Engine replacement

[Serene]

There is no Gardner 8CLY. I think the OP meant to say 8CYL. i.e. an eight cylinder Gardner.

So must be either an 8LXB or 8L3B.

There was a turbo charged version of the six cylinder engines. From memory was a 6LCT, so there may be an 8LCT too.

 

[BruceK]

Seems the OP was on TF yesterday, ? viewing replies, not commenting. At 50ft, local guesswork suggests the target boat could be an older "actual trawler" rather than a "recreational trawler", or "real" trawler converted to a "rec trawler". Or anything, really. Raising the possibility the Gardner could be tired and in need of some TLC/replacement.

 

[Serene]

Seems the OP was on TF yesterday, ? viewing replies, not commenting. At 50ft, local guesswork suggests the target boat could be an older "actual trawler" rather than a "recreational trawler", or "real" trawler converted to a "rec trawler". Or anything, really. Raising the possibility the Gardner could be tired and in need of some TLC/replacement.

Possibly this one;

https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/power-boats/carvel-maclaren-trawler/294584

 

[Serene]

Looks like an 8LXB as the heads are in two groups of four, whereas the 8L3B has eight individual heads.

 

[MacPhid]

A Chinese built 855 big cam Cummins knock off is better and would be more reliable than that old Gardner ? I've dealt with enough Chinese junk in the automotive and heavy equipment world that I do everything possible to avoid that Krap. Its cheap junk.

Watch the first 8 minutes of this Chinese built Cummins branded oil pump . YouTube

Clearly the readings he gets for end play in the video can’t be trusted, if you zoom in you can see the dial indicator was also made in China[emoji15]

 

[Slo-Mocean]

Krusty Ol Girl

 

[Southern Boater]

Seems the OP was on TF yesterday, ? viewing replies, not commenting. At 50ft, local guesswork suggests the target boat could be an older "actual trawler" rather than a "recreational trawler", or "real" trawler converted to a "rec trawler". Or anything, really. Raising the possibility the Gardner could be tired and in need of some TLC/replacement.

He also mentioned heading north to Indonesia and New Guinea, so remote area cruising. With a single engine, maybe wanting to refresh at least.
I’d be getting an opinion from Bryant Engineering in Brisbane, Queensland before committing to anything first. They travel the whole country repairing Gardners, highly regarded operators.

 

[Kit_L]

Southern Boater's advice is exactly what I was going to add; Bryant's reputation is golden. As well, I have had a number of very pleasant interactions with Joe McCool in Ireland, too. And the factory in Peterborough claims that literally every part for every Gardner ever made is still available, and they are manufacturing many of these parts new these days. I'd like the OP to come back with an update. If the OP is considering, or has bought that one BruceK showed above, I definitely would want to know what's wrong with that Gardner.

 

[Southern Boater]

Southern Boater's advice is exactly what I was going to add; Bryant's reputation is golden. As well, I have had a number of very pleasant interactions with Joe McCool in Ireland, too. And the factory in Peterborough claims that literally every part for every Gardner ever made is still available, and they are manufacturing many of these parts new these days. I'd like the OP to come back with an update. If the OP is considering, or has bought that one BruceK showed above, I definitely would want to know what's wrong with that Gardner.

Two of the Bryant sons did a six cylinder Gardner strip down and rebuild on the boat next to me in the marina, in southern Tasmania, due to raw water ingress from a failed exhaust system. The workmanship was impeccable, and left the engine looking like it was ready for a hot rod show.
Indeed highly regarded and in demand, but make the effort to follow up on jobs all the way into remote parts of the country, which I thought was commendable in this day and age, genuine old school principles.

 

[rpackard]

There is simply no better engine for long range cruising in off the beaten path regions, than a Gardner. I have met two experienced cruisers that actually moved their Gardner to their next boat . If you want piece of mind and no problems when crossing far, keep the Gardner.

 

[Don Souza]

Gardner is one of the finest engines. I would get a good Gardner mechanic to have a good deep look and tell you what it needs.
Then do the work. Please clean it up so you will be proud to show it off.
I couldn't think of a better engine to have!
Don

 

[Delta Riverat]

Yes.

Remove and replace a Gardner?

And the gear and the shaft and the coupling and the props? Not to mention remounting and realigning all the new stuff? I forgot to add the fuel, electrical and cooling connections...

Yeah, just fix the Gardner. Pay the guy an extra grand to polish it after the fix. Then you'll really have a showpiece -

 

[Capt Dan]

Crazy thought,

How about a properly sized electric motor and a diesel generator to match!?

 

[Slo-Mocean]

Crazy thought,

How about a properly sized electric motor and a diesel generator to match!?

How about a coal fired steam engine to rotate the generator unit to supply electricity to the electric drive motors ?

 

[grandbanksbayfield]

Tune up the Gardner and GO! Unless Australia has more marine service experts than the U.S.,changing engines is a real hassle even if you do most of the work. There are always some parts of the job that require "experts" who take weeks just to show up. In quite straight lines, Sidney to the outer edge of Indonesia is 2622 Nm or 437 engine hours at 6 knots. Triple that for return and some putting around here and there and you would have about 1300 hours. Seen that way, you would have a good shot at it with the Gardiner, but get it checked over thoroughly. Secondly, if you do have trouble, if you can get parts, the orient does have good mechanics -- their life comes from the sea. Good travels.

 

[grandbanksbayfield]

Keep the Gardiner. It seems like it would take very long to replace it. Example:2600 Nm to Indonesia, another 2600 up there putting around and then 3600 back to Sydney. At 6kNm/hr that is 1300 hrs. That is not too bad for an engine that lasts so long. I would gather up as many spare parts as possible, get the old baby runed up best you can and go. If you have problems up in those countries, they do have marine mechanics. Here in the U.S. it takes forever to find one.