A Family Workhorse Center Console Gets New Power
By Rip Cunningham
To invoke some Lewis Carroll, the time had come for this old walrus to think about re-powering a favorite boat and that caused me to consider many things.
My 2009 Jones Brothers 26 Cape Fisherman was powered by a Yamaha 350 V-8 which was nearing its suggested useful life expectancy in hours, so what to do? The primary consideration wasn’t a consideration at all, staying with Yamaha was a done deal. From there things got a little more complicated at least for a technologically challenged dinosaur.
First was what size engine to choose? The boat is well built, which can reasonably be taken to mean heavy. It handles like a much bigger boat, a bonus in some ways. On the other hand, I don’t tend to need much high-speed range. For me, 20 miles offshore would be a big run. So, I chose the new F300 V-6. Obviously, a drop in horsepower, but also percentage-wise a bigger drop in weight on the transom. This has meant a little less top speed, but I don’t run full out very much. On the plus side, the engine is more fuel efficient.
So, size was solved, but the next consideration took a little more thinking and asking for me. What kind of controls. I have always been a cable control kind of guy, mostly cuz that was all that was available. Not so today. Yamaha and others offer Digital Electronic Controls (DEC), also known as fly-by-wire. Okay, I’ll admit to being old school, so I asked friends who had used the DEC technology for a while. The universal response was, “go for it.” We’ll get into the installation shortly, but all I can say is that these new controls are freaking awesome. The old steering took both hands, the new DEC can be controlled with your pinkie. The gear shift and throttle are so much smoother and as yet, there has been no throttle creep to a lower speed. It is a real leap forward in vessel control.
Installation of the new controls required some changes in the console helm area. So, we opted for a black plexiglass face covering for the new controls installation. This made a new upgraded look along with the touch screen display. So that brought me in another direction. If we were going to have a completely new look for the console, guess that would mean a new Garmin chart plotter, sonar, radar. I began to worry that I’d never learn all the new technology to run a new unit, the GPS MAP 1243Xsv with multifunctional display. Once again, the concern was misplaced. Garmin has done a great job making their new units user friendly, even for an old Luddite. It is pretty much self-explanatory, and the screen gives a big sharp display.
Well, I started with a re-power and ended up with an engine that is a better fit and no bulky cables in the engine well. A new console display and control area which give the feel of a new boat and changes how I navigate and steer. I was concerned but should not have been. I’m wicked happy with the upgrades. If I get a chance to wear these out in the next 10 to 15 years, I’ll be a happy camper replacing them again.
About the Author: Rip Cunningham has been around the salt water for 80 plus years. He started fishing for striped bass on the south side of Cape Cod and worked his way up to (at various times) owner, Publisher and Editor-In Chief of Salt Water Sportsman, then the largest salt water fishing magazine in the world. He has owned and fished flats boats on up to a 40-foot sport fisherman. He now happily uses his Jones Brothers 26 center console with his grand kids along the mid-coast of Maine. He was inducted into the IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame in 2015.
