Hello Again,
Just following up re a thruster. I see on the web that the FPB64 has a thruster. We are leaning twds. a retractable version.
p.s. We bought Hull #3, originally purchased by John Sabol who named her Tucan. He modified the steering config. to accommodate two wheels and moved the rudder back, extended the mast by 12′, swapped out the motor for a 140 hp yanmar..plus more. Only put 450 hrs.on her before selling her to Peter Huttemeier, from Long Island, NY. Peter renamed her Bess and sailed her 35,000 miles before we bought her. We are thinking of a name change now as we are set to register her with the Feds shortly.
Russ & Gwen Hobbs
Vancouver (Tsawwassen), BC
Our suggestion would be to use the boat as is for a season. You will fi nd the Sundeers maneuver very well in tight quarters and I doubt the drag, maintenance, and complexity of a thruster is worth it on your boat.
Steve
Posted by Steve Dashew (December 15, 2009)
December 20th, 2009 at 3:31 pm
I just completed a delivery of a 53′ Viking sport fisherman from San Diego to Costa Rica. Provides a good comparison of how to do everything (wrong) in design when you actually try to use a boat on the ocean.
If you choose to run at 30 knots and 100gph, remember to have a tanker follow you for refueling. 9 knots and 7 gph gives a 700 mile range and produces a motion that makes any sea state seem like the Gulf Stream.
The boat was on its third set of engines, and had just had new $200,000 MAN V10’s installed. Along the way nobody had bothered to provide enough air supply to the engine room for 200 hp, to say nothing of 2,000hp. Air intake temperatures of 170-190 degrees (with the engine room doors open!) might have something to do with how many engine it had gone through! Modern common rail engines like the MAN’s have an interesting feature. Unlike the traditional diesel engine that only needs fuel and air to run, they will instantly shut down if the electrical voltage falls very much below 24V as the system contains a fuel shut off solenoid that defaults to shut. Of course electronic engine controls don’t work either without full voltage. Not very comforting as you are about to start across the gulf of Tuanapec.
Now, with 4 alternators, a generator, and three separate battery banks you would think the “designer” of the electrical system would provide a means of switching to the house battery in the case of a cell failing in the engine battery bank? Think again!
The point of this diatribe is to congratulate the purchasers of FRB 65s, and to point out how rare it is to see a boat actually designed to cross oceans in comfort and safety.