Hello, I have been a Grady White owner for several years and currently own a '08 300 Marlin which has been an outstanding all around boat. Since I want to move up to a larger (quality built) boat and with more focus on cruisng than fishing. I am looking to buy a 36' Open Tiara with 380 hp Cummings diesels. We are looking at boats '05 and later. I was hoping to obtain any feedback from those with experience with these boats-good or bad?
Owned a Grady Marlin 30 before buying a 2003 Open 35 in 2007. It has twin 370 hp Cummins. Fit, finish, ride
and livability are way above the Grady. You'll love it. We spend long weekends on ours and also fish offshore.
The walk around master sure beats the V berth on the Grady.
The 36 Open is a great boat and shares a hull with the 3500 Open Tiara. The 36 however received a new cap and new curved glass fiberglass windshield frame. Tiara also made the swim platform a separate piece instead of the molded in as on the 35. They also redesigned the fish boxes to a much better design. The 36s also received the new QSB Cummins 380s which are much quieter, more fuel efficient and nearly smoke free. It is a great boat! You can't go wrong with a 36 Open.
I forgot to mention that a 36 Open with 380 Cummins has nearly 400 miles of range at cruise speed on a tank of fuel! Amazing for a vessel of this size!
Another question, I've been seeing a lot of Cummins engines around five years old that have been repainted or touched up due to brown rust stains on several areas on the block. Is this normal wear and tear or am I overly concerned about this because cummins used cheap paint?
If it's the area I think your talking about, it's completely normal. The exhaust temp is way up there. IMO, The fresh paint is someone trying to put lipstick on to make them look pretty for potential buyers.
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Cummins uses white paint which is awesome because you can see leaks and any little things going on. Can you imagine black engines? you could not see a thing! The draw back to white paint is it will show everything especially around the exhaust and turbos. The darker colors also discolor around the exhaust and turbos, but due to the darker colors, it doesn't stick out
Heat exchangers, after coolers, fuel and oil coolers should be pulled, cleaned and reinstalled every 3 to 4 years. During the cleaning process, the paint is damaged and requires touch up. It is completely normal.
Any raw water leaks can cause corrosion, which will need to be wire brushed and repainted. Raw water leaks are not uncommon, but they should be repaired immediately. If allowed to go, corrosion will be rampant.
Touch up paint is fine, as long as it is not used to cover up an improper repair.
Chris, I agree with the maintenance schedule except for the aftercoolers. They need to be done once a year or 500 hours according to Cummins. I have seen aftercoolers that have been let go for three years and not be able to get them apart due to corrosion. Hope this is helpful.
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