56 POST

There hasn't been much chatter here about the 56, except maybe about a year or so ago. I think someone in NJ? bought one. Not many were made right - 3 or 4?

I've been maintaining a set of 1100 Common rails for the last 4-5 years. Yeah we've had to replace alarm monitoring boards at around $4500 for the pair, we've had a few sensors that cost around $600 each. BUT other than that, not with the motors themselves. Just electrical components and none have led to a failure that we couldn't operate the vessel. Sure a little costlier to maintain, but not terrible compared to a cat or other. They're definately a lot quieter and less running vibration than cats and a little more fuel efficient.

I've never been involved with a 56' Post, but I remember hearing stories that it was not a great running/riding boat.

My 10 cylinder 820's have been very good motors. The warranty program is ridiculous. I 've had mine for about 19 years so I'm well out of warranty. 1800 Rpms= 26 knots , about 1800 hours and they run terrific (knock wood, my head). Don't know how the 56 runs, but I believe it is a stretched 50 with a completely different house and profile.

Beau,

I think you should move up to the 56.

I will take your 50......

and somebody with a 42 may be interested in my 46.

keep it in the Post family

RT
I like your thinking. We need to get you into a 50! But on this one I'll step out of the cycle. Don't know how the 56 performs, but to me its just not a Post: bridge overhang, centered house, no deck seat, smaller cockpit over hang., etc. And I don't mean to interfere with Patience's thoughts, its still a nice looking boat, but not a Post .

I wonder if that 56 that posted a while a go is still on the forum?

Nothing about Posts but a note about MAN's. We hear all the warnings from the CAT brigade. We don't even argue that in the right circumstance we'd probably choose CAT over MAN. However, we do own boats that come only with MAN's and our experience has been excellent over 3+ years and heavy usage. Now, we do use only experienced and well qualified MAN mechanics and engineers, we do follow all service guides religiously and do all preventive maintenance.

Old CAT's, old MAN's, old anything, it's all in the survey.

I will acknowledge there are more CAT mechanics, than MAN. However, with either engine there are a lot of people claiming to be knowledgeable about them that I wouldn't trust. Choose very carefully. We also use only MAN parts.

Now as to finding mechanics and parts, we do live in an area like no other so greater availability of both. You'd have to check your local area.

MAN's electrical items can be problematic in comparison to the CAT's. CAT electrical ancillary items are definately longer lasting and hardier to saltwater. Parts like Helm Controls, Helm Displays, engine sensors, computers. I've never had an issue with the engines or any engine component on the common rails in all my travels. The pre-common rails I don't like, smoky and vibrate at 1200 rpms or less, had several blow off the early style high pressure fuel rail, etc. NOW, servicing the MANS is a lot more of a pain in the butt. The upside down oil filters with the cartridge inside the housing where one engine is usually mounted in a tight spot. The drain plugs always strip/take the thread serts out with the plug half the time. Why do you have thread certs in a cast iron housing anyways??? The fuel bleed thread serts come out sometimes also on the secondaries, the canister filters on those are fun to re-install also. Wear parts such as these are quite a bit more than CAT or MTU as well.....fuel filters,oil filters, oil, then all the crush washers, etc. etc. Maintanence costs balance out if you are doing 300-400 hours per year, but not less. The MAN schedule is crazy and expensive for pulling and cleaning ALL of the heat exchangers every 2 years regardless of hours and believe you have to follow it if you have extended warranties. Nobody seems to do the heat exchangers every 2 years that I know of.

BUT, they are definately noticable quieter,smoother and a touch faster at cruise than the CAT variant.

We have extended warranties and do follow their schedule and did clean the heat exchangers at two years. The items required at two years regardless of hours are changing the valve caps on the expansion tank and cleaning the intercooler/charger air pipes/turbocharger and cleaning the heat exchanger. At 4 years they require coolant change and change of all hoses regardless of hours. All their other maintenance is 200 hours or annually, whichever comes first. We've never hit the annually.

As to servicing being a pain in the butt, I think one thing we tend to overlook is that MAN's tend to be in smaller ER's than CAT's. CAT's in a 60' Hatteras just have more space than MAN's in a similarly sized Riva or Sunseeker.

I have zero exposure to pre-common rails of any diesel engines.

I think there are three excellent engine brands if properly maintained. On a used boat that maintenance and survey results are the key in yes or no.

On the 1100's I believe it calls for oil changes and service every 400 hours or 1 year. It may be every 200 hours, but since we only do 100 hours a year on that boat I never paid attention to the hour limit. I have done the coolant, expansion tank caps, breather filter etc, by the book on time, we've never done the heat exchangers/coolers but the boat runs right in spec temperature wise (coolant temp, EGTs etc) on everything and most people do them every 1000 hours. We have 955 hours and are going to do them after the next trip.

The Cats are packaged/built for the boat they're going into and they also use spin on filters that are mounted vertically so very little mess if any and come on and off in a minute or less. So on most CAT's say C18's, I can change every fuel and oil filter in an hour, by myself by myself, sitting on a bucket in the aisle of the boat. The MAN 1100's in an equally spacious engine room takes 4 man hours because of the locations of the filters, way they need to be changed, having to drain the oil filter housings before removing the filters, the crush washers and removable o rings etc. You pretty much have to have a helper to get the oil housing lined up and bolt in it and also taking it apart without making a huge mess to change the oil filter on the MAN. It's also a pain to change them due to engineering of like how close the secondaries are to piping, and having to prime them with the manual priming pump and bleed the air out because of the angle. They're just a pain to work on, CATs are easy peezy for general servicing due to the way they're packaged versus the MANs, everything's easy to get to and comes on and off easy.

MTU's are my least favorite. I have had lots of issues/pre mature failures on low hour and fairly new motors with their bolted on parts to the motors.....starters, alternators, coolant pumps, injectors, etc. I had a set of aftercoolers go bad on a set of 18 month old series 60's, but caught them soon enough to not do any engine damage. I also know of about half a dozen that have grenaded with awesome results......block split, rod through the side of the block.....on boats friends of mine have run.....these are all 2000 series I'm talking about.

Yes, you are correct, oil changes are 400 or annually. 200 is just a lot of checking, tightening, adjusting. All things we do far more frequently. Because of the speed of our boats with MAN's even putting 5,000 nm on them a year is only 200 hours or so. So most things are still annual. Based on schedule we may do a little short of annual simply for convenience.

Beau,

yea, I agree the 56 doesn't capture the Post look/image.

I don't know much about the 56.

What about the 56 doesn't make it look like a Post?



I don't get it. Probably the best looking Post the ever built.

As for the ride, it is excellent in all seas. 30 knot cruise in most anything you can take, including following seas.

Built like a brick **** house, all the space you need, huge cockpit, giant bridge, engine room with space, fuel capacity, range, speed.

I love my 56 Post. Wouldn't get rid of it if you wanted to trade me straight up for a 55 Viking.

As for those pesky oil filters, they are so easy to work with, with my old Cat's it was a nightmare spinning off a one gallon filter while trying to hold on the slippery ******* without dropping it in the bilge.

The MAN's on the 56 are simple, drain, pop open the canister, change out the insert and move to the next one. Easy, simple, filters are right there, you can't get them in a better place..

As for smoke, yes if you start a stone cold MAN you are going to get smoke, as much as my neighbors CATs.

I leave my block heaters on and they start with virtually no smoke, only a tiny puff and the nothing.

I cruise a 30 knots, burn 66gph, under 1800 rpms. That is excellent efficiency for the size and weight of the boat.

Video I took last year. Had 3/4 fuel, one gauge is off so no haters please, Garmin shows 29.9/30.1 knots.

ESSRTEE8, to me, your Post 56 looks like a real Post, if I shorten it with Photoshop, it could fit in any size Post...

I really love the looks, so 1+ fan!!!

ESSR,

Your 56 is a nice looking boat.

your fuel efficiency at 30 kts amazes me

It amazes me too. And the numbers are real. No BS.

Can you guys see the video? Is it blocked?