By Captain Lawrence J. Festa

To me, Saturday, October 7th was just another offshore fishing day. I planned a fall shark trip on my 1984 21 JC Boat which was part of my normal October routine. "Kristen" is a great boat. She was purchased by my father, the late John Festa, and I in 1984. Kristen was custom built for us in John Cadario’s JC Boat Plant located then in Candia, New Hampshire.

Kristen was built with solid core and construction and full JC interior liners. She was the top of the JC line and noted by the model Flybridge Casco Bay. When complete, Kristen specked out at 16,500 pounds. For power we chose the popular and reliable 3208 T Caterpillar Diesel with 320 horsepower. When new, Kristen cruised at 18 knots and topped out at 22 knots. She was the queen of the fleet and was used by JC Boats in the National Fisherman’s Advertisement Section during the mid 1980’s.

During Kristen’s years my father and I logged over 5000 hours on the boat. She was chartered and pleasure fished relentlessly. From the canyons to the back bays, Kristen, did it all with the pulse of Cat Power. With 220 gallons of fuel at 11 G.P.H Kristen could go anywhere needed to harvest fish. We loved the way she ran. But as time went on Kristen started to slow down. With more gear and environmental weight her cruise speed lowered from 18 knots eventually to 15 knots. With the increase in load I was also forced to lower my cruise RPM from 2400 to 2300 RPM. The logic was to keep temperatures down to preserve the life of our loyal Caterpillar.

The motor was one of the best parts of the Kristen. It nested deep within the belly of the beast and never had a repair. That’s right! 5000+ hours and all original except for a Jabsco pump or

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two. My log book records showed that Kristen had consumed 34,345 gallons of diesel fuel during her sixteen years of fishing.

This meant that she averaged 6.8 GPH during her life which further averaged to 1600 RPMS. This put her use in pleasure craft range.

I knew as time progressed that the Old Cat was going to need some attention. But the thought of a repower gave me a sticker shock.

Life was good and the boat became very personal to me. After my father’s death in 1990 with memories of so many wonderful trips together fresh in my mind, I vowed that the Kristen would always be a part of my life. I would dream of winning the lottery and completely refinish the boat from gelcoat to teak, to power because money was no object.

My favorite fishing was the hunt for Mako and October 7, 2000 was a good day to slay one. My crew and I left the Freeport Tuna Club at 5a.m. I carefully studied my log book from years past to pick a proven spot. Based on the time of year, water temperature, sea conditions and boat traffic that morning I decided to make the long run deep in the 30 Fathom Curves southeast of Jones Inlet. The G.P.S punched out 47.8 miles to my spot. With full fuel we crept out at 15 knots for 3 1/2 hours. As I approached my spot I instructed the crew to lay out a chum slick as I slowly motored the boat into the sea. I always like doing this. After years of shark fishing I found that the chum slick is the key. It’s more important than the bait. By slowly motoring at 2-3 knots you can put out a mile long slick quickly plus the boat gets a good chance to cool down. As I pulled the clutch into neutral I first looked at the engine temperature. It was a cool 160 degrees and time to shut down. I looked into the sea and admired my beautiful chum slick which was now filled with the birds and life.

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Clear to the horizon I was the only boat in town and my chum slick was the only item on the menu. 10:00 am, baits in the

water. The deep bait was mackerel, the middle bait Albacore filet, and the closest bait, fresh bunker.

By now the sea was starting to change so we headed home. I carefully set my tachometer to 2250 RPMS which is 150 RPMS below the Cat’s recommended cruising range. The thermostats opened and the temperature locked in at her usual cool 175 degrees. As I approached the inlet after the four hour ride in I felt something was wrong. I slowed down and coasted to Hudson Point Marina and Kristen was in full overheat. This was the worst case scenario for a sixteen year old Turbo Diesel.

The following day I got the bad news: hydrocarbons in the cooling system. I went over my options with the mechanics and decided that to rebuild the Cat was not viable. My love for the offshore action and for the Kristen meant my only course of action was new power.

With this in mind I went to Al Grover’s Marina in Freeport. I have been both friend, worker, and customer of the Grover

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Family for over 30 years and trust their recommendations without hesitation. Dante Grover was well trained by his dad, boatbuilder, Al Grover Sr. Al had sold my dad and me our first new boat in

1978, the Groverbilt which was a fiberglass version of the famous Long Island Verity skiff. The boat was diesel powered and gave us years of offshore pleasure as far out as the Long Island Canyons. With over 80 years of knowledge between us, we discussed my options. The two engines I was looking at were the original Caterpillar because of the straight replacement package or the Yanmar and they are both sold at Grover’s. Dante explained to me that both the 315 Yanmar and the 3208 T Caterpillar would cost the same. With the cost factor being the same, I now had to make a choice. Both Dante and his top mechanic, Pete Raiano, strongly favored the Yanmar technology. With the amount of repowers that they were doing I had to go with the experts.

The Caterpillar had served me well. However, the new technology amazed me. For starters, the Yanmar weighed approximately 1000 pounds less. The 3208T Cat pumped out 215 HP at 2400 RPMS while the Yanmar 315 pushed out 260 HP at 3100. In addition, the amount of room that I would pick up with the Yanmar would make maintenance a lot easier and at age 51, this was clearly a factor. The final straw was the great performance several of my fishing buddies have with there Yanmars.

After a few restless nights I contacted Dante and went to the contract on the Yanmar. The only change was that I chose the 350 HP model. This would require reshafting the vessel to 1&3/4 "shafting". This was not an east task with a JC 31. The old wet tube had to be removed which required cutting into the hull’s solid core keel. But that’s the beauty of boat builders like the Grover’s, there would be no problem.

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On October 14, 2000, I prepared the Kristen for her retro fit. The salon interior was removed. Dante hauled the boat that day at his High and Dry Yard and we went over some of the details. Dante felt that I was currently swinging at the largest diameter wheel possible. With the additional HP it was therefore decided to change the drive gear from the 1.92/1 to a 1.74/1 and then adjust the wheel size. As we moved up the line we examined the wet tube assembly. The JC was well glassed and Dante felt the boat would take the change well.

Since the final drive ratio had been changed there was no doubt that the boat would be faster at idle. Therefore I decided to opt for a trolling valve. The stringers looked good and the engine room was plentiful. The dash was also discussed and the Yanmar D Panel was chosen.

Within one day the Kristen was completely dismantled. The old Cat was laid to rest and distended for resale. Dante’s crew on the job consisted of Doug Johnson, Pete Raiano, and Fred Greco. Doug for fiberglass, machinery, and installs. Fred for carpentry and detailing, and mechanic Pete Raiano for engine installations. The team worked great together, like surgeons in an operating room. Pete and Doug discuss each repower project and all problems as they arise. Doug has over 35 years experience with marine engines and equipment. Pete has been in marine work for over 20 years. His vast knowledge comes from his work on both commercial and recreational fishing vessels. His attention to detail in fabrication is superb. Fred has been with the Grover Family for over 40 years. He is the master carpenter for the Grovers and one of the original Grover Boat Builders.

The bilge was completely refinished for a factory fresh look. The crew’s eye for detail amazed me. All hoses and pumps were either removed, replaced or raised to give great detail to the bilge.

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the light grey paint gave a very fresh look to match the dark grey gleam of the new Turbo Yanmar. The project advanced quickly. The new shaft tubing was lined up and fiber glassed into place by Doug who carefully maneuvered the tube to within 1/4 of a degree. Pete took special care in setting the engine and making critical adjustments to the engine beds. Once the engine was in place, the team all worked together doing the final hook up of all systems.

On November 6, 2000 at 0831 a.m. the Kristen was launched for sea trials. Once in the water, Pete went over the motor. He tested all gauges, photo tached the engine, checked the high speed governor and all belts and hoses. Once complete, he gave the okay. The first wheel we tried was an in stock 24 X 20 four bladed bronze propeller. As Pete advanced the throttle, the boat revved up to 3000 RPM with an impressive speed of 23 knots from G.P.S. We returned to the marina for a second wheel that would give us the RPM rating required. Pete, Doug, and Dante went over the numbers and the second sea test was ready with a 22 X 19 four bladed nibral. Pete and Doug like to under wheel the motors by 100 RPMS in Yanmar applications. For the 350 HP 6LYA-STE Yanmar’s rating is 3300 RPMS, therefore the mechanics look to get 3400 RPMS to reduce top end load.

Kristen was relaunched. As Pete advanced the throttle, Kristen glided all the way through the RPM range right up to 3400 RPMS with an outstanding top speed of 25+ knots! As we throttled back to recommended cruising RPM of 3100 she locked at a solid 22+ knot cruise at 14 GPH. Bringing the throttle back even further to 2800 RPMS, gave the Kristen a soft cruise of 20 knots. All of the speeds were computed by the Northstar 951 G.P.S. Back to the yard for a final discussion. Both Dante and Pete agreed that this was the right wheel. I was delighted at the

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final results. Kristen went from a 15 knot cruising speed at 12 GPH to 22 knot cruise at 14 GPH. The top speed went from 20 knots to 25 knots.

Dante Grover and his team hit the mark on the first shot. After three weeks of breaking in time there is no punch list for Grover’s Marina. Everything works including all original equipment that had to be moved during the repowering.

The Kristen’s repowering was completed on time, within budget, and as always in dealing with the Grover Family, no problems. I’m delighted with all the choices that were made and I will have great confidence at the helm in the up coming season.

Lawrence J. Festa

Captain/Owner

F/V Kristen