USA: The reliable Cummins six-cyliner in-line marine diesel is among the most popular engine on commercial fishing boats from Seattle's classic long line halibut schooners to Gulf of Mexico Shrimpers.
In southern California the 26-metre by 7.3-metre 'Royal Star', a sport fishing boat out of San Diego, has run up a lot of hours on a pair of these legendary engines. Extended fishing trips with an enthusiastic group of recreational fishermen have routinely taken the 'Royal Star' well into Mexican waters and, on occasion further south in Central America.
The boat was built by Ted Dunn on a Poole hull into which he incorporated many of his design concepts. These included, in addition to the original Cummins engines, integral, structural and mechanical features in a manner that separates the 'Royal Star' from several similar vessels operating in southern California.
Since her launch at Chula Vista in 1986, the 'Royal Star' has maintained a 300-day per year operating schedule.
"This schedule averages 4,000 to 4,500 hours of annual machinery use involving an incredibly diverse, heavy duty operating schedule, in extremely demanding conditions with zero down time from July through December," explained Tim Ekstrom, who owns the vessel with Randy Toussaint.
"Dependable machinery is a must. Our Cummins KTA1150s (19 litres) gave flawless operation for twenty-three years."
With the original engines giving years of reliable service the choice of replacement engines was obvious. The decision was made to repower with modern environmentally friendly Tier 2 certified engines from Cummins Marine. The electronic controlled QSK19-M with its common rail fuel system was selected.
Based on the same 19-litre displacement block as the original engines, the QSK19-M has been upgraded to maximise the efficiency of the fuel burn in order to meet the stringent requirements of the US Environmental Protection Agency.
The two engines installed in the 'Royal Star' have a continuous duty rating of 373kW, each to give her a combined 745kWturning the two 101.5cm by 96.5cm props through Twin Disc MG518 gears.
For comfortable long-range voyages the 'Royal Star' has twelve staterooms that can accommodate up to 25 passengers with the support of a seven-member crew. Tankage includes 37,854 litres of fuel and 5,678 litres of water. A pair of 100kW gen-sets keeps the vessel's extensive freezing capacity and other amenities operating.
The added environmental protection pleased the owners at Royal Star Sportsfishing who recognise that their future is dependent on a healthy environment. This commitment has lead to one of their most popular charters. On occasion the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Association and Mexico's Instituto Nacional de Pesca send scientists out on the 'Royal Star' to tag tuna for research purposes.
Eighteen guest fishermen get to do the fishing to provide specimens for tagging. This takes place in the tropical waters off the Revilla Gigedo Islands some 385km southwest of Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of Baja California.
