“Skippers of some superyachts and expedition vessels that use our tenders have told me things like: ‘You’ve got no idea the kind of places we’re expected to take these things…’ and that’s an indication of the extremes these little boats are expected to perform in,” says Rob Kirby of Kirby Marine. The Yanmar 4LV195M was the solution for such demands in a recent NAIAD tender project by Kirby Marine.
“These little boats are expected to do a lot of things,” says Rob Kirby, Managing Director of Kirby Marine in Western Australia.
Rob is talking about tender vessels built to service either superyachts or expedition vessels, an increasingly popular order for his boat building business. Kirby Marine are seasoned professionals in the boat building game and you will see their work on the water in everything from large, high-performance patrol boats through to 3.8 metre pleasure boats.
They are long-time builders of the famous NAIAD design rigid inflatable vessels and boast a 35-year-plus history of building and refurbishing boats that are in service commercially or recreationally across Australia and Southeast Asia.
A recent order for a 5.3 metre tender, (to deliver ship-to-shore duties for a new Horizon luxury yacht), presented some challenges for the Kirby Marine team.
The Yanmar 4LV solution!
There was nothing random about the choice of a Yanmar 4LV195M marine diesel engine for this NAIAD project, and Rob explains the reasons.
“We knew the boat design was good, but we had weight restrictions and needed to match engine RPM’s to a Hamilton Jet propulsion system,” Rob said.
“The build needed to be done without a gearbox and the Yanmar 4LV delivered both the right horsepower and revs to get the job done.”
With the 4LV series specifically designed to cater for multiple shaft and jet drive options – as well as the ever-durable Yanmar ZT370 sterndrive – the right engine for this project was ready to go.
As a five-times best-in-class engine, the 2.8litre class Yanmar 4LV delivers the goods across an astounding range of vessels. Everything from 50-foot-plus yachts, light duty commercial vessels and a wide range of smaller motorboats can benefit in new builds or repowers with the 4LV. The 4LV’s advantages start with unbeatable power-to-weight and only get better from there.
This 334kg engine delivers its maximum horsepower ratings at 3,500rpm but does it with exceptionally low smoke, emissions and noise. Low noise and vibration were serious considerations for the 5.3 NAIAD tender build, given that the engine was sitting directly below the console structure.
“We wondered about vibration from an engine in that position because we didn’t have a lot of room to play with in this kind of boat, but the Yanmar is very smooth and it’s no worries at all,” Rob explained.
Smooth, clean running, (EPA Tier 3 and IMO Tier 2 compliant), are impressive claims of course, but performance on the water is the star of the show in such boat builds.
“I’m not really interested in what is claimed on paper,” says Rob, “if a boat doesn’t perform to my expectations, I’m not happy.”
No problems in that department either!
The NAIAD 5.3 tender – “Hilarious” to drive
“When you drive it, it’s another experience altogether,” enthuses Rob.
Indeed, his team have described this great-looking tender as “hilarious” to drive, with the Yanmar 4LV195M easily pushing the hull over 33 knots at WOT. This engine delivers incredible low-end torque, (delivering stunning acceleration), helped by the latest in common rail diesel technology.
Available in options from 110kW (150hp @ 3,500rpm) up to 183kW (250hp @ 3,800rpm), the compact power of the 4LV has usually got an option to turn a vessel from “run-of-the-mill” to “thrill” with economical fuel consumption.
The 5.3 metre NAIAD tender designed and delivered by Kirby Marine is much more than a workhorse however – take a look at the finish and it certainly earns its place on any luxury yacht lifting platform or davits.
Coming in at just under 1.4 tonnes and carrying around 150litres of diesel onboard, this sleek tender also sports Yanmar’s YD42 smart display panel.
This display delivers all the information you could need from your Yanmar in a 4.1inch display (with the added advantage of viewability from up to 170 degrees). It offers 8 onboard pre-programmed languages and has gateway functionality to allow engine data to be displayed on NMEA 2000 devices. It looks fantastic on any console or sitting beside other screen displays too!
Rob loves the way it looks, but as a seasoned boat builder he’s not just about the aesthetic.
“I’m not interested in just creating a nice piece of furniture when we design and build a boat – it has to be able to do its job,” Rob says of the process in designing the boat.
“We have to look at where the boat will operate, what will be expected of it and serviceability factors,” he said.
“The reality is, we’re building a vessel like this tender as much for the crew and the skipper as the owner of the yacht because those are the people who will be keeping it running.”
Rob likes the Yanmar brand and has deep respect for the Yanmar Marine philosophy of building engines that can last. His own weekend pleasure vessel, (unsurprisingly a jet boat too), sports the famous Yanmar 6LP marine diesel inboard and he is well aware of Yanmar’s enviable record for reliability and innovation.
“When we build a tender for a luxury yacht like this one, we need to consider factors like the availability of spares in various parts of the world. That’s never an issue with Yanmars,” Rob says.
To find out more about Kirby Marine’s sevices and available vessels, visit www.kirbymarine.com.
Click here to see more about the YANMAR 4LV
