01-04-2008
|
 |
Senior Member
|
|
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Mandeville, LA
Posts: 504
Rep Power: 6
|
|
|
Too funny - I didn't think there could be two Shuangniao diesels out there. I saw this motor a few months ago when the owner was having an overheating problem. It was tracked down to a failed impeller and the owner had a heck of a time finding a replacement. In fact, he had to get close enough by modifying the impeller and making an extra thick gasket.
It was at this time that I tried finding some information about this motor.
And there's the rub. Parts for this engine are going to be a nightmare. If you can't find a suitable replacement that's "close enough," then you'll have to rig something. China wasn't exporting a bunch of marine diesels in the seventies. My personal hunch is that whoever owned this boat found himself needing a repower and somehow located and marinized an old Chinese diesel tractor motor.
This particular motor does emit a lot of black smoke, so there's an issue with fuel delivery. Fixing that may be as easy as having the injectors cleaned or quite difficult, depending on what the source of the problem is. Frankly, the motor is the biggest challenge for this boat. If you buy the boat, I would go into it expecting to replace the motor at some point down the line, as when it has a major failure, it is likely to be terminal given it's uniqueness - not that that should be a deal killer if you like the boat.
I don't know much about the pedigree of the boat, but from what I can observe it is quite heavily constructed. It has a fair amount of sheer and it probably very dry. It also has pretty nice lines which, to me, isn't as obvious in the slip. The first time I saw it head out, I was actually a little surprised when I saw the whole boat in profile. It looks, to me, a lot like a bigger Island Packet 27. The interior layout is interesting and, when cleaned up, would probably be very comfortable.
The owners are extremely nice people - very, very pleasant. They've also made the trek in from Texas quite a bit to check on the boat and spend weekends aboard. It has not sat neglected, though it was not sailed much. I don't think the owners had much sailing experience at all - they would usually just unfurl the jib and cruise a little bit near the bayou before returning to the slip.
I'll host the photos on my site so everyone else can see them.
By the way, if I'm on my boat, please come introduce yourself. It would be great to meet you in person. I am bringing the boat to the southshore tomorrow morning for some work, but it should be back in about six weeks. If you want to come along for some racing, we've always got room.
__________________
-Jason
To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
Last edited by NOLAsailing; 01-04-2008 at 02:37 AM.
|
Connect with Facebook
