Posted: August 10 2006 at 02:58 | IP Logged

How fast should a 1999 Cruisers 3075 Rogue go with twin v-drive 5.7 EFI 300hp Mercruiser inboards?  It's not a new boat by any stretch, but it's roomy, plenty big for our needs with a nice layout.  Funny thing is one insurance person just assumed that 600hp total meant the boat had to be way over powered!  What a laugh.

Any other insights you can add will be appreciated.

Posted: August 13 2006 at 15:57 | IP Logged

Can't adjust drive unit... inboards  but it had 3/4 fuel, 3 people, generator, trimmed, water had about 1' chop some wind, however the speed didn't change much going with the wind, speed measured by gps.  Engines are 350 Mag MPIs, 300hp.

No major issues, thank goodness, on the c&v survey and engines survey.  Now I am wondering how many of them the insurance company will require to be fixed, trying to get yacht insurance, before I can use the boat.

Minor/mild issues:

Bow light not working, guessing bulbs burned out, or wire pulled out by rode or previous owner if it was damaged.  Probably insurance issue?

Two wires with connectors (unused) in anchor locker... wondering if bow light isn't working because wire was pulled out from these two connectors and bow light by rode.

Fuel tanks don't have emergency shut off valves on fuel lines.  Betting ins. co. wants this fixed.

No coast guard safety package, easily fixed by run to marine store.  Probably an insurance issue until resolved.

Engine oil & tranny fluid overfull in one engine and a little low in other engine.  No apparent signs of abnormal oil leaking.

Generator is a little low in fluid but runs well with it's 1690 hours, Kohler 4.5kw.

CO detector not working, this troubles me, replace unit or bad wiring?

Pungent smell in boat, worse in head, supposedly too much chemical added.  Insurance won't care, but I do!  Dealer, apparently, seems to be waiting to fix this until we are successfully through the surveys, oil analysis, insurance acquired, and they feel closing is imminent.  It really bugs me however that they did not get this fixed sooner!  The paranoid and cynical part of me wonders if they are going to try to pull a fast one and leave the smell unresolved, however our purchase agreement calls for eliminating the smell and they seem to have a good reputation and have not given any indication of being like a disreputable used car dealer.  Still... I wonder why they never resolved the smell before?  Their bread and butter though is sale of newer and larger boats, the Cruisers and Silverton lines.  Obviously, they will make more on those than on the soon to be mine 3075.  Their dock is full and they need space for the 2007s that should be here any day now.

Posted: August 15 2006 at 03:33 | IP Logged

Thanks tomdel for your input.

I plan on having fluids changed on engines and generator so I have a baseline to move forward.  One would think both engines would have similar levels of fluids, but engine surveyor said no worrisome leaks.  I wonder if someone was just sloppy when changing oil last summer, boat hasn't been used much since then.  Not sure if the CG makes house/boat calls.  But I will ask anyway.  Usually, there are specific times of the year for vessel safety checks but these seem to be run mostly by the Auxuliary.

The fuel tank emergency shut off valves sounded important, however part of me wonders if there is a serious problem in the engine compartment how likely is it to be able to reach down far enough to turn them off in the event of engine fire or serious fume leak?  The engine compartment is kind of full with two engines and transmissions, generator, three batteries, etc.  But I hear it's not near as bad as in this size of Sea Ray!  My mechanic said the twins on a Sea Ray are mounted so close together there is just barely enough room for them to move a little on their mounts without touching!

Posted: October 08 2006 at 07:24 | IP Logged

Engine rpms, the mechanic said wot should be 4400 to 4800 rpm but during sea trial I think we got 4350 rpm.  I have the boat out of the water right now for another issue, does anyone think its worth it to have new props of say 1 inch less pitch installed?  Oddly enough, there was evidence of cavitation near the core of the propeller blades on the starboard propeller.  Any opinions?  And stupid question, but what does cavitation sound like with inboards?

Thanks.

Posted: October 13 2006 at 19:55 | IP Logged

The lose wires in the anchor storage area are for a windless. They are most likely red with fork spades on them. Cruisers runs these in the harness in case you have a windless added as an option.

I believe your nav lights are located a little further back, closer to the cabin. However the dealer should be more than willing to fix.

Posted: November 16 2006 at 23:14 | IP Logged

As you probably know, cavitation usually occurs at the tip of a propeller that is turning too fast. This creates a small vacuum which forms small bubbles like boiling water. These bubbles eventually collaps on the surface of the propeller, releasing stored energy onto the metal causing damage. In the case of inboards, there may have been a worn zinc anode on the prop shaft for that propeller. The uneven surface of a worn zinc spinning through the water will also create areas of vacuum as it spins through the water leading to the formation of tiny bubbles. These bubbles may have found their way to the core of the propeller blades resulting in the damage you mentioned.

If however, your propshafts do not have zinc anodes, forget what I just said, and I have no clue!

With regard to zincs on propshafts, you should always have them. I hope this was helpful.