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I have had my eye on a 1974 Trojan F44 Motoryacht at Bridge Yachts on lake Erie (Canada) for some time now. I have not physically looked at the boat because of poor reports on the Cummins engines. They are 310 hp 903 V8's. I have heard they are hard to get parts for, they are gutless and have issues with cylinder heads. Any opinions? It is down to $69,900.00 and looks like a nice boat. I will be going to a motor yacht within the next couple of years. I am looking for the right boat for the Great Loop. Obviously, I want diesel power but I want dependable engines. jimbo36
poor reports on the Cummins engines ? Great engines BUT ! When you are looking at a engine that has not been made in 20 plus years then can be hard to get parts for and you can pay a lot for them . this goes for a lot of older engines / It can be a V8 cummins or a old Cat even a Detroit diesel like the 671 are getting a little harder to find parts for . even thou those will have mose parts available for years to come as there so many of them . try and find exhust manifold parts for a 8.2 DD not easy . So this is not a Cummins issue . a Cummins B like mine will have parts for years to come as the so many made .Cummins parts are the cheapest of all , as long as its some thing near current .
The 903 is a great engine , but its time maybe past. still could be a relable engine but if something goes you could be down for a while
gutless ???? huh ???
Boating is good for the soul
77/78 TROJAN F36 Conv.
6BTA Cummins diesels
Life is to short for a ugly boat
903 CID and 320 hp make for a very tough engine lots of toque . the only issue is parts , it they where easy to find then I would give the engine 5 stars . But good is even the best engine made if needs a pump and you can't find it ?
I would recc you check on parts before you buy maybe the owner has a good source ? find out who then call and see . I did not say inmposable to find just hard .and that means $$$$
Boating is good for the soul
77/78 TROJAN F36 Conv.
6BTA Cummins diesels
Life is to short for a ugly boat
Paul, Thanks for the input. Not sure where I read the Gutless comment. When I got interested in the boat I searched on line for reports and this is what came up. i.e. various deisel engine sites. With the prospects of doing the loop sometime down the line, my goal would be to find a boat with DEPENDABLE engines. I have given consideration to possibly repowering my F36 Tri cabin with say, new 230 hp yanmars at about 70K But then I see nicer boats available for less than I would have into my Trojan. In your opinion, what diesel engines are the best? Bearing in mind that, for cost reasons, it would be an older boat. My budget would be up to 100K. jimbo36
Hey Jimbo.... I think that boat's been listed for about 3 years now. A couple of years back I was talking to the broker about it - back then I think they were asking $129K or something like that. Broker basically lowered his voice and told me the owner was dreaming, that it wasn't that nice... etc... And here we are 2-3 years later and they still have no sale.
I have never seen the boat myself, but when the listing broker tries to warn you, the alarm bells go off to make sure you take a good look before you get too serious about it. I think those pictures are the same ones they put up when the listing first came out .. so odds are it doesn't look quite the same now. 'Lifestyle change' for current owner probably means 'can no longer afford it', so the boat might have suffered a bit.
I think the boat does actually sit in Port Dover. Good luck, and if you decide to go take a look-see make sure to let us know what you think of it. (personally, the 46 Bertram makes me drool more!!)
Join BoatDisel.com for $25/year ad you'll get a ton of insight from real 903 owners.
I agree with Paul that it will be difficult to get parts when you need them, but you may find a good source on BoatDiesel. Tony knows his stuff on there - and there are tons of other owners who chime in.
I, for one, will never buy a gas (now corn) powered large boat again. I simply can't deal with the government mandating corn fuel that goes bad and causes me so many problems. I'm tired of dealing with bad fuel, water, points, condensors, coils, spark plugs, wires, timing and the risk of fire. When I go out and start (not I didn't say "to start", as they ALWAYS start) my Cummins - they always start. My new 454 in my 26 is another story - always requiring work since E10 (and now E15) has been mandated here in the states.
I have 2 OBs as well, so I'm stuck there . I use the skiff a lot, but my 18'er with a Yamaha 200 is a pain to keep fuel fresh in.
I'd lok at the boat - it may do vetry well on the Great Loop - especially if you don;t run it hard (but vary the speed). Its a buyers market ...
Captain Ross, 2009 Trojan Boater of the Year
"Viva Mahia" F32 Cummins 6BTA diesels,
"Mack Attack" Chaparral 244 Fish, SeaPro 180, McKee 14, Montauk-17
Thanks everyone. captainM, Yes, the price when I first saw it was 99K. The Bertram IS awesome. I just did the boat show in Hamilton and Bridge Yachts was in a booth near mine (Parkbridge Marina's). I tryed to get the inside info on the Bertram but he was not too informative regarding the sellers situation. I plan on keeping my eye on it for sure. jimbo36.
Thanks captain, I think it may be a project boat. Which is fine if the price is right and the mechanicals check out o.k. Every boat I have owned was a project. Why am I laughing? jimbo36
They are 310 hp 903 V8's. I have heard they are hard to get parts for, they are gutless and have issues with cylinder heads. Any opinions? It is down to $69,900.00 and looks like a nice boat. I will be going to a motor yacht within the next couple of years. I am looking for the right boat for the Great Loop. 
Obviously, I want diesel power but I want dependable engines. jimbo36
But then I see nicer boats available for less than I would have into my Trojan. In your opinion, what diesel engines are the best? Bearing in mind that, for cost reasons, it would be an older boat. My budget would be up to 100K. jimbo36
I just did the boat show in Hamilton and Bridge Yachts was in a booth near mine (Parkbridge Marina's). I tryed to get the inside info on the Bertram but he was not too informative regarding the sellers situation. I plan on keeping my eye on it for sure. 
jimbo36