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38 40 convertible power options?

Discussion in 'Luhrs Yacht' started by Bucksh0t, Feb 13, 2020.

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  1. Bucksh0t

    Bucksh0t Member

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    What where the largest engines available in the Luhrs 38/40 convertible? Do you know the performance numbers?
  2. KevinMC

    KevinMC New Member

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    I'd suggest you do some Yachtworld searches, if you haven't already do so, for the years that you're interested in, which will tell you what's prevalent from factory.
    I'm pretty sure they are in the 450 to 500hp range (each) for that size boat. Whether you can go higher than that in a re-power is another question.
    Last edited: Feb 13, 2020
  3. Bucksh0t

    Bucksh0t Member

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    I think some were offered with the Yanmar 500's, I have also seen the 480 cummins in some. I think they are the largest but maybe someone has seen other power options.
  4. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I've managed and run 2 different 38' Luhrs opens. I would NEVER recommend that boat to anyone looking for 1. The ride is ok or very average with waves on the bow etc. But the boat never runs flat, always leans to one side or the other, you trim it to run level and 2 minutes later it's leaning to the other side. Despite the huge flare, the boat is wet. On the beam and a following sea it rolls a lot, like something I've never seen before. The speed is the same with both engine packages, it's a slow boat. I currently run one that has the 500 yanmar's and it cruises at a slow 21-22 knots at 2600 rpms. The other one I managed had 450 hp cummins, it cruised at the same 21-22 knots. The build quality on both of them was also very average. One of them the entire front deck got soft at less than 10 years old, we had to fix all of that, then the entire tower floor got soft...…. do yourself a favor and buy something, anything, else. The only boat Luhrs built that rode/ran well was the 32' open...…..and I've run a lot of them......
  5. Bucksh0t

    Bucksh0t Member

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    Capt J,

    First off let me say that I currently run a 40 Open not a convertible, so my first hand experience may not be as in depth as yours.

    There are many boats out there that roll a lot. I do agree that my boat can get rolling in a drift offshore sometimes but those days were a little sporty. We bottom fish at drift many days and most days everyone is comfortable. I have been on boats that roll less and those that roll more.
    There are a lot of sporties built in the 90's to early 2000's that cruise under 24 knots. apples to apples kind of comparison
    Weight is your enemy, we all have a tendency to have way to much crap stowed away on our boats. I can see a 2 knot cruise difference just from fuel and ice when we leave in the AM compared to the trip home. A 22 knot fast cruise on Yanmar 500's would tell me that maybe someone needs to clean house.
    My boat does run flat at cruise speeds but there are times that I wished I had a little more tab. Mainly when I slow down to 18 to 20 knots. The hull can be hard to trim with a few head on board, I am constantly leveling back out as passengers move around. I think this hull would be a prime candidate for the ZipWake style auto trim tabs. Every boat this size with deadrise at the transom is going to roll.
    I think the hull rides good, it tracks very well in a variety of sea directions and sizes. Wet? My canvas is wet on a side-to slightly head sea and the wind is kicking. Then the windshield is getting large sprays quite often. Other than that she has been fairly dry.
    I leave with the charter fleet many mornings, they are mostly 20 to 24 knot boats. I normally run out as fast as they do without pounding my boat or passengers and most of the charter boats are 45 feet plus.
    There are other hulls out there that bow steer a lot, this can be scary and way to much work at the wheel just trying to keep her straight. This hull tracks straight and does not pound you. I have run home in a quarter/following 5' ugly sea on autopilot with everyone relaxing and talking about the day.. These are 2 of the most important ride quality tests to me. I can deal with the roll and spray.
    Soft decks and floors are mostly from water intrusion that was ignored or missed. I have not heard of many delamination problems with Luhrs owners which does not need moisture to become soft. I am sure some exist. I will admit that the construction quality of the Luhrs means you need to stay diligent on your maintenance. The Luhrs boats can be neglected by owners. The lower price range can lead to the boat just sitting in a slip somewhere with very little maintenance or usage. This leads to many nice boats that are not so nice a few years later.

    That is why we asked for this forum, to help us keep our boats in best shape we can.

    The Luhrs boats came with some really reliable engine choices. Which is so important. So so important.
    The boat is definitely an average or maybe below average build quality. My factory wiring isn't pretty. The latches, hatch pulls, hinges etc are not the best money can buy for sure. Fit and finish, okay but not excellent.

    But--- How many 40'ish sized sporty's run flat and dry- cruise over 24 knots-are impervious to rot issues-ride excellent in all sea conditions-came with great power options- etc etc and can be bought for 150k and under? Lets be honest

    Lee
  6. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Cabo's for sure but not in your price point, the older hatteras and Viking (90's boats) 45' ish expresses. Price on the older Hatteras and Viking maybe. I do get what you're saying as far as price. Ocean express for sure.

    The boat with the coring issue is meticulously maintained by the owner. He loves the boat, and fixes everything that breaks or might break. It started getting the front deck soft when it was around 6 years old and nothing has been added to the front deck or anything, that was not added at the factory. By this time the factory was going out of business. I believe they used that same kind of sealant that Wellcraft used instead of 5200 to bond everything that didn't work after 5 years, I think it was called polyseamseal or something. That is my guess.

    Owner has little personal items on board, maybe 1000 lbs total at most. Boat has just gotten slower as time has gone on...…..this is with full fuel......1/3 tank it cruises 23.5-24 or so.
  7. Rscriv

    Rscriv New Member

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    I have a 38 Convertable with Cats 3126. Sorry to hear of your experience Capt J, but ours have been just the opposite. We have logged hundreds of hours if ocean miles, even in 6 footers dry, dry, dry. Leaning? Never, i can count on one hand the times i have used the tabs. At 2200 rpms it cruises a solid 22 mph, do i wish it was 28.......yes, but it is what it is. 5 years ago I paid 200 k for it, if i had the money to pay triple for a Cabo, i would still buy the Luhrs and pocket the rest.
  8. Bucksh0t

    Bucksh0t Member

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    Cabo, way above 150k
    Hatteras and Viking with under 3000 hours and in good shape - at 150k it will need an open checkbook to get her right, normally over 200k to find a good one
    The Viking 43 is one I would love to own but finding one with the right power in good shape is hard to do under 250k. Most have lots of hours.
    Oceans have plenty of bow steer, roll and other handling shortcomings in the 40 to 46 foot range. I do like the 43 though, it is one of the top on my list for next year when I buy. The living space feels more like being in a 50 footer.
    The 23-24 knot cruise sounds more like I have heard from others, mine is an Open so my cruise is a little faster @2600rpm
    Getting slower as we age. Yeah, I can relate to that:D
  9. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Both of the ones I ran, still run 1......are opens and the wind gets under the large tower top and leans it. My guess is with your convertible and the enclosure it doesn't have as much effect on it. Could be a weight thing also......
  10. Josh Keeran

    Josh Keeran Member

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    Funny you mention the Zipwake system! I am currently in a personal dilemma of whether to be a guinea pig with my 36 convertible! I have been very impressed with them at the boat shows and in theory they seem to be great. I do not know if any real world applications in big boats though

    my boat does run bow high. I really have to give it to get her to run good. Tabs do not have a huge effect on the running angle. I have only had about two months of really running the boat though. The previous owner would only run the boat at 15 knots which was a huge injustice to the boat!

    I do also have a couple issues I have to over come with my particular boat. My boat is powered by 502 crusader gas engines which I feel is under powered. On top of that one motor is tired with almost 5000 hours.
  11. KevinMC

    KevinMC New Member

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    I had a similar issue with my Luhrs, in terms of rolling, especially at higher speeds (20+)when on plane and therefore more hull was out of the water. In addition to that, my 390 Gallon fuel tank is directly under the cockpit adding to the weight in the stern.

    Running full tabs, took a long time to get the bow nose down, only at good speed.

    About 10 years ago, I installed the Fast-rails on my hull (now called Smart Rails - M-3000).

    https://www.integritymarinecorp.com/smart-rails

    Simple glue on installation, one rail on each side, near the stern of the boat. They create sort of a mini side tunnel on each side of the hull. After install, no maintenance -just bottom paint them just like the rest of hull. I no longer need to run full tabs to get the bow down.

    Not inexpensive, and I felt like a guinea pig at the time, but they have worked excellent for me in terms of raising my stern, and increasing lateral stability - by eliminating the rolling at higher speeds.

    Here's a couple of yard pics, take a look at these, if you are considering options.

    IMG_1665.JPG IMG_1666.JPG

    P.S. You also have to be very vigilant in the yard to make sure the Travel-lift is either blocked around or not in the same area as the smart-rails. I clearly marked my sling area, and always make sure the yard knows about these rails prior to any lifting.
  12. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I have run many yachts with the zip wake and they run well, most of them have been sf flydridge, or expresses around 45’. They take a little getting used to the menu, but they do work. Most of the yachts I ran with them cruised at 30-37 knots though. But I imagine if they’re sized correctly, should do the same on a slower boat.
  13. Josh Keeran

    Josh Keeran Member

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    Great to know! I am really leaning towards giving them a try
  14. Mark Martire

    Mark Martire New Member

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    The 38/40 came with a Variety of engine packages. 6-71ti 485. Hp Detroit, cat 3126 420 hp. Yanmar 420-500 hp and Cummins 450-480 hp. I don’t have a convertible I have an open 38 with Detroit’s boatS a beast Cruise is 22kt all day. I can’t stand guy that know nothing about luhrs or boats it self just to **** on them just to have a convo on the internet. Capt j this guy likeS ocean after riding on that boat in the slop you need to Go to church a pray you got home head sea pounds like a flat board speaking of boards the transom hull flat like a board following see is the biggest challenge that boat is not even average in the ride but I have to say there Interiors are nice. Capt j I’m surE you have a lot of Knowledge Running boats and good input but you are so off on luhrs I had guys that have hi end boatS that tell me they can’t believe the ride is so good and believe me they were not being nice Lol. . Could be the captain running the boat Just venting a little. O and I had a 36 convertible with the yanmar com-gte 465 hp. And @2600 rpm boat cruised at 28kt if you like a video I will send
  15. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I used to work for a company that did warranty work on Luhrs and Captained many of the various models. I cannot tell you how many boats Luhrs made that had a large puddle of water that sat in the cockpit because they couldn't even get the angle of the deck correct so that it drained. They are what they are. A price point SF that were built OK. Some models were down right scary in a beam sea such as the 50' FB. Some performed OK. At least Ocean got the basics correct and they performed.
  16. David Wafer

    David Wafer New Member

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    I run a 2001 Luhrs 320 Open. In 2015 I replaced most of the mechanical equipment on the boat including new 315 hp Yanmar engines. At the same time, I got rid of the trim tabs and “filled in” the Bennett trim tab towers under the hull then replaced the tabs with 750mm Zipwakes. Of all the new gear I installed, the Zipwakes were the best investment. The hull rides at 4-5 degrees to the bow, I don’t dig a hole anymore, and if put in auto mode, the zips counter any small roll that may occur through a quartering sea. I can’t recommend them enough.
    I boat directly into the Pacific Ocean often in 1-2 metre swells and run the boat at 22 - 24 knots