Gardner 8l3b deisel

[Grub54891]

Well, it looks like one of our boaters is stepping up a bit. He is currently looking at a 97 foot Santa Margarita,1983 vintage.With twin Gardner 8 cyl deisel engines. What he wants to know is how long to these engines hold up? They have 10,000 hours on them now. I have been looking online,since he just called today, I want to find out a bit more info about these engines. From what I found so far is they seem to a pretty reliable engine. I just haven't found any info on lifespan for them yet.Any thoughts? Thanks in advance....

 

[rbh]

Lots of variables on diesel engines, idling hours or under heavy load, maintenance (oil changes) etc

Pull the injectors and do a compression test maybe??

 

[alldodge]

10K hours is a bunch even for most diesels, least this type top rpm range looks to be around 1850. Slow movers means they should last much longer if taken care of. To make it to 10K you could say they have been taken care of for most of their lives. Start them up when they have sat all night and see how quick they fire up and look for any smoke and color

 

[Grub54891]

Thank's guys,I have suggested to the buyer to have compression/leak down tests done to it if they haven't in awhile. It seems to be a well taken care of vessel,but they do wear out. I have found that the sleeves can be removed rather easily,just getting to the bottom end might be a challenge. Thanks again,and if anyone else has any opinions,let me know!

 

[K-2]

What country is this boat in? Probably tough to find parts in USA ?
BC coast Canada used to have a lot of fishing boats with Gardners.
They never seemed to popular in USA. English made.
Those 8l3B are big and slow turning, should have a long life, well past 10K hours if maintained properly, the
parts rarity would scare me more than the hours.

 

[Grub54891]

Thanks, it's in New Jersey now,if he buys it, it will be in the Great Lake Superior as it's home port is copper harbor area. We service his boats now up in Washburn wi. We can pick and store it here also.I realize parts may be an issue but if he buys it we will deal with that when needed. Thank's again!

 

[geoffwga1]

Ok,you could prolly say I'm a bit biased,being English, but Gardner engines are universally recognised in commercial fishing circles as the Rolls Royce of marine engines,they are hand built by one man and to very exacting standards.Simply put,if looked after properly they last forever.Another thing about them is they are modular.In other words you can add or take away cylinders as needed,Each cylinder has its own fuel pump. As far as spares go I would not know how available they are in the US but they are certainly available in UK.