Page 8: of Marine News Magazine (April 2006)

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Ivan Reiff learned to love the marine world with his commercial fisherman father in Florida. Like many children of fishermen he went off to school and even- tually found himself working for an elec- tronics firm out in southern California.

But the sea was, as they say, in his veins.

His marine memories led him to the opposite corner of the country from Flori- da. Up in Washington State's Puget Sound he found little San Juan Island and around the island he found the orcas and the

Western Prince II. The 46-ft. fiberglass boat was a business that took people out to see orcas (killer whales) in their natur- al habitat. It was a better business than fishing and a better life than San Diego.

This far northwest corner of the U.S. remains pristine. Ivan and his wife

Jacquelyn bought the boat and the busi- ness in 2003.

They have maintained it as an environ- mentally respectful operation out of con- cern for the future of the whales and for their customers. They are members of the

Northwest Whale Watcher Operators

Association and adhere to that group's guide lines for operating power boats in the vicinity of whales. On their own ini- tiative they began burning bio-diesel in the boat's two-cycle main engines. Now they have gone a step further and replaced the Western Prince's aging engines with a pair of Cummins' new Tier II compliant

QSL9 engines from Bellingham's Tri-

County Diesel Marine.

These 400 bhp, nine-liter, six-cylinder engines have evolved from the 6CT8.3 engine to meet the stringent requirements of the U.S. EPA for reduced emissions.

The electronically controlled engines are also available at a heavy-duty rating of 326 bhp at 1,800 rpm, or continuous duty rating of 281 bhp at 1,800 rpm. With his balance between running out to find the whales and idling while watching them,

Ivan's run times are well within the medi- um continuous definition of up to 6,000 hours per year usage with up to six out of 12 hours at the fully rated rpm.

While the Cummins QSL9 meets the

Tier II emission requirements it also has other significant advantages for a boat like the Western Prince II that routinely takes 30 passengers on natural history tours. By incorporating the latest engine technology the new engines add to pas- senger comfort while generating bottom line savings. A high-pressure common rail fuel system virtually eliminates start up white smoke and black smoke, improves fuel economy and significantly reduces noise. On sea trials the 46 x 14.5-ft. West- ern Prince II achieved a top speed of 24 knots at 2100 rpm, which is the maximum on the tachometer for the medium contin- uous duty rating on these engines at their 400 hp rating.

With the boat's old engines the top speed was only about 17 knots. Ivan expects to cruise at that speed using only1700 to 1800 rpm with 30 passengers and three crewmembers onboard.

Circle 25 on Reader Service Card 8• MarineNews • April, 2006

NEWS

Circle 205 on Reader Service Card

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Whale Watch: Improved Economy and Passenger Comfort

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