Dominick LaCombe the president of American Custom Yachts knows that every component on board a boat is important when it comes to making fine and fast vessels.
His own new new 27m custom sportfisher C’est La Vie pushes the power package envelope, with nearly 9,300 hp at his command to fly across the waves at almost 48 knots.
The beefy twin MTU diesels require precision-engineered exhaust systems to handle high temperatures in scant available engine room space. To optimize performance and help tame noise aboard C’est La Vie, he turned to Marine Exhaust Systems for the solution.
Offering the best of both worlds, C’est La Vie is built for the efficiency and functionality demanded by serious deep water fishing. But she’s also equipped with family comforts to accommodate an extended open-ocean trip.
As the MTU 16V 4000 M93L 4,615 hp engines are normally installed in much larger boats, American Custom Yachts constructed a special aluminium engine bed to balance the load across the keel, stringers and chines.
Every detail of the engine room, from the V-drives that lessen the shaft angle to the specially fabricated air boxes that supply ventilation, is geared to producing the best possible use of horsepower.
To help keep this powerhouse package cool and quiet, Marine Exhaust Systems engineers designed a custom configuration using many exotic materials to eliminate corrosion and minimise weight
Components include special oversized risers inside a unique oval-shaped system that’s only 203mm high, and square water cans made of titanium. A Thinline linear muffler serves as a bypass muffler, and an enhanced spray head keeps fibreglass components below 49° C.
Rectangular bellow hoses made from silicon withstand higher temperatures, and are lined with chemical-resistant Viton. The oval transom exhaust handles not only the engine, but raw water bypass, generators and AC system discharges.
Despite having to nestle all these elements into a tight engine room, C’est La Vie still has full engine serviceability on the outboard sides.