Back Cove Blog
As promised here is the test data for the Yanmar 6CX CR engine at 530 horsepower. I have been anxious to see these results myself because so many of our potential buyers are sailors looking to move to powerboats and Yanmar has been their engine of choice for a lot of their sailing life. I also have been keen to see it because Yanmar had this engine available in the past as a 465 and then 500 horsepower non common rail GTE series engine. It was a real workhorse for us in many of our Sabre applications and I always loved the torque curves and the feeling that a larger displacement engine like this has.
It’s another great choice for powering the Back Cove 37
Download BC37_Yanmar_6CXM-GTE_530mHp
Tags: Back Cove 37, Back Cove Production, Back Cove Yachts
Posted in Back Cove Yachts Blog | Comments Off on Back Cove 37 Yanmar test data is in.
A quick thirty minute sea-trial is never enough to really get the feel of a boat prior to buying one. I can tell you a lot of funny stories from “our side of the table” about sea trials. My favorite is the fellow who made sea trial appointments with a whole series of dealers and showed up with the picnic basket and the entire family at the appointed hour each time. Only when a group of dealers were telling client stories at the bar one evening did they all come to realize that they had shared the same “prospect” and had given this family a whole series of days on the water at no cost whatsoever.
A better way to approach the need for more than just 30 minutes away from the dock is to charter. When we first launched the Back Cove 33 we were invited by our dealer in Bellingham, Washington to bring Motorboating Magazine to their location and use one of their stock boats to do the test for the magazine. As funny as this may seem, this three day adventure in the San Juan Islands actually sold me on getting a Back Cove 33. You can read about that charter on our web site and find contact information for our dealer there as well.
Tags: Back Cove 33, Back Cove Owners, Back Cove Yachts
Posted in Back Cove Yachts Blog | Comments Off on Testing Before You Buy
The most common question we get with our single engine boats is “should I buy the larger engine?” The (rough) answer is quite simple. If you want to cruise all day at 20 knots, take the standard engine. If you want to cruise at 24 knots buy the upgrade. There is a fairly direct relationship between fuel consumption and horsepower. And for any given hull design and weight there is a “crouch factor” that determines how much drag that hull creates. In other words, it takes the same amount of horsepower to go the same speed, regardless of engine size. Larger engines do however permit the user to cruise faster and top out at a higher speeds. They also help the owner to adjust for boat loading and bottom cleanliness.
Here’s the performance data for the Cummins 600 QSC8.3. As soon as we have tested the Yanmar 530 and the Cummins 480 we’ll show you those too.
Download BC37_Cummins_QSC8.3_600mHp_D001
Tags: Back Cove 37, Back Cove Owners, Back Cove Yachts
Posted in Back Cove Yachts Blog | Comments Off on Horses
I don’t rave about specific brands as a rule. If you do that someone who sells another brand is likely to ask why you haven’t given them this same amount of publicity. Of course when it comes to gen sets and engines everyone has an opinion. I have mine and this is my blog so here goes.
Gen sets are fantastic tools to have on board a boat. They allow you to run every electrical appliance you have without the “umbilical cord” being attached to the grid. On our Back Cove 37 the standard equipment includes the Onan EQD gen set which in my view is the best gen set available today. About five years or so ago Onan made up it’s corporate mind to create the best gen sets and staffed an engineering group to create it. Technically they are superior as you can read on their web site. System diagnostics are easy so that technicians can readily detect and correct problems should they occur. In our history with Onan we have had few issues and a couple of operator errors, but little to speak of. Everything from control panels to sound shields, just works.
But let’s face it there are a lot of places where powerboat generators are not welcomed because of noise. Gen sets have gotten a bad wrap. High speed (3600 rpm) gen sets that were popular in smaller sizes and installed on less expensive boats, created a poor image in many a quiet anchorage. Today’s gen sets that are slower turning and are fully enclosed not only in a sound shield but also within a well sound-proofed engine compartment. They are barely audible from the next boat in the anchorage.
I like to tell the story about one client who was very concerned about gen set noise and who asked that we start the gen set so he could hear how loud it was from within the cabin of the boat. I then told him that the set was already running and watched as his jaw dropped.
Tags: Back Cove 37, Back Cove Design, Back Cove Yachts
Posted in Back Cove Yachts Blog | Comments Off on (Quiet) Power when you need it
A quick note today to advise readers of Motorboating Magazine that Peter Janssen’s review of the new Back Cove 37 is in print in the April issue. And not only does Peter offer a great review of the design he felt that she was so pretty that she should be the cover girl as well. Look for your issue of the magazine in your mailbox this week or on the news stands in the days to come.
I’ll post some of Peter’s comments along the way and they will have some of the elements of the review and some video on motorboating.com in the days ahead.
Tags: Back Cove 37, Back Cove Yachts, Press
Posted in In the News | Comments Off on Cover Girl !
