New marine diesel engines for Fantasea 8 Seasons
Sydney’s Fantasea 8 Seasons aluminium catamaran — also known as “the largest water taxi in Australia” — has been fitted with new Yanmar 6HY-WET marine diesel engines.
The 24m aluminium commercial cat operates cruises out of Sydney Harbour, with a typical operating speed of around 8kts. Fantasea 8 Seasons is also chartered for weddings, corporate functions and tours.
The powercat was designed by One2three naval architects and was built in Brisbane by Marine Engineering Consultants. The design specifically incorporates a low draft and low wake for cruising conditions in Sydney Harbour. Passenger payload is 196 people
“Fantasea 8 Seasons is designed to operate as a dual purpose vessel, often at speeds of just 8 knots in water-taxi mode or at speeds up to 22 knots as a medium speed passenger ferry,” said Kelvin Parkin of Fantasea Adventure Cruising.
“As a water-taxi and mid speed ferry, big horsepower in the engine room was not a requirement. What was vital, however, was having the right engines that a Master 5 skipper could both operate and service. The right size engines would deliver optimum fuel burn for economical operation,” he said.
Key factors in the decision were reliability above all else, followed closely by economy and performance. Eventually, the Yanmar 6HY-WET marine diesel engine was selected on account of its combination of power, fuel consumption, performance and service intervals.
YANMAR 6HY-WET
The Yanmar 6HY-WET is a six-cylinder in-line commercial-grade marine engine displacing 13.733lt and weighing 1385kg without a transmission.
Its 600hp twin turbo develops maximum power at 2100 rpm and can comfortably run at full throttle for extended periods. It incorporates heavy duty ZF transmissions and a ZF Mathers Electronic Control System and VEEM 4 blade propellers.
Service intervals are once every 500 hours. Yanmar said: “This is more than double the schedule of competitive brands and it ensures that Fantasea 8 Seasons is working on the water for longer.”
Fuel economy is a standout feature on the engine, with David Howells, one of Fantasea 8 Seasons’ skippers, adding: “In the course of a normal day we can log up many hours of running in water-taxi mode at just 8 knots. Fuel consumption is just 10 litres per hour per engine.”
Visit powerequipment.com.au for more information on the Yanmar marine diesel engine range.
Visit fantasea.com.au for more information on Fantasea 8 Seasons.