Capt., do you have pics of your 22' CC? I'm curious about room too. I can understand having the transom space clear and having a nice clear dive platform, sans outboard and/or outdrive. I suspect you use the forward engine housing as seating and the aft portion, making up your helm? How far forward is your engine? I, too, wondered if a diesel sitting in a metal boat would rattle the crowns out of my mouth. In my little bit of web surfing, I don't see any Al boats with diesel inboards.
What type of boat to buy??
- Thread starter DOkie
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I've seen boats configured like Captain's, and they can be pretty nice. I would consider a straight shaft diesel with the engine under the console, but I'm not sure I could tolerate the lack of maneuverability. After all the problems the boaters with gas engines I know have had I'm staying away from gas non-outboards from here on. Still don't know about the noise in an aluminum boat, I haven't been around enough small diesels.
captain
Contributor
Go to my post on page 6 of this thread, there is a picture of my current boat Tiger Bait. It's a 1977 22' Chris Craft Cutlass. The engine is under the console. I think a modern diesel with muffler, good isolation engine mounts and sound insulation should handle the noise and vibration problem.
This type of aluminum boat would probably have to be a semi-custom built boat from one of the commercial aluminum boat builders. They usually have several different hull configurations and you specify the type of engine and propulsion system. Work Boat Magizine would be a good place to look for builders.
Most gas engine problems come from lack of preventative maintenance. Exhaust manifolds have to be changed about every 5 years when used in salt water. A closed cooling system is definately help an engine last much longer than one with a raw water cooling system. I have had very few problems with my inboard gas engine boats. The only outboard I ever owned was a 20HP Merc on a 14' Zodiac inflatable.
This type of aluminum boat would probably have to be a semi-custom built boat from one of the commercial aluminum boat builders. They usually have several different hull configurations and you specify the type of engine and propulsion system. Work Boat Magizine would be a good place to look for builders.
Most gas engine problems come from lack of preventative maintenance. Exhaust manifolds have to be changed about every 5 years when used in salt water. A closed cooling system is definately help an engine last much longer than one with a raw water cooling system. I have had very few problems with my inboard gas engine boats. The only outboard I ever owned was a 20HP Merc on a 14' Zodiac inflatable.
I/Os have all of the disadvantages of an inboard and of an outboard and few of the advantages of either. I/Os are a poor choice for saltwater use and generally are popular only in freshwater lake boats. A single screw inboard will require the capatain have a bit of skill to walk the prop, on the other hand, anyone can dock an outboard.
Check out Shamrock boats.
N
Check out Shamrock boats.
N
Capt., Very nice boat. Nemrod, I've seen a couple Shamrocks and that is what got me thinking. Nice boats. Now if they only had an Al model! I agree, skip the I/O and go either completely I or O. Thanks for all the insight and comments. If/when this dream Al boat ever materializes, I'll post some pics. Doug
boydski
Contributor
Hi Doug,
I just happen to dive from a 22' Aluminum boat with an outboard, and am a big fan of an outboard on this size of boat. We have lots of free deck space that easily handles six divers with doubles and stage bottles. The extension for the outboard bracket provides a nice swim platform that can handle two divers at a time and also provides a great spot to attach a sturdy dive ladder.
The cabin is nice in the winter time. We just crank up the heater between dives and are toasty warm.
I think a diesel would most likely be more fuel effecient, but I find the outboards easier to access and work on, and am VERY happy with the get up and go of the all that horsepower.
I just happen to dive from a 22' Aluminum boat with an outboard, and am a big fan of an outboard on this size of boat. We have lots of free deck space that easily handles six divers with doubles and stage bottles. The extension for the outboard bracket provides a nice swim platform that can handle two divers at a time and also provides a great spot to attach a sturdy dive ladder.
The cabin is nice in the winter time. We just crank up the heater between dives and are toasty warm.
I think a diesel would most likely be more fuel effecient, but I find the outboards easier to access and work on, and am VERY happy with the get up and go of the all that horsepower.
captain
Contributor
Nice boat Boydski. I also wonder if an outboard would be easier in the long run. Interesting how you have the ladder on an angle off the platform. Do you think the motor would hit it if in was parallel to the motor, i.e., mounted in the usual manner?
boydski
Contributor
No, the motor wouldn't hit the ladder. It was actually mounted at an angle so that it could lay flat on top of the swim platform, which is used to when it was a shorter ladder. Now it's too long to lay flat, but I never bothered to move the OEM mounting brackets. It seems to work fine angled.
The advantage to having it hinged straight back, is that you tend to do less damage to the ladder when you forget to pull the ladder up when you take off. Not that I've ever done that....
matt_unique
Guest
I too considered the Shamrock before I purchased my C-Dory Tomcat. I could not get the cabin layout I wanted with the Shamrock.
I agree with Nemrod about I/O's....can't trim them fully out of the water as you can with an outboard, you have to deal with the expensive bellows job every 5-7 years, and the engine is all the way at the stern (unlike most inboards that are closer to amidships at least in the boat sizes we're talking about). The most reliable engine configurations are in this order...inboard diesel...outboard....I/O. (As a caveat I don't have any first hand experience with the Volva I/O diesels but after my last I/O boat I would never again own an I/O with any engine). There are some outboards logging 4000 hours these days. I believe specifically the Suzuki 140 as one example that I have read about.
In later years there is also the fume issue with diesels. I don't like the engine anywhere near the cabin.
I agree with Nemrod about I/O's....can't trim them fully out of the water as you can with an outboard, you have to deal with the expensive bellows job every 5-7 years, and the engine is all the way at the stern (unlike most inboards that are closer to amidships at least in the boat sizes we're talking about). The most reliable engine configurations are in this order...inboard diesel...outboard....I/O. (As a caveat I don't have any first hand experience with the Volva I/O diesels but after my last I/O boat I would never again own an I/O with any engine). There are some outboards logging 4000 hours these days. I believe specifically the Suzuki 140 as one example that I have read about.
In later years there is also the fume issue with diesels. I don't like the engine anywhere near the cabin.
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