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53 ft ss ocean

Discussion in 'Ocean Yacht' started by Tim Lee, Sep 6, 2017.

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  1. Tim Lee

    Tim Lee New Member

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    i am planning to do away with 8v92ddec like to stay around the 750 hp range .. what suggestions out there seem the caterpillar c12.9 is popular.. just thinking out load would love idea or feed back.,... the wife loves the lay out and we looked at several different boats but cant find the lay out so she is saying re power ?? what budget should i plan for ?
  2. Just Cruisin

    Just Cruisin Member

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    I have a 94 53 Ocean SS so will be interested in how your re power goes. Also have the 8v92 with ddec 2.5. If you do choose to re power, I might be interested in some parts if you want to sell.
  3. Trinimax

    Trinimax Senior Member

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    I believe the later 53 oceans were offered with 3406 cats at 800 hp as an option. the new c15 cat is the same engine and is rated at 865 hp. I suppose you could go with a reman 3406 cat as an option as well. good luck with your project
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I'd go with 1000 HP C18's. What the 3406 became. I worked on one that they put 10 cylinder MAN's in, it cruised at 37 knots and topped out at 43 knots.....they were 1100 hp. If you want to stay with less HP, can get detuned C18's as well........Unless shaft size and other considerations are an issue.......
  5. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    C-18s are very tall in relation to other motors & especially V's, this is always a concern in a S/F repower. Excellent motor but sometimes a hard fit shoe horn wise in a refit. Usually have major girder and foundation mods to replace existing power with C-18s in lieu of the machinery space being CAD in the design / build process.
  6. Trinimax

    Trinimax Senior Member

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    another option is the scania v8 which is rated for 1000 hp. a 52 hatteras was repowered with those in Trinidad and it has been reported that they are pretty much a direct drop in for the 8v92 detroits
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    They are and people tell me they're good running motors. BUT you can't get any parts for them and you can't get anyone who's knowledgable at servicing them.....

    Cat's would be the best in that HP range for resale........the v8 man 800's would probably be a very good fit for that boat too though.....
  8. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    They built a few Ocean 53's with 3408's. I'm pretty sure C18's would fit......They did build some with Man 820's. The one I was familiar with had 1050hp MAN 10 cylinders crammed into it at the owners request and at cruise (37 knots) the motors tweaked the stringers so much they were literally in the middle of the aisle and 4" apart!!!!!!!!!!!! He spent $250k changing gears and props a few times looking for more speed he never found, then ended up selling it and buying a 65' Hatteras SF.

    Here's a listing for one with 3408's
    http://www.boats.com/power-boats/1997-ocean-yachts-53-super-sport-5135298/#.WbCuVoWcHIU
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2017
  9. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    You have to factor in the design and structure when repowering. If you have a SF designed to go 30 - 35 mph WOT , is it structurally capable of going 35+? Without issues? Be aware of how much power you want to go with and what the structural ramifications are if you gain speed - say you are now cruising where you used to be maxed out, how rugged / robust do you feel your boat is?
    I have had great success with Volvo Penta In that size range and the D13 goes from 800 - 1000hp. An inline six is a bit longer than the 8V-92s but more narrow and you will get more space and save some weight as well.
  10. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The 53' Ocean was Oceans first large sportfish that topped 40 knots with factory power.
  11. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    This is a fact! They were known as "Plastic Fantastic" in the late 80s and early 90s . First ones to the fishing grounds. You could literally see daylight through the engine room topside hull laminate layup.
  12. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Of all the complaining I do over new engine service (MAN, MTU & big Yanmars) in N/E FL, Scania's have a good shop up here and re-power & service doing well.
    We only get the dirty work later but I have not had any issues for oil changes, raw pumps or light service.
    I'd expect good work from our local shop if anything heavy was required. So far, Solid Engines.
  13. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    Unfortunately, that is not a fact and no reason to spread incorrect information.

    In the early 80s, the Ocean designs were the first production SF to hit 30 mph consistently, with the introduction of their 40 SS, and they did this with low deadrise (less than 5 degrees), narrow beams, tapered sterns, and minimum levels of construction. They were the first builder to emphasize decorator interiors over cockpits for an SF, and won over many an owners wife, which was OK as the greenlight for purchase was then a done deal.

    The 90s generation 53 SS (Super Sports) did not make 40 knots either, maybe 34-35 knots tops with 800hp. Didn't matter if it was CAT 3406 or Detroit Diesel Series 60.

    I don't think they saw a true 40 knots in any of their models until they got into the 60' range in the 2000 era, when the higher hp engines started to hit the market.
  14. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    In 1994 Ocean yachts went over the 40 knot barrier with the 53' SS. I was on that boat as a mate. The boat was named "Off Pump", my friend was his full time Captain, it did an honest 43 knots WOT and cruised at 37 knots at 1950 rpms it had 1050 Mans. Google Ocean yachts 53' ss top speed and there are several old articles talking about them getting over 40 knots.

    I also managed/maintained a 1987 63' ocean way back in the day.....late 1990's all of the way til 2009 when the owner sold it....it cruised at 30 knots when new and topped out at 37 knots......unfortunately within 2 years cruise speed slid to 27 knots.
  15. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    You are confusing knots with mph: http://www.lukebrownyachts.com/ocean-sportfish-yachts-for-sale/Ocean-53-Super-Sport/533 Check the GPS again and show me a boat test for documentation.

    No way, no how did it run an honest 43 knots (49.5mph) WOT with 1050 MANS in a typical owners condition, no matter what was posted on Luke Brown's (A broker) website.

    Even the newer, more modern 54 SS was a 30 knot boat with MAN 1050's: http://www.lukebrownyachts.com/ocean-sportfish-yachts-for-sale/Ocean-54-Super-Sport/534

    Here's the newer 54 SS with 1360hp MANs boat test at 39 knots WOT and 33 knots cruise at 2000rpm: http://www.******************.com/boat-tests/ocean-54-super-sport?tab=review.

    Even a 2007 52 SS with 1050 MANs tops out at 38 knots, how can they drop 5 knots in 13 years? http://www.yachtingmagazine.com/
  16. Just Cruisin

    Just Cruisin Member

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    Be very careful of this 53. Looked at it over 2 years ago. From initial inspection, it appeared that it was either sunk or had severe water intrusion. Saw interior water marks and had a lot of mold.
  17. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    The boat had large MAN's in it, they might have been 12 cylinders. I do not remember as this was back in the 1990's and I only mated on it a few times. It absolutely cruised at 37 knots and topped out at 43 knots. It did 42 knots when delivered from the factory and the owner spent over $250k back then in the first year, he changed out the gears for a different ratio and bought and tried a couple of sets of props and ended up gaining only 1 knot, and it did 43 knots. I know this 100% for a fact and saw it on GPS. Below is an article stating they did over 40 knots with optional engines.



    https://www.smartmarineguide.com/boats-for-sale/ocean-53-super-sport



    The 63' I managed with 12v92's dropped a ton of speed over it's life. It started out cruising at 30 knots 37 wot.....then dropped to 27 then 26. Then the owner rebuilt the 12v92's at 6000 hours, and they had to cut the props 3" of pitch and it cruised at 24 knots when it sold and topped out at around 28 knots.

    The 62' Sunseeker predator I manage 2007, picked up 2.5 knots after we had just the bottom soda blasted a few years back......it used to cruise at 26.5-28 knots and now cruises at 28.5-30 knots once you burn 100 gallons of fuel off and continues gaining speed from there. All else is the same on the boat.
  18. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    Do you disagree that Ocean yacht had the fastest production built sport fish in the late 80s early 90s? With Stewart Stevenson 892's they would smoke any Betram or Hatt. running to the canyons. I agree with you that they weren't 40 knot boats and maybe on the pins were 35 knots or so with a good tail wind. You certainly are correct about the designer interiors of that era that would seal the deal with the better half . Flexible Flyers, Plastic Fantastics? They didn't have this moniker for being slow. Poorly built and very light by comparison to the competition but they sold them like hot cakes due to price, interiors & speed.
    No more Buns likes this.
  19. PacBlue

    PacBlue Senior Member

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    The first gen Oceans, starting in 1977/78 to the mid 80s had great calm water speeds, usually hitting 30 knots in a light dealer condition, an owner outfitted boat would usually not see 30 knots again. Their engine supplier was Johnson & Towers and they put a lot of Detroit Diesels in those boats, with a CAT every now and again . The second gen Oceans had to improve on rough water speeds because the other manufacturers could run faster in rougher water even though they were down on top speed. A Buddy Davis 47 is a perfect example. They still were not great in the rough stuff till the late 90s, early 2000s, and it was hard for them to shake the flexible flyer image.
    Ocean built to a price and at times they wouldn't put the biggest iron in a boat model if they didn't have too. Many an early 48 had 6-71TIs instead of 8V-92TAs like the Viking 48. The Ocean 55 got the 8V-92s and was a real runner for the era until Bertram caught it in their 54 with the larger 12V-92TAs, a real rough water performer for the era.
    So yes, Oceans had speed advantages if the sea conditions were right. But all this talk about a 43 knot/50 mph production SF in early 1990 is hard to believe given there is no magazine test report that I can find to back it up, only dealer and marketing bravado. Show me the numbers and I will believe it then.