I worked on a yacht with twin 6 cylinder Gardners here in Fort Lauderdale, back in 2003. Parts and service (especially the service aspect) were incredibly hard to come by back then, I cannot imagine now...…Ours had a somewhat stinky exhaust smell and a little grey smoke and leaked oil here and there...……...I know it's a classic yacht and all, but why not just repower to new stuff.
Same reason you don't re-power a 1946 Cadillac. These are labors of love. Some people like to preserve history, are willing to spend the money and deal with the aggravation. Some people don't care and buy a modern yacht. Different folks, different strokes.
Diesel art, naturally aspirated and no electronics, the perfect boat engine unless you need to go fast.
Then it also comes down to fit, balance, feel, performance. Sometimes old and heavy is just right. Most of the time it's no fun to give up mechanical reliance and force yourself upon computerized nightmares.
Hear, hear! Nothing like knowing you can get home with bailing wire and duct tape when all goes wrong.
First overhaul after 45 years of service... Wow, how many hours? An old Broward at Riverbend boatyard 10 years ago had Gardner machinery, forgot the details but either the boat was chopped up and somebody bid on the engines, or the boat sank from neglect and everything but the Gardners were toast. Nice video, sometimes old is better. (63 myself )
You of course have lousy taste, 9 out of 10 young women disagree, especially in Columbia and Brazil: The pretty ones like mature dudes...
Spotted another classic yacht today while canal cruising, clean, well maintained and perhaps Gardner machinery? https://www.cruisersforum.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=14084&c=500 (Posting links rather than pics, keep exceeding the 800 mb limit on this board, click the link on your on risk)
Another nice classic on the River today: Perfectly clean and maintained: https://www.cruisersforum.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=14085&original=1&c=500 Perhaps Gardner engines again. (Do not click link if you are limited on bandwidth)
The Gardners are very low RPM engines. The ones in the 97' MY I worked on would idle at 100 rpms. We cruised them at around 1050-1100 rpms usually and I think they were 1500 rpm WOT or perhaps a little more and made only 200 hp and were really long and really big inline 8 cylinder 851 cubic inches. So for hours I'm sure they'll go and go and go like the energizer bunny.