Splash Date: 2006 as QED for MTU Test Platform

AKA: Ravaganza, Reel Rodeo and Wayne’s World

Refit Location: Beaufort, North Carolina

Service/Refit Manager: Steven Blackwell

Repower & Upfit Completed: 2022 as Iron Leader

Repowered: CAT C32B 2400 x 2

Performance: 38 kts / Cruise RPM 1,900 / WOT Speed 46 kts

Originally launched in 2006 as a test platform for another engine manufacturer, the fourth owner, Caterpillar Inc., commissioned an upfit and repower at Jarrett Bay Boatworks with partners at Gregory Poole Marine to test their 2400 hp CAT C32B powerplants. Caterpillar Inc.’s Pleasurecraft Manager, Charlson Smith commented, “What we noticed once the boat was repowered with the C32Bs was three things: One, a significant increase in the top-end speed. Two, drastic reduction in the smoke levels and namely around acceleration. And three, she became a much quieter boat.”

Smith also details the added benefits of packing this power into a smaller package: “Dropping down from a V16 to a shorter V12, we unlocked not only a lot of weight savings but also a considerable amount of space savings, so that allowed us to install two Seakeeper 9’s ahead of the C32Bs. Additional upfits were made to her interior, exterior and helm with new soft goods, counters, satin finish throughout, a faux teak transom and hull paint with a Caterpillar yellow boot stripe, new electronics, and a sonar installed down below.”

Before and After

Before

After