Luhrs Soot Problem Solved

[OCcaptain]

You won't belive this. I have ben running the "Reel Fantasy" part time for 5 years now. It's a 36' 2004 Luhrs Convertible. We have had a "MAJOR" soot problem since day one. Everybody blamed it on the exhaust design and we assumed that the problem was inherent with the design of the boat.

Last year it got so bad I had black hands on the bridge. We had the aftercoolers cleaned and it at least got us back to the original soot level which was still bad. The boat even sooted up in the salon. So bad the carpet needed to be replaced. Everything in the salon was sooted up, I mean everything! The owner blamed it on the door being open too much but I made sure it stayed closed most of the time.

This year we decided to try to attack the problem. You won't belive what we found!!!

Luhr's had not installed "ANY" air intake into the engine room. I mean none! The 3126 Cats were starving for air. They were actually pulling air from the salon and not from outside. Therefore the soot problem in the salon! The only air intake to the engine room was by pure accident. We cut three 4 inch diameter holes into the engine room and ran flex duct back under the cover boards. Then we sealed off the salon from the engine room. Guess what? NO MORE SOOT! Problem solved!

I hope this will help anybody that has been suffering with the same problem. How Luhr's got the Cat's certified in this rig is beyond me? Feel free to PM me if you need details.

[clt_capt]

Sounds familiar. PM Sent.

Thanks for the info

[Questsportfishing]

dodges or other bad things... last one I ran had the worst wobble in the prop area when we took off I even jumped in the water on the way out to see if any pilings may be wrapped up in the wheels... at a certain RPM the whole thing shook the damn fiberglass! nothing on the wheels ... just wasn't right ..and then we had to fish a tournament like that..geesh you'd think they would catch stuff like that! Brand new boat with the QXM's also. square tops that hold rain the list goes on..sorta like how dodge puts flat wire cables in thier wiring system.. some things should be built right or not at all..sorta like spare dougnut tires.

[Fortunate One]

"we assumed that the problem was inherent with the design of the boat."

That part of the statement was correct. However, as you described it was intake related and not exhaust.

That blows my mind. I wonder if Cat actually looked at the installation and or the plans before allowing them to install their engines. I would imagine so since they are providing the warranty.

How the hell can a manufacturer have a boat designed without consideration being given to air intake? If they don't think about something as major as air intake, how do you know that they sized the exhaust system correctly or anything else for that matter.

Luhr's should pay for the cost of cleaning the aftercoolers. I'd get the engine oil analyzed also just to see if the engines suffered any damage from lack of air. If so well then compensation for any possible damage should be owed, perhaps in extended warranties.

[OCcaptain]

"we assumed that the problem was inherent with the design of the boat."

That part of the statement was correct. However, as you described it was intake related and not exhaust.

That blows my mind. I wonder if Cat actually looked at the installation and or the plans before allowing them to install their engines. I would imagine so since they are providing the warranty.

How the hell can a manufacturer have a boat designed without consideration being given to air intake? If they don't think about something as major as air intake, how do you know that they sized the exhaust system correctly or anything else for that matter.

Luhr's should pay for the cost of cleaning the aftercoolers. I'd get the engine oil analyzed also just to see if the engines suffered any damage from lack of air. If so well then compensation for any possible damage should be owed, perhaps in extended warranties.

I had the local Cat dealer climb around the boat for a hour. He was dumbfounded that there was absolutly no provision for air intake to the engine room. How did Cat ever certify this installation The entire interior of the boat had to be cleaned, more than once. Soot was even in the closets and in the storage areas. All the food and paper products had to be tossed. The carpet needed to be replaced and actually needs it again. I wonder how much soot I inhaled and what damage it has done to my lungs?

I asked the owners to at least have a certified letter with pictures sent to Luhrs but they didnt want to pursue it. You can bet If it was my boat I would have.

[Fortunate One]

I'm happy to hear that the problem has been solved.

However if you our anyone else involved with that boat ends up with a lung problem, I'm willing to bet that the owner pursues it then.

If that were my boat and my young children were on board for extended periods of time I'd be off the wall bullsh!t.

I personally am not one that believes in hiring lawyers for frivolous matters.

However, it is my opinion that the boat owner should carefully document the fact that there was no consideration for a fresh air intake into the engine room and it should also be documented that the only air getting into the engine room was though hatches and cracks in the salon. He should also document how many hours the boat was operated in that state and what his corrective method was. How does he even know if the 4 holes that were cut in will allow the proper amount of air into the engine room?

I don't want to be an alarmist but there carcinogens in diesel exhaust. From the level of soot you described, you may want to make a vist to your primary care physician and get a lung x-ray done. If that stuff was constantly all over the boat, you were breathing it in.

Good luck.

[Ocean 50]

If you are looking to get a lawyer --get in line!!! Luhrs has MANY cases against them over the 41 issues.

[OCcaptain]

I'd like to see another 2004 Luhr's Convertible just to see if the manufacurer forgot to install the air intake There is a 2004 Express docked next to us and it has vents under the gunnals that are about 6 inches high by 5 feet long. The express does have Yanmars and not Cat's. Maybe Yanmar insisted on the vents. The **** pit is layed out almost excactly the same. Could it be that is was overlooked when the boat was built? If there is anybody that has the same year and syle of Luhr's I'd like to talk to them.

[OCcaptain]

OOPS! You would think I know what year the boat is? It's a 2003 not a 2004! Boy am I a dumb azz!

[LuckyLady]

I dealt with the Luhrs and thier warranty problems for 4-5 years as a warranty administrator for a dealer.

Their laundry lists were always long and some were just damn scary.

Ringpower was thier distributor dealer. Cat will certify the install plans and layout from the get go on the model, exhaust height layout etc and thats about as far as it goes. As with most manufacturers that is thier only certification process.

It doesn't surprise me that the forgot to give the engine air.

It wasn't a luhrs unless there was engineering problems and a 30 mile punch list.

A year or 2 after my departure thier quality came up a bit and got a little better but it when right back down the toilet.

There was a lot of inherent problems with all the models and most were very complex.

I will never forget a 29 that was gas powered with Mercruisers. We set the boat out for delivery and it had minimal hours and all of sudden lost 600-1000 RPM's from the date of delivery and to a few weeks later. Everyone thought I was nuts but I knew damn well that there was an issue.. I actually fought with the dealer over it. End of story we cupped the props and sent the boat on its way. Everyone argued with me that a engine just does not lose RPM's, that was my point exactly! Lets cover it up

There was a 32 With Cat's that had Rpm and other issues that we got our asses suied over and over again on and ended up having to buy the boat back thru attorneys etc


There was another 36 that has just as many problems as the next and he too suied the shit out of us.

How it works with lawsuits you have the sue the dealer and then the factory.

We had a 32 Convertible sitting in her owners slips and all of sudden the Strb side salon window exploded outwards for no reason. It wasn't during storage and there was absolutely no reason why it happen the way it did.

The 1st 44 the tower cracked all apart within hours of leaving St. Augustine and the boat had a major major fuel leak that was nearly unresolvable.

A 32 dropped a rudder going out the manasquan inlet 2 years ago

The airvoids in the hulls were the size of loafs of bread

The 34's Convert super structure of the port side of the bridge would crack vertically

Steering systems coming off the bulkhead and being installed backwards.

God I do not miss those days.