Repowering a 54' Donzi Sportfish

I believe you are correct Lew. I don't have any current plans to do anything with the mufflers. I will check to see if there is something additional that can go in line to augment but this is not a high priority for me.

I went with the ZF Smart Command controls system. This is actually what CAT recommended and I ordered it thru CAT along with the engines and ZF gears. It actually does more than I need but had some nice features. I really like how everything is contained and selectable directly from the processors. There is no laptop and separate software required. I went to ZF's office and played with the demo system they had set up and really liked it.

I haven't made a selection on line cutter yet.

Making decent progress. All removals now complete. This was more challenging than expected. We found lots of abandoned cables and wires. Without knowing where they went or what they were for they had to be individually traced back to figure each one out. All have now been removed. Also, appears all the wiring harnesses were pre-made and pulled through chases going to bridge. You can't get inside the chase and there are a gazillion wire ties. Very difficult to remove individual cables. But the guys did a great job and got em all out.

The engine room has been cleaned, primed and final finish coat of paint was applied last Friday. Now the new installations are beginning. They are starting by running all new fuel hoses from tanks to manifolds and cleaning this up. The installation was pretty hokey with unnecessary fittings, adapters , etc. We are cleaning this all up, with new fittings, hoses and using a cleaner, more direct routing.

The 20kw Northern Lights gen is also going in. New foundation, exhaust and all new wiring and plumbing. J-box will be installed where you can actually get to it and open it if necessary in future.

Some of the ZF controls cables and the CAT Common Ground cables have arrived and can start going in. The new water maker and 24v steering system shipped yesterday as well as new shafts, bearings and seals so that can all go in as soon as arrives.

The goal is to have everything in and done, cables pulled, engine controls installed, etc before the C-18's arrive. The delivery of the C-18's is looking like it will be about 4-5 weeks later than originally planned but I think we will still be fine. Plenty to do before they get here.

OK here you go. Some boat porn for you

Now have most of the accessory items placed and mounted. This includes 20kw gen, all watermaker components, 24v hydraulic steering pump, helm and cylinder, zf control panels and the reverso unit. All fuel lines are replaced and plumbed from tanks to manifold and stubbed out for final connection to engines. Most of the steering system is plumbed. We used all copper lines in the engine room for steering. Watermaker being plumbed and wired as well. Electrician started on Monday. All cable routing has been planned and starting to pull in new cables. Bridge console is getting mocked up and we are making final decisions on locations and cutting will commence. Old cutlass bearings removed and struts and shaft logs cleaned and prepped to receive new bearings and shafts. I ordered the Shaft Shark line cutters.

As mentioned in previous post, the goal is to have everything done we possibly can in advance of engine delivery.This is currently on track.

ZF Gears arrived CAT dealer today. They will get painted and prepped and ready to go prior to engine arrival. This includes the components for the added AMOT valves going on the gears. These are recommended by ZF given the amount of trolling I do in cold water. They want the gear oil to stay at recommended temp and not be too cold for trolling mode.

Confirmed with CAT today that engines are scheduled to leave the factory by 1/23 and expected at Dealer's shop no later than 1/31. About a week to prep at dealer and install the gears then off to the barge line for shipping to Ketchikan. Arrival in Ketchikaan expected on or about 2/18.

Plan will be to get both engines into the E/R and set in final location as quickly as possible. This is necessary so we can get accurate dimensions for the DeAngelo exhaust. Once we have the dimensions we can fabricate the needed custom engine mounts and hook everything up while awaiting the exhaust.

I'm getting nervous about prop size and pitch. If Veem didn't calculate correctly I will lose a lot of time pulling props, shipping to Seattle, re-pitch, and return shipping. Because of this concern we will get the boat in the water and trial as quickly as possible. Then once all is confirmed, we can put the salon and other items back together. We'll put some weight in the salon to mimic furniture, carpet,etc.

I'm excited to see the engines in a few weeks and really looking forward to seeing how the boat performs. I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic but secretly hoping it turns out better than expected. On the other hand I remind myself that performance was not a driving factor in doing this. However, I find myself continually looking at similar size/weight boats with C18's and their performance seems pretty amazing. But these are newer boats, newer design and technology. Anyway, I'm sure I will be happy when it's all done and fine tuned.

Sorry, no pictures. The E/R is a mess with tools, hoses and cables all over the place. Maybe some pictures when all is done and prior to engine arrival.

The original gear recommendation from both ZF and CAT was the 550. However, I was concerned with the duty/hour rating behind the 1150hp C18. My concern had more to do with the remoteness of where I am and lack of a local dealer as well as the long hours we spend in troll mode. Further in the commercial boats we build we put the 665 behind the C18 and they have been trouble free. The physical size of the 665 is virtually the same as the 550. Of course, there was some added cost but it was not all that bad compared to all that we are doing. So for peace of mind I decided to go with the more robust rated gear and selected the 665.