New member here and I guess you can tell from my screen name what kind of Downeaster I have J. Think this is a great site for some very special kind of boats.
We built the boat back in 1989 after purchasing just the bare hull from then Flyepoint Marine. After 23 seasons and over 5000 hours, the boat still runs as good as the day it was first splashed. She has a 6BT 210 HP Cummins with a 2.54-1 gear and a 26 square wheel. Cruise speed is 14 knots and 16 WOT. Not a speed demon but she does everything we want, will go through anything and just can’t beat the almost 2 MPG we get at cruise, especially for a boat as big and heavy as she is. The engine has been great to us and other then the usual maintenance, there have been no issues at all. Thought about repowering with a 315 or 370 but each time I see the price of fuel these days, I begin to realize the extra few knots that I will gain won’t offset the cost to repower. Maybe someday if the engine ever goes.
We started building the boat in March of 1989 and completed it in October of the same year. Would I ever do it that way again…….heck no……but we were able to build a boat exactly the way we wanted it and have been enjoying it ever since. Most of the superstructure is glass over plywood, with the exception of the roofs which are Baltek. There are 4 bunks up front along with galley and head. Salon is very roomy and comfortable as well and the crew is usually passed out cold on the rides home. I must say that I have a lot of respect for you guys who build boats for a living, it’s a lot of work. Bruce Grindal was at Flyepoint back then and it was his help and advice that enabled us to complete the boat the way we did and was a sincere pleasure to deal with.
The boat has been through all kinds of weather and it seems the rougher it gets, the better she handles and the boat has saved our buts on many a trip. People who make their living off of the water love this boat and I can’t tell you how many offers we had to sell her. We have always graciously refused and have never had any real desire to part with her because she does what we need. I still get the same thrill when I head out with her as I did the first time I took her out 23 years ago.
Sorry about the picture, it’s from my cell phone and I’ll post a few better ones in the future.
I’ll post more details later when I have more time.
Ed
We built the boat back in 1989 after purchasing just the bare hull from then Flyepoint Marine. After 23 seasons and over 5000 hours, the boat still runs as good as the day it was first splashed. She has a 6BT 210 HP Cummins with a 2.54-1 gear and a 26 square wheel. Cruise speed is 14 knots and 16 WOT. Not a speed demon but she does everything we want, will go through anything and just can’t beat the almost 2 MPG we get at cruise, especially for a boat as big and heavy as she is. The engine has been great to us and other then the usual maintenance, there have been no issues at all. Thought about repowering with a 315 or 370 but each time I see the price of fuel these days, I begin to realize the extra few knots that I will gain won’t offset the cost to repower. Maybe someday if the engine ever goes.
We started building the boat in March of 1989 and completed it in October of the same year. Would I ever do it that way again…….heck no……but we were able to build a boat exactly the way we wanted it and have been enjoying it ever since. Most of the superstructure is glass over plywood, with the exception of the roofs which are Baltek. There are 4 bunks up front along with galley and head. Salon is very roomy and comfortable as well and the crew is usually passed out cold on the rides home. I must say that I have a lot of respect for you guys who build boats for a living, it’s a lot of work. Bruce Grindal was at Flyepoint back then and it was his help and advice that enabled us to complete the boat the way we did and was a sincere pleasure to deal with.
The boat has been through all kinds of weather and it seems the rougher it gets, the better she handles and the boat has saved our buts on many a trip. People who make their living off of the water love this boat and I can’t tell you how many offers we had to sell her. We have always graciously refused and have never had any real desire to part with her because she does what we need. I still get the same thrill when I head out with her as I did the first time I took her out 23 years ago.
Sorry about the picture, it’s from my cell phone and I’ll post a few better ones in the future.
I’ll post more details later when I have more time.
Ed
