The repower of this Baha 313 Fisherman would have had to have been one of, if not the largest repower project that Mandurah Outboards has ever undertaken.
When the owner of the boat came to us considering a repower, the boat was powered with twin 350hp V8 petrol inboard shaft drives. It must be said we were lucky that we had a customer with an open mind.
Removal of the old engines began and Mandurah Outboards built it’s own ‘pod template’ which was able to be passed on to Bouvard Marine (Mandurah) for fabrication. Installation of the twin Mercury 4.6L V8 Verado Four Strokes then began, once the pod had been painted and bolted to the transom.
It was important prior to installation that we considered the new weight distribution, we were taking a lot of weight out of the centre of the boat and re-distributing that weight to the very stern of the boat. This consideration meant that we floated the boat on the water with no motors in it and simulated having the weight of the twin Mercury 300hp outboards on the transom.
Once that test had been conducted, we decided that the fuel tanks (2 x 500 L) would need to be shifted forward, we would use only chain for the new anchor winch and that we would increase the size of the fresh water tank which was situated mid ship. We also decided on adding trim tabs.
As well as the twin outboard installation, an absolute mountain of work went in to this project. Mandurah Outboards installed twin Simrad NSS 12 EVO 3 screens with a Halo 20+ Radar and Autopilot system, Airmar 1KW thru-hull transducer, all new microwave, fridge, toilet and pumps. Just about enough fiberglass work to build another boat. Fresh gunnel rubber and decals. New Lewmar Pro-Fish electric anchor winch. New windscreen wiper motors, Fusion RA55 marine stereo system, GME VHF marine radio, USB power sockets. New Trim Tabs and underwater LED lights, as we mentioned earlier, we were lucky that we had a customer with an open mind !
We even cut and fabricated our own transom door.
With four adults on board the boat will reach 40 knots. The BAHA 313 Fisherman is a boat that you can cruise on with up to ten guests, deep sea fish and crayfish from, whilst it can also be used for lengthy stays on Rottnest Island or up the West Australian coast.
From day one to handover the project took twelve weeks. The vast majority of the project was completed in-house at Mandurah Outboards, however we must thank Bouvard Marine, Rise Electrics and Maritime Electronics for their assistance along the way.
What we are most proud of is being able to offer customers turn key repower packages, whether you have a 4.5m runabout or a Baha 313 Fisherman, we are able to tailor a repower package to suit your needs.
