Reprise: inboards vs. sterndrives on the Rinker 342
LaRea
Member, Moderator Posts: 7,747 mod
For a good head-to-head comparison of sterndrives vs. inboards, check out this 2003 PMY review of the Rinker 342 by Capt. Bill Pike. It features a man who knows a thing or two about boats ... our own @Alswagg, described by Pike as "the head honcho on the 342 project."
https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/boat-tests/rinker-fiesta-vee-342-0
https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/boat-tests/rinker-fiesta-vee-342-0
Comments
2002 FV 342 on Lake St. Clair - Past Commodore SHC - Vessel Examiner USCGAUX
be nice to see more hp
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F254247903138
A rough-weather question: How slow will the inboard 342 stay on plane? My 342 with 5.7 B3 would plane well below 20 mph ... I think it was like 17 mph.
but the charters are of particular concern to this subject.
there are two boats in particular out there that are shorter than 40', but they are just short of... they have a flared bow, a nice salon and forward birth, and what passes as a bridge with the tower helm. they're rigged with outriggers and provisioned for every type of fishing those guys might find themselves doing which can range from commercial fishing for bluefin to chartering a bunch of yankee landlubbers out to a wreck and bottom fishing.
It is significant that these boats are found on Ocracoke almost exclusively outfitted like they are. The boats were built by a man and his son, with the son-in-law arriving later. It's a family affair. They actually know the build dates and who laid hands where- speaking of the pedigree and family tree of the boats and people almost without distinction. The place has its charm, but you have to shift gears to grasp it. The significant part: these have single gas power plants... big blocks... the reason? They don't have to push very far to get to the prized fishing grounds. They want room aboard in terms of holding a pile of yellow fin tuna's, a stack of groupers, b-liners/red snapper, or provisions for a few days holding out for a big bluefin. Now, if you head to Atlantic, a small village for all practical purposes just east on the 'inner' banks (other side of the Pamlico Sound and perhaps an additional 30~40 miles west of Ocracoke) you'll find some more boats... built by the same builder and with similar family tree's the owners of either can talk the relations. These? Built very similar (ALL of them are different though some are closely resembling) are powered with diesels. Note the plural.
I'm guessing akin to an airplane when it comes to selecting power, the torque to weight ratio plays a dramatic role. Heavier means more fuel. That means space, hence the additional water line to accommodate not only the engines but the tanks... it means covering more distance, which is better done at plane speeds, but for extended periods as compared to the guys on Ocracoke pushing the same or less distance to the fishing grounds as the Atlantic folk push to pass Ocracoke. Diesels RULE for constant and consistent speeds and there is little comparison... not talking 60 minutes or less, but possibly as much as 6 hours at the same engine speed.
head to head and a sprint? the gassers will outrun the diesels. Need to come off the grounds and head to a buyer in Morehead City with a big bluefin on board? The diesels will get there first and with more reliability. Need to re-power? Gassers every time- out of the water and back in within a mechanics single shift- or even roll the gantry over the wet bay and do it there even quicker. Diesels? nope... you're down for a while.
low and slow trolling like these guys do? diesels. they run cooler and have enough torque to operate a powerhead to run the whole boat... trim down on fuel and there is no exhaust to be concerned about. Gassers? you'll find yourself playing with the throttle almost constantly as you encounter different seas, currents and reaches.
they both have their purposes and they are both used. same as in the luxury/recreational market.
If you were running down the ICW from Maryland to the Keys, you'd likely appreciate those big oil squashers... if you're running out to the barrier islands to hook for an overnighter, and never venture further than a 100 miles.... you'd be wasting your money on the diesels.
parting shot: the 392cid diesel i last owned produced, literally, more torque just off idle than a fully built-for-torque 360/408 Mopar (in magnum flavor) did at the peak of the curve. speaking of the curve, due to the high pressure common fuel rail on that 392 diesel, coupled with a compound turbo (low pressure/high volume variable geometry wheel that turned 'transparent' as the RPM's climbed and the high pressure wheel took over duties) the power curve was quite literally just shy of 2k RPM's wide... The torque kicked in instantly off idle but didn't peak until just over 2600RPMs, while the HP peaked just after (1187# tq / 617rwhp)... the purpose built 360/408? Sausage cam in that thing hit peak tq around 4400RPM, and HP around 5400RPM. IIRC it was just under 470TQ and peaked HP around 380HP, NOT rear wheel but crank. the 408 WITH a 47RFE transmission weighed around 600lbs... the 392 diesel alone was over a thousand by itself. I could almost stand aside the 408 under the hood on the truck it was planted in, whereas the truck the diesel was in had a much larger engine bay, and i could look down under the hood and not see the ground it was so crammed in there.
my guess for the diesels even being an option with these pleasure boats is the cost and availability of fuels- and the reason most of them (diesels) went to places people speak funky languages.
one more parting shot: this bickering is why i rarely come by here anymore. it may be in good nature, but it dang sure doesn't come off that way.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
Here is a great place for this thread: https://boatdiesel.com/Forums/Index.cfm