ralphyost
Senior Member
"I'm not going to change my mind.* Old crap is old crap.* Our helicopter pilot at the television station I worked at until I moved here was forced to fly a really crummy little helicopter for traffic reporting.* It fell out the sky with considerable regularity but fortunately never hurt anyone in the process.* When I asked him if there was any way to make the thing more reliable, he said "You can only polish a turd so much."
That's the Lehman in my opinion."
Boating choices become a matter of affordability.
When boat shopping, immediately I could determine I couldnt afford a newer boat with newer tehcnology in engines. I learned that Lehman sold over 25,000 engines in trawlers, that MANY MANY trawler owners know them very well, there is a great parts supply system, and they are expected to run >20,000 hours. THere is also a neat 2 day course on how to maintain them by the world's foremost expert on them. The total cost of ownership of the Lehman 20 is reasonable.
Yet there are other good marine engines too. But those factors collectively convinced me that I wanted an old Lehman engine in my boat.
Seemed like a logical conclusion to me.
This being my 4th year with this 1982 boat, I am happy with the Lehman 120 choice. I find the engine relatively easy to get to know, comprehend, work on, and get help with if needed.
And since this thread was about starting, it starts quickly and easily each time....crack the throttle a bit. In spring, the first time you start it in colder weather, you may have to give it a lot or full throttle the very FIRST time it starts. Thereafter, normal starting procedure. Brian Smith from American Diesel told me that after the boat sits for more than a few weeks, sometimes the fuel can recede a bit and it takes more cranking to get it up to the injectors. I find his starting diagnosis to be correct each Spring. After that, all season long, I never have any start issues.
I have almost 6500 hours on my red Lehman.
Note that it took 28 years to put 6800 hours on it. In another 28 years, it may have as much as 14,000 total hours. Still not at expected lifetime !
R.
That's the Lehman in my opinion."
Boating choices become a matter of affordability.
When boat shopping, immediately I could determine I couldnt afford a newer boat with newer tehcnology in engines. I learned that Lehman sold over 25,000 engines in trawlers, that MANY MANY trawler owners know them very well, there is a great parts supply system, and they are expected to run >20,000 hours. THere is also a neat 2 day course on how to maintain them by the world's foremost expert on them. The total cost of ownership of the Lehman 20 is reasonable.
Yet there are other good marine engines too. But those factors collectively convinced me that I wanted an old Lehman engine in my boat.
Seemed like a logical conclusion to me.
This being my 4th year with this 1982 boat, I am happy with the Lehman 120 choice. I find the engine relatively easy to get to know, comprehend, work on, and get help with if needed.
And since this thread was about starting, it starts quickly and easily each time....crack the throttle a bit. In spring, the first time you start it in colder weather, you may have to give it a lot or full throttle the very FIRST time it starts. Thereafter, normal starting procedure. Brian Smith from American Diesel told me that after the boat sits for more than a few weeks, sometimes the fuel can recede a bit and it takes more cranking to get it up to the injectors. I find his starting diagnosis to be correct each Spring. After that, all season long, I never have any start issues.
I have almost 6500 hours on my red Lehman.
Note that it took 28 years to put 6800 hours on it. In another 28 years, it may have as much as 14,000 total hours. Still not at expected lifetime !
R.
