Pleasurecraft Speed Boat Power
The Background
When you push a 1,350kg, 680 horsepower V8 Supercar around a racetrack 10 months of the year, what do you do for kicks – go boating of course.
Multi-championship winning race ace, Russell Ingall – now anchoring the Supercheap Autos V8 Supercar team, has a passion for racing, but when it’s time to re- charge his batteries his passion turns to boating.
According to Russell, while the life of a race car driver may seem glamorous to some, his current race schedule sees one plane flight and hotel room blend into the next with little time available to spend with his family.
Based on Queensland’s Gold Coast, Russell turned to boating as a means of relaxation and to catch up on quality time with his family some years ago, and according to Russell it’s the best thing he ever did.
“Being based on the Gold Coast we have instant access to some of the best waterways in the world and places us within easy striking distance of the Great Barrier Reef, so boating for us was the logical outlet.
“We’ve had several boats over the years, ranging from small through to large and we’ve enjoyed every- one of them. And like most things you learn from experience, so each new boat gets you that little bit closer to having the ultimate one.
“We stepped up to the big league in 2006 after a chance meeting with Maritimo’s Bill Barry-Cotter. We got talking about boats and found that we had a lot in common.
“I liked the way he went about doing things, his success in ocean racing, his history with Riviera and what he’d achieved with Maritimo in such a short space of time, so we ended up ordering a Maritimo 48.
“The 48 is a real success story, with eighty boats produced to date and it really put them on the map.
“Eighteen months on and it’s time to step up again, this time to the new Maritimo 500 Offshore Convertible – and we can’t wait, and having learnt a few lessons from the 48 this one will be close to our ultimate boat.
“Because of my hectic race schedule I didn’t put a lot of thought into the 48 and really just ticked the boxes on the order form which meant she came with the standard engines, which were 670hp Cummins.
The Requirement
“With my motor racing back- ground I’ve got a pretty good mechanical feel, so I decided to opt for more cubic capacity and Torque for my M500.
“So with the new M500 I did to do my homework and ended up spending a fair bit of time with the guys at Maritimo who work on Bill’s race team, as they do a lot of sea miles and are fairly unbiased on the engine front.
“We looked at everything from power to noise emissions, as the M500 has rear helm station so having the quietest possible engines was very important to me, through to service support and fuel economy – as with the cost of fuel it’s a big factor now.
“I’ve found a lot of owners go for power, but from my point of view you don’t always use it, so I focussed on torque.
The Solution
“In the end I had two options, but the one that ticked all the boxes for me were the C12 Caterpillars, as the common thing that came through in talking with the Maritimo guys was that the C12 CATs had the best torque rating in the market.
The Results
“And after a subsequent run on a Maritimo 550 that was fitted with C18 Cat’s I knew I’d made the right decision, as I couldn’t believe how quickly it jumped out of the water – it was just phenomenal.
“The other big bonus for me will be fuel efficiency, with Maritimo estimating that the C12s will use around 65 litres per side, per hour, at a fast cruise speed of over 20, which is excellent.
“So my advice for anyone considering new engines is definitely do your homework. Ask industry people who’ve had exposure to all types of engines and compare service back-up networks, as support when cruising is essential.
“From my perspective, in talking to people who know engines and all about performance CAT came up more often than not to be the best, so there’s got to be good reason for it”, Russell said.
Energy Power Systems Australia’s CEO, Phil Canning, said the selection of the 12 litre C12 Caterpillar engines by Russell reinforces the in-roads Caterpillar’s new ACERT engine technology is making into the Australian Marine market.
“Over $500 million has been invested to meet today’s stringent emissions regulations and to offer the market a reliable product with category leading performance that meets the needs of customers worldwide.
“In essence, Caterpillar’s ACERT Technology is comprised of four key elements – Electronics, Fuel Delivery, Air Management and Combustion.
“The latest CAT ADEM electronic control unit, which is designed specifically for each power rating and emissions level, enables the engine to precisely control and shape fuel delivery, air management and all other engine functions.
“For fuel delivery, multiple injection delivery introduces fuel into the combustion chamber in a series of precisely timed “micro bursts”, which provides maximum power and fuel efficiency with minimum emission levels.
“The latest air management technologies, such as cross-flow cylinder heads, wastegate turbochargers, and even variable valve timing can be incorporated to control combustion air, ensure that fuel is burnt more efficiently, and performance is enhanced.
“While ACERT’s combustion system is designed to pull the maximum amount of energy from fuel delivery and applies this energy to the propeller.
“And because CAT’s ACERT Technology is primarily for combustion, there is no external plumbing to clutter cramped engine rooms.
“But in the end, all the technology in the world doesn’t actually mean anything unless it works, and from this point of view I am extremely pleased with the strong feedback we’ve been getting from our ACERT engine customers that our engines are not only clean and quiet, but that they are delivering the best in class acceleration and fuel consumption.
“So for me, it’s what our customers think that matters. And to receive confirmation that our engineers are really delivering on what our customers want is great news”.
