Engine Noise

[John burns]

Tomorrow I am driving 4 hours to look at a used 21EC

Since the boat is out of the water, I will be unable to run the engine. Although I am used to the sound of a 30 HP diesel from my many sailboats, They were always below decks.

I am concerned about the noise on a 21EC, with the diesel right in the cockpit. Should I be?

 

[walldog]

Was not an issue with us on our Classic 21. We sea trialed an EC and did not notice excessive engine noise at cruise. Others may speak directly about the EC though.

 

[MuskokaNuts]

We have enjoyed our R21-EC for 2 years and the engine noise has not been a factor for us. We normally run at 22-2300 RPM making about 5 knots. We generally have guests on board and nobody seems to be speaking loudly or having issues hearing the conversation. That being said, powering up above say 2800 RPM does increase the engine noise considerably. You also say that you are used to below decks engines. We have a friend with a 35' Trawler with twin engines, below decks, and he did comment on the engine noise on our R21, suggesting more noise insulation. Not that his boat was silent, I remember trying to sync the twin engines to get rid of the beat while underway. Not an issue on Quorum.
Rick

 

[rt11002003]

My experience with a R21EC, about 160 hours, is similar to Rick's. If my memory is correct, recommended operating rpm is around 80% of max rated rpm (3400 rpm), which would mean running around 2700 rpm. The noise level is tolerable in that range; really gets noisy after that as the rpm increase.

I liked it best around 2000 rpm, but not an ideal operating range according to Yanmar. Unfortunately, diesel engine design has moved to light weight, higher rpm engines which don't lend themselves to puttering around.

Let's face it diesels tend to be a little noiser than gas engines, though the newer common rail engines are supposed to be quieter. The few I've operated seem quieter.

Engine box setups tend to be louder than those buried in the hull.

If I get another R21EC, I plan to add additional sound deadening material, especially in the area leading into the cabin area.

gene

 

[knotflying]

Tomorrow I am driving 4 hours to look at a used 21EC

Since the boat is out of the water, I will be unable to run the engine.

Can you run a garden hose to the sea strainer and run the engine? This way you will hear it exactly as it is and eliminate your concerns.

 

[Pearl]

Has anyone heard of these products before? http://silentcoating.com/products.html http://www.sailorssolutions.com/index.asp?page=ProductDetails&Item=SPM06

 

[rt11002003]

Running the engine with the boat out of the water might be deceptive. I'd think the hull transmits some of the noise (vibration) to the surrounding water.

If, I'm correct, running with the boat out of the water would be louder.

Just a thought.

gene

 

[RProffer]

You can run the engine on the R-21EC while on the hard. You will need a short garden hose (3 feet) to connect to the fitting next to the sea strainer. Stick the hose in a 5 gal bucket full of water and make sure the thru hull is closed. Then start your engine. If you want to run the engine for a while, then run another garden hose to the bucket to keep it full. This is the method I used to flush my engine and to add anti-freeze in the fall.