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Hey Everyone,
I´m looking at buying a Tiara 3200. It is a 2006 and has 475 hours on the engines. These will be my first diesel engines and I was wondering what I should plan for annual maintenance costs? Also, should I be worried about the “marine age” of these engines? They are low time but have been in the salt water for 10 years. I plan on having an engine survey done, but from the sounds of it the oil and transmission samples don´t really tell the whole story. Sounds like I need to have the after coolers pulled and inspected also? I´m guessing this isn´t done in a standard survey? Any recommendations of someone who does this in the San Diego area?
Thanks,
Luke
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Vessel Name: Tenacious
Engines: 6BTA 5.9 330's - "Seaboard Style"
Location: Long Island, NY
Country: USA
Let’s put it this way and play the odds. If they look like the prior photos and you have no solid maintenance history, the odds are they are shot. If they look like these and are clean, signs of grease at the caps and fresh hardware odds are they are serviceable. Make sense?
Vessel Name: Tenacious
Engines: 6BTA 5.9 330's - "Seaboard Style"
Location: Long Island, NY
Country: USA
Exterior inspection of the upper and lower cap to housing mating areas.
Peeling/bubbling paint, corrosion?
Are the bolts still “factory painted” with no tool marks?
Rust/corrosion around the base of the bolt heads..
Vessel Name: Tenacious
Engines: 6BTA 5.9 330's - "Seaboard Style"
Location: Long Island, NY
Country: USA
So your first diesel, then likely you will be paying someone (at least initially) to do your initial repairs and maintenance. Therefore, in my opinion, what can pay dividends for you is to forget the “engine surveyor” and get a real mechanic who knows these engines. He can can not only be your pre-purchase inspector but can also stay with you after ownership. He can hopefully go through the engines as to what they will need done right away and he can price the parts and labor and that estimated cost can be part of your initial negotiations.
The “hang-on” items – aftercoolers, heat exchangers, etc can all be serviced or replaced (but they don’t come cheap). What you really have to be mindful of is a safe exhaust that has been able to protect the turbo, exhaust manifold & exh valves. Tiara does a real good job with exhausts, better than most builders, so you “should” be safe there… The engine room is gonna be tight with a lot of gizmo’s, especially with that big riser coming off the port engine and the Westerbeke genset shoved in the middle back there….the access to the port shaft coupling is real tough. But it’s the price you pay to have all the “big boat” amenities in a 32ft. With the placement of the genset back there any leakage or spray from a non-maintained shaft seal (usually PSS on that boat) ends up in the electrical end of the genset – check that out carefully.
The boat is a rock sold build but you do need to be mindful of the hull side and deck coring. For as great a boat Tiara builds they were not known for great work when it came to installing hull side thru hulls, engine room vents, anchor locker drains and then like. Watch for moisture penetration into the coring around those areas. Below the waterline should be solid glass.
These pictures could be the boat in question. The resolution is not that good but enough to see the layout. Seems like the port turbo has some “browning” (indicating higher load/heat) but the starboard does not. Could be nothing but could mean a turbo was replaced.
Good luck and keep us informed.
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