Finally deciding to repower from gas to diesel, my choice was the Yanmar 230 horsepower [4LHA-STE] it seemed to be the perfect application for my vessel named the Bottom Line, a 28' Aquasport; I use her daily for sport fishing charters during the summer months.  I was skeptical at first.  Here I am replacing a 330 horsepower, 8 cylinder gas engine with a 230 horsepower, 4 cylinder diesel, would I get the same performance?  And cut my fuel expenses to less than half?  I wasn't sure but the folks at Oldport Marine assured me I would.  With that in mind the Bottom Line was repowered in the fall of 2001 at the Oldport Marine facility in Newport , RI .  After completion the Bottom Line was like a new boat; the speed and torque produced by the 230 horsepower was second to none with a cruising speed of 17.5 knots at 3000 RPM fully loaded and burning only 8 gallons of fuel per hour.  By the end of the 2003 fishing season I had tripled my traveling range. Bottom Line has logged 2200 hours on the Yanmar 230 horsepower [4LHA-STE] without a problem, just routine maintenance oil changes, fuel filters, and engine zincs to date.  In just two seasons I saved over $15,000 in fuel costs going from gas to diesel  My fuel bill for gas annually was $10,000 to $11,000; with the diesel it is under $3000.  What can I say?  In two more seasons the diesel will have paid for itself in just fuel saving.

Kudos to Yanmar and the folks at Oldport Marine! 

Capt. Fred

A testimonial from the owner of Spirit:

We purchased our Passport 40, SPIRIT, in the spring of 2002.  The vessel was in generally good condition, but out of date in terms of electronics, safety equipment, and diesel power.

Substantial upgrades were added including an 8 man offshore life raft, 2000 watt radar and chart plotter at the helm, major running rigging refit, etc.  The single best upgrade we did was to replace the tired, old, oil-burning Perkins 4-108 with a 4 cylinder Yanmar 56 HP diesel.

The repower work was done by Oldport Marine of Newport , RI .  We could not be happier with the work that was performed.  The Perkins take-out and install of the Yanmar was flawless.  Both engines had to go through the main cabin overhead hatch!  Not a single scratch was made, a great concern with the solid teak interior.  Substantial rework of the engine bed was necessary as the original bed for the Perkins was flawed.  The work, again, was superb.

We also had Oldport add a Racor dual fuel pre-filter and install a Gori 2 speed folding propeller.  The combination of the new engine and the 2 speed prop has made performance under power and/or motor sailing nothing short of amazing.  When in "overdrive" with the prop (smooth water, light wind), we are able to get a consistent 7.1 knots at 2400 rpm.  When in "standard drive" (head seas, strong head winds) and 3000 to 3200 rpm, we "bust" right through the square waves and still maintain 7 knots.  Fall off in speed on particularly big waves is measured in 10ths of knots, not whole knots, and recovery is almost instantaneous.  This is with a boat that weighs about 31000 pounds cruise equipped with full tanks.

In terms of reliability of the Yanmar:  I left Newport , RI for Miami , FL with 5 hours total time on the new engine.  The entire trip south, the entire trip back to Newport , and another trip south to Oriental, NC this last fall was done without a single hiccup from this engine.  95% of the ICW trip was done with engine only, the last 5% was motor sailing.  Average fuel consumption has worked out to 1.16 gph with average speed being 7.1 knots.  This is without "pushing" the engine.  If I run the throttle up, average speed is 7.7 knots, very close to hull speed limit.

The entire process with Oldport Marine was an excellent experience.  Their staff could not be more thoughtful or professional.  If I had another boat that needed repower work, I would not hesitate to have Oldport Marine do the work.

Bill P.
Concord , MA
Passport 40 SPIRIT

December 31, 2006

Dear Mike,

I wanted to express my gratitude to you and your crew for the top notch work you guys did installing a new Yanmar 4JH4-E in my 1968 William Garden-design Mariner 40. This engine is amazingly quiet and clean. It gets my 12 ton ketch up to hull speed without breaking a sweat. The installation was flawless without a ding or an oil stain anywhere while removing the old Perkins 4-107. The work was done in a timely fashion and within the original cost estimate. You guys are true professionals.

Many thanks,

Peter K.
Tiverton, RI

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Mike Muessel
Oldport Marine Service s, Inc.
Po Box 141
Sayer's Wharf at Newport Yachting Center
Newport, RI 02840

Re: Windigo

Mike:

I just wanted to send you a quick note to thank you and your team for a great job on the Windigo re-power. After having such a difficult spring it is refreshing to work with such a competent and capable team who delivers what they promise on budget and on time. Everyone on your team is a pleasure to work with.

In particular, I want to recognize Kevin's extra efforts to you. I know he struggled in the heat and humidity to make all the parts fit and look nice. He worked incredibly hard and always demonstrated capability, professionalism and courtesy. He's a terrific asset to your staff.

This is the second major project and positive experience I've had with Oldport Marine. Our last was 17 years ago when you re-built the 4-l08 which ran perfectly for all those years. You know you have a loyal customer and great customer reference any time. I hope you are enjoying your summer.

Mark

September 2, 2008

Oldport Marine Service s
1 Sayers Wharf
Newport, RI 02840
Attn: Mike Muessel

Hi Mike

I just wanted to drop you a note to let you know how much we appreciate our ongoing relationship with Oldport Marine. From the very first time we talked a few years ago regarding our engine needs for our new catamaran to our first 50 hour service and all that happened in between we want to thank you.

The diligence and friendliness of your office / on site staff, especially Meredith, is just outstanding in this day and age.

Diesel Mike .... I simply don't know what to say. He is the best of the best. He knew Bob was interested in learning more about the engines and he answered every question and offered up answers to questions we didn't know enough to ask. What a great guy!

It is absolutely because of our trust in you that we bought the engines in the first place. And then the batteries and then the props ......great service each and every time.

It is definitely because of Diesel Mike that we asked for recommendations of what we should be carrying for spare parts ..... no questions asked about that. If he said we needed it, we knew we needed it and we bought it all.

So thanks for the friendship and the professionalism. In some businesses today it is a lost art. Thankfully that is not the case at Oldport.

Continued success.

Chris and Bob
Sailing Catamaran Masquerade

September 9, 2008

Dear Mike,

Thanks for the terrific service getting our charter boat “Ruling Passion” repowered!

Your mechanics, Mike and Kevin, were efficient and very talented. We were amazed at how quickly they removed the old engine and installed the new one.

Thank you for your help, knowledge, and for having the right engine available for us. We really appreciate it very much.

Next season on Block Island we would like you and your family to come for a sail with us when you’re out here. Have a great winter…thanks again.

Sincerely,
Larry & Laura
S/V Ruling Passion