I am a newbie to this so if any of this is redundant I apologize. In addition to being a newbie, I am very unfamiliar with this particular line of boats. Having said that I have a couple of ideas I'd like to raise.

1) Vee Drives. I can't quite make out the engine/transmission layout in George's drawings. It probably though is the conventional in-line arrangement. For hulls like this though someone should consider using a vee drive transmission. ( With a Vee drive, the engine is swapped 180 degrees front to back and the gear mounts as usual on the bellhousing but the shaft runs UNDER the engine and back to the stearn). Advantages? A more compact engine package with the engine is closer to the stearn freeing up some space. Moreover, the weight is shifted aft, and the prop shaft is shorter (and cheaper).

2) Noise. Most small diesel noise is the air intake. Before anyone goes crazy spending a lot of money on Soundown noise insulation, they should check out the Walker Air Sep system that is used on almost all new larger marine diesel engines. The Walker Airsep would cut down the noise by 6 to 7 decibels, be a washable, reusable air filter, recycle unburned fuel back into the oil pan, and remove engine smell from the boat.

3) Dinghy location. Sure you could hang the dinghy off the stearn on some davits. Or, do it the commercial fishing way and mount it on top of the cabin. Looks much better that way and it won't swing in the breeze. If you really want to look with it, install a buff painted dory or wooden skiff up on top like Billy Joel does.

4) Coatings. Some people have compained about having to re-paint the boat shortly after arriving home. This probably isn't suprising. I doubt that standard practice in China is to use a paint booth etc. Has the builder or anyone else investigated using Imron or other durable coatings above the water line? These are commonly used on Class 8 trucks and last and last. Secondly, no one has mentioned anti-skid decks. Is the builder covering the decks with an antiskid coating? Might be a nice idea.

5) HP requirements. Without much thought the 46 footer is crying out for a non turbo six cylinder engine of about 130 HP. Which one? Really any engine as long as you can find parts and service. Why non turbo? Turbos introduce cost, complexity and shorten engine life. Why six cylinders? Only a six cylinder natural engine will have the required HP. Beware of 4 cylinder engines turboed to the max to get 110 HP. Somethings is going to give: either your wallet or the engine. A nice straight non-turbo six just loping along will give long life, good fuel economy and have a lot of low RPM torque vs. a four cylinder screamer pushed to within an inch of its life.

YMMV

Block Island Guy

Hi BIG,

Re the intake noise I was in Perth Australia last week and shown a naturally aspirated generator with a muffler on the intake side, very quiet.

The mechanics had used 350mm of 225mm dia storm water pipe with blanking end caps on both ends. They had drilled 75mm in the centre of each end cap and inserted two 75mm PVC pipes, one from each end leaving a 30mm gap between them. This gap disrupts the sound waves.

Small self-tapping screws secured the end caps and the 75mm pipes were glued into the end caps with PVC glue.

On the end of one the 75mm pipes a K&N washable pod filter was mounted and the end of the other 75mm pipe connected to the diesel intake.

Small self-tapping screws secured the end caps and the 75mm were glued into the end caps with PVC glue.

Totals parts cost AUD130.

John

1) Vee Drives have pluses but they add complexity and cost and aren't really necessary with the current design.

2) Using an inlet muffler/air filter designed for sound reduction is a mod I'm sure a few people will add. They do work well. I believe the Lugger engines come with these.

3)Davits are more commonly used for coastal cruising because they are just so easy for the daily up down. Most people would remove the dingy and tie it down for long crossings anyway as davits aren't really secure in foul weather. My boat is the sedan and the dingy is mounted on the upper deck and uses an electric boom winch to raise and lower. With the deck layout on the 462, there isn't a great place to store the dingy for regular use without using davits.

4) I haven't heard this to be a problem with the paint system that Bill is using. He does paint in a closed in area with lined walls now. His multi-step/part system is similar to Imron. Properly prepped it should last a long time.

5) Bill is now installing naturally aspirated engines (IVECO) in the 123-135 hp range as standard. Earlier boats had the John Deere turbo 4s. However, both are very good, low rpm reliable engines.

Re: Vee Drives

Yep, Vee drives do cost more and are far more complex. Many sail boats use them though to save on space. In this application, it might be nice though to get the engine as far removed fromt the pilot house as possible.

Re: paint systems

My comments about paints and other coatings (e.g., non-skid decks) was only to point out that without a dedicated paint booth/oven with very modern materials the paint won't last in the marine environment. Painting in "an enclosed space" with "lined walls" is not what I had in mind. It may be way too much to expect an essentially custom boat builder to have such a facility. No matter where he is located, Greenwhich, CT or China, the low volume doesn't justify the investment.

Re: noise insulation.

Your system sounds (forgive the pun) interesting. BUT for only $500 for a non turbo engine a Walker Airsep would give you a significant noise reduction, A reduction in decibels akin to moving from the cab of a Mack truck to the front seat of a Volvo. Moreover, the Walker also gives you a washable and re-usable air filter and by recycling the unburned fuel back into the oil pan, a much cleaner and less smelly engine compartment. Seems like a no brainer to me.

YMMV