Excellent Repower @ Niemiec Marine -Cummins Recon
Excellent Repower @ Niemiec Marine -Cummins Recon
Click here for pics and video: http://www.niemiecmarine.com/repowering.php After extensive research on the web, talking with folks everywhere, and shopping NY,CT,RI, and MA, I chose www.niemiecmarine.com for my 30’ Bertram Moppie repower. It was an excellent experience and I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THESE GUYS!! I live in CT and it would have been a lot more convenient to repower with someone closer, but I chose Niemiec because of their fair price, professionalism, and experience. My boat was a project boat that had no engines and was sitting for a couple of years, so there were lots of unknowns. Niemiec had the experience to help me bring the boat back to life, within a reasonable budget. Here are a few key reasons why I chose Niemiec: 1. Brad and Marty Niemiec are professionals. Brad was my main contact and he returns calls and emails the same day. He is available 6 days a week (or more) and he is a smart guy and closely manages all of the projects. When you talk to him he is fully aware of the progress and is eager to discuss the specifics. He is a boat guy, and the passion shows. We spent many hours standing in the cold, talking about engines and boats. 2. Niemiec Marine quotes projects as “Not to Exceed $xxxx.xxâ€�. They take the time to accurately estimate projects and they provide a fair price before work it started. There are no surprises when the bill comes; you pay exactly what you were quoted. And, the project will be done on schedule. No worries there since they have a full crew of mechanics. My boat arrived at Niemiec on January 27th, and we went for a sea trial March 19th. 3. Niemiec Marine is a family business started by Marty Niemiec some 30 years ago out of his truck. Marty is there all of the time and is on top of all of the projects too. Brad has taken a prominent role in the company and the two of them are a very good team. They know what needs to be done now, and what can be put off until later. This is critical when repowering an older boat since it would be easy to blow your budget. There will always be surprises once the project gets moving, that is just the nature of the business. Some of my surprises were: hairline crack in the sea strainer sight glass, thru-hulls that were too long and didn’t fit flush to the hull (ie: leaking,) chafing on fuel lines that we originally thought we would reused, cracked PSST carbon (drip-less shaft seal), leaking steering system, wiring issues, Raycor issues, etc. All of these issues were found because Niemiec took the time to inspect everything as they were doing the job. None of these were obvious, and they could have caused serious problems down the road. I am grateful that these were brought to my attention and fixed properly. 4. Niemiec saved me thousands on the exhaust design because they knew of off the shelf parts that would fit the bill…….Cummins requires 12â€� above the waterline and my boat only had ~10â€� from the factory. (no wonder the original engines failed prematurely) Now I have 15+â€� above the waterline and I don’t have to worry about backflow water killing my new engines. 5. Niemiec’s mechanics are polished and professional. You will be treated with respect when you visit and the job will be done right. They take the time to lay out all the fuel lines, cables, mounts, etc., and put it all together the way it should be. Straight, aligned, clean. Smooth running with no vibrations. The job is factory perfect (or better!) 6. Niemiec marine has a REAL PARTS COUNTER. It is obvious that they cater to demanding customers (lots of commercial guys in New Bedford) that need parts right away. It’s like going to a NAPA for boats. 7. Niemiec moves projects along quickly. I visited several times since December and can tell you that every time I visited there were several different boats inside their large shop. They repowered 8 boats this winter including mine. They do impressive paint work too. The boat “Cotton Club “ a 36’ Pace, was repainted (and repowered) and the paint job was perfect. No orange peel, no drips, straight lines, and an incredible gloss. 8. They sell Cummins, Yanmar, Volvo, Crusader, Universal, Westerbeke, Phasor, VW marine, and more. So, they can give you an honest opinion as to what power is the best option for you. Here are the initial sea trial results from GPS (full fuel, 2 persons, no water) 2200rpm=24.5kts, 2400rpm=26.5kts, 2600rpm=29kts, 2900rpm=31.5kts. Cummins 6BTA 330hp Recon_ZF1.5:1_21x25â€� 3 blade Nibrals no cup. I’m one happy guy. Feel free to call me if you have any questions 860 918 5974 or send me a PM. See you at the canyons! - Paul
Paul... It is nice to hear there are still professionals out there who do a good job and stick to their promises! And nice to see your writeup as well. One comment about your new drive train... Most of us who have Cummins 315/330HP engines with a 1.5:1 trans have slightly less pitch in our props (mine are 21"D x 23" pitch for example).. and mine will reach 2900-2950 RPM under load with the throttles pegged. Most diesel people say a well set up boat should be able to manage 100-150 RPM over the rated RPM.. which for a 330HP 6B is 2800 RPM. You might be a tad overpropped. Usually we see about 1 knot per 100 RPM with our boats.. ie: idle at 700 RPM gives us about 6-7 knots, 1200 RPM gives 12 knots, 2000 RPM gives 20 knots, and so on. You are doing a little more than that.. just a comment you might want to peg your throttles one day and see what boatspeed and RPM you can reach.
Frank B - IRGuy@aol.com "Phoenix" 1983 FBC Cummins 6Bs - 315HP Wilmington, NC
Hi Frank, I hope things are well. Thanks for your feedback and I remember our phone call last year, you were a big help! My boat is actually the smaller sister to the 33, it is the 30 footer with a similar hull (18.5 degree deadrise) so that is why I am getting higher cruise speeds. I figured I would run the boat this year and tweak the props for next year. I agree that I may be a tad bit over propped. Sorry to barge in on the 33 website, but I have been browsing this site a lot for the last few years while I was shopping for a Bertram. I wound up with a 30 instead of a 33 but there are great folks here with some excellent posts, so I am still coming!! Paul
Paul... OK, that clears things up! Our boats by and large weigh about 24,000 lbs, and yours should weigh quite a bit less. Less weight = more speed. Don't fret about "barging in" here.. all are welcome as long as they are serious boaters. (Unless they have a Sea Ray). Doug33... Didn't we see and go aboard a Bertram 30 in Plymouth at Brewer's a couple of years ago?
Frank B - IRGuy@aol.com "Phoenix" 1983 FBC Cummins 6Bs - 315HP Wilmington, NC
As I just reread the original post I now see that he did say they reached 2900 RPMs. If I had seen this the first time I would not have posted my input above. Sorry everybody!
Frank B - IRGuy@aol.com "Phoenix" 1983 FBC Cummins 6Bs - 315HP Wilmington, NC