in the fill.? The fuel tank by the way is Monel.? That¡¯s Pronounced MONEY from HELL¡ meaning that it is probably worth half the boat¡¯s value.? Monel is very very expensive.? It¡¯s in there for good, doesn¡¯t corrode.? Best material to make a tank out of.? There? is probably not a cleanout but there are baffles inside the tank.? It¡¯s about an 18 gallon tank and if your diesel is like mine you¡¯ll use about a pint an hour.? I have a 10hp diesel which is a tad undersized but functional for ? of hull speed.? A 20HP would consume roughly double the diesel.
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Good luck and have a safe trip. Welcome to the club.
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Brian Greul
Texas Shirt Company?
713-802-0369 / 713-861-6261 (fax)
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