When you’re on to a good thing, sticking to it is rarely a bad strategy. That’s exactly what the Outward Bound Trust of New Zealand decided when they wanted to replace a John Deere engine in one of their support/rescue vessels – and Power Equipment was happy to lend a helping hand to the not-for-profit organisation
The Kurt Hahn, a 1992-built 10.7 metre traditional displacement monohull cruiser that serves as a support vessel for the Outward Bound program in New Zealand, has been given a new lease of life thanks to the help of Power Equipment.
With more than 15,000 hours on her original John Deere engine, the vessel’s stewards decided she deserved a re-power. What better option than a like-for-like replacement with a brand-new John Deere 4045TFM50.
As a not-for-profit organisation, the expense of an engine transplant was never going to be easy for the Outward Bound NZ team, so Power Equipment offered assistance in delivering a new engine.
There is more to this story than just the generosity of Power Equipment and the New Zealand dealer who assisted with installation, Seafarer Marine in Picton.
A Tortuga (Tim Barnett) design, the Kurt Hahn is named after the man who created the core strategies behind the Outward Bound philosophy. He came up with those values and ideas some 100 years ago – values that are still as strong and relevant today as they were in the 1920s.
It is perhaps a sweet synergy then that the boat used by Outward Bound NZ bearing his name is sticking with the same reliable power that has served her for many thousands of operating hours over the last 30 years.
Just as Kurt Hahn’s original therapies of experience (the basis of the Outward Bound program) are as relevant in today’s digitally-enhanced, social media-obsessed world, so too is the legend proven thousands of times over by John Deere’s proven vessel power options.
A four-cylinder, turbocharged engine displacing 4.5litres, the 4045TFM50 replacement in the Kurt Hahn will have its work cut out for it.
Says Simon Graney, School Director of Outward Bound NZ: “The previous John Deere engine had a really hard life – the vessel is operated by many skippers – up to 28 different skippers at any one time, and hundreds over the life of the vessel – and we go through gearboxes pretty fast!”
The vessel is operated in a lot of short bursts according to Simon, with many low-speed and idling hours, (not necessarily the best operating regime for a diesel engine!).
Usually shadowing traditional sailing cutters that are used in personal development programs by Outward Bound NZ, the Kurt Hahn can be involved in multiple tasks from running instructors alongside the sailing vessels, transferring crews or towing boats to safety.
“Hull speed is around 8 knots, and we rarely go much over that,” explained Simon.
The Kurt Hahn’s new John Deere 4045TFM50 is the M3-rated version, delivering 135hp @ 2,500rpm.
As a low-revving, high-torque engine, the 4045TFM50 is ideal for the kind of single-screw displacement operation required around the Marlborough and Queen Charlotte Sounds where the vessel operates.
