Good morning. I’m looking at a diesel Sailfish. There seems to be very few around. Any owners out there that can give me feedback on how they like the single diesel vs twin outboards? Thank you!
Diesel Sailfish | Any Owners
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I bet it is a very stable boat - with all that weight down low in the hull. What drive setup does it have and what year? Do you have a link to the ad?
It's been my experience that diesels don't lend themselves well to small pleasure boats. I don't know what engine you are looking at but typically diesel engines are heavier than a gas engine for the same boat. In an inboard configuration the engine can be moved forward in the hull to help trim the hull properly. In an inboard/outboard configuration the engine normally sits very far back in the hull allowing the outdrive to be bolted directly to the rear of the engine. On small pleasure boats this creates a trim problem due to the relatively short hull. This can cause deck drains and fishbox drains to be too low and in some instances underwater without additional ballast being placed forward in the hull. This is weight you pay to haul around on every trip. Additional weight takes additional fuel. These conditions may or may not be present in the boat your looking at but something to check for when you look at the boat. Be sure you see the boat at rest while afloat.
There are many pros to the diesel though so don't take this as a shoot-down of the boat. One other thing I might mention. I don't know your experience working on diesels but you will learn if not already that filtration is the secret to the longevity and the dependability . Both fuel and oil will have primary and secondary filters. Depending on the configuration in your particular case, make sure the engine has been equipped with the proper filter adapters so you can change filters without making an unholy mess. Knowing Grady White this has probably been made right already. A good friend and fishing buddy of mine has a 31 ft Luhrs with twin Yanmars. The marine diesel service just a couple miles from him wants $1,200 to do a filter change on both engines. We work together on it and save about $900 of that. I mention that only so you are aware of one item on the "con" list.
Good luck and it will be interesting to hear what diesel engine Grady chose for that hull. Keep us updated.
There are many pros to the diesel though so don't take this as a shoot-down of the boat. One other thing I might mention. I don't know your experience working on diesels but you will learn if not already that filtration is the secret to the longevity and the dependability . Both fuel and oil will have primary and secondary filters. Depending on the configuration in your particular case, make sure the engine has been equipped with the proper filter adapters so you can change filters without making an unholy mess. Knowing Grady White this has probably been made right already. A good friend and fishing buddy of mine has a 31 ft Luhrs with twin Yanmars. The marine diesel service just a couple miles from him wants $1,200 to do a filter change on both engines. We work together on it and save about $900 of that. I mention that only so you are aware of one item on the "con" list.
Good luck and it will be interesting to hear what diesel engine Grady chose for that hull. Keep us updated.
Thank you for the response. The boat I'm looking into is a '01 Sailfish with a I/O volvo kad 44 edc. I just sold my 44' that had twin cummins. Good or bad I have learned how to do some work on diesels. I like the concept of a low fuel bill...but I guess if I am using the boat recreational and putting on just normal hours, I may be sacrificing some speed and the joy of twin engines for not a real big annual fuel savings though. On the other hand I like things that are a little different. This of course always hurts on the selling side with a small market for things that may be a bit odd.
I have a buddy who had a diesel Sailfish 10 or 15 years ago. I fished with him many times on that boat. Yes it was a heavy boat and quite stable. It served him well for many years.
I remember him talking about trying to find one for years before he finally did and he was very excited when he found it. It was great on fuel. The down side was that maintenance was very expensive even for a boat. Good diesel mechanics who know marine diesels are not that common in the area he used the boat.
As I remember, there was a decent amount of maintenance required, more that you have with an outboard, probably a bit more than a gas I/O. I think that when he sold it and bought a newer boat, he said 'never again' to a diesel
Note that he didn't do mechanical work so everything was parts and labor$$$$
I remember him talking about trying to find one for years before he finally did and he was very excited when he found it. It was great on fuel. The down side was that maintenance was very expensive even for a boat. Good diesel mechanics who know marine diesels are not that common in the area he used the boat.
As I remember, there was a decent amount of maintenance required, more that you have with an outboard, probably a bit more than a gas I/O. I think that when he sold it and bought a newer boat, he said 'never again' to a diesel
Note that he didn't do mechanical work so everything was parts and labor$$$$
I'm guessing the weight difference between the 6cyl (assuming a duo-prop drive) and twin 225's or 250's is probably going to be 200lbs to 300lbs (the diesel being heavier). But since the weight is further forward and not hanging off the transom, I wouldn't think you'd have any scupper issues, or otherweise, due to weight. But you can probably google for weights easily enough.
The duoprop will make low speed handling and getting onto plane much better than a single prop would. I used to have a 28' Sea Ray with a single Bravo 3 (same as Duoprop). I could maneuver that boat as well as most could maneuver an 18' runabout.
You're probably right that you'll lose some top end performance. But I would think your low to mid-range performance would be at least as good as twin OB's, with less fuel burn, of course. You may be able to get performance numbes from Grady.
If you go forward with this, make sure you get a survey done by a mechanic that is well versed with that engine. You don't want the average surveyor doing it.
Best thing? Give 'er a ride and see for youself!
The duoprop will make low speed handling and getting onto plane much better than a single prop would. I used to have a 28' Sea Ray with a single Bravo 3 (same as Duoprop). I could maneuver that boat as well as most could maneuver an 18' runabout.
You're probably right that you'll lose some top end performance. But I would think your low to mid-range performance would be at least as good as twin OB's, with less fuel burn, of course. You may be able to get performance numbes from Grady.
If you go forward with this, make sure you get a survey done by a mechanic that is well versed with that engine. You don't want the average surveyor doing it.
Best thing? Give 'er a ride and see for youself!
I forgot to mention. My buddy's outdrive was a duo-prop. It really helped when docking in tight slips with narrow lanes
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There was one in my marina 7-8 years ago and he used it for tuna fishing. The boat was good when it was running. I remember he had a tremendous amount of down time with the diesel. The GW dealer I dealt with said he did not want anything to do with it. I though he said they only made 37 of them. Might not be a bad purchase if you can get around inside diesel yourself. The boat I am referring to had the large fish cooler customized with a fold down front to it in order to hold large blue fin tuna on ice.
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Thank you all! I will follow up if I move forward with the boat. I really appreciate the insights.
2000 Grady sailfish 274 is the single diesel. Volvo penta kad 44 turbo 260hp. I bought this 2 years ago. Great fuel economy not as fast obviously but I'm in no rush. Yes, expensive to maintain but hoping will last a long time. Great camper, cruiser, Fisher \diver. I have mine in redondo beach great for catalina island runs.