Yimbala – Almost 40 & Still Going Strong
We first met with Yimbala and the team from Para Park Reserve 15 years ago. At the time she was fitted with a Volvo Penta AD 41 P stern drive engine with 5,000 hours on the clock. We believe that she was built by Kayfa Aluminium Boats in Hastings in the mid-80s. The first engine was a Volvo Penta AQAD 41 A which was first produced in 1986. Both versions were 200 HP Diesel engines fitted with the patented Volvo Penta Duo Prop which was introduced in 1985. She was initially used as a commercial fishing boat working the coastal waters of the Gippsland area before being acquired by the Para Park reserve to be used as the main passenger transport vessel between Port Albert & the reserve on Sunday island.
With 5,000 hours on the clock she was getting a little tired and the team at Para Park decided to treat her to a new engine. The 41 series of engines had been superseded by the D4. Top speed was not the primary requirement so a D4 225 DPH engine was chosen. This engine was 25 hp more than the engine it was replacing & at this low output was commercially rated so it was considered ideal for the job. The engine was installed & the boat went back into service. The team at Para Park were delighted with the performance & the fuel consumption. The engine performed perfectly with a top speed around 30 knots and a very modest fuel burn. From then on we hardly heard from the Para Park team. Once a year they would order service items as they would carry out their own service work due to the remote location.
Fast forward 14 years and Yimbala was booked in at Aqua Power marine for a midlife marine engine service. The hull superstructure required some welding repairs & the engine had to be removed to allow this to happen. They had given us a budget to work with, so we got to work. Once the engine was out it was clear that there had been various water leaks in the engine hatch that had caused corrosion around the engine, the 14 years of exemplary service in a very hard environment had left the engine looking very sad despite being still perfectly serviceable. The decision was made to replace the D4 225 with the latest technology D4 230 DPI. The new DPI drive was only introduced in 2021 and comes with many product improvements. Electric steering, slow speed or slip function, electrohydraulic gear engagement for silent shifting and the option of a joystick. One of the major drawcards for the Para Park team was the doubling of the service interval hours. This means the boat can remain in service for longer periods without the need to slip the boat for maintenance.
The boat was delivered from the fabricators workshop at lunchtime on a Monday and our team of experienced technicians jumped to the job. The engine was installed and ready for sea trials 3 days later. The sea trials went perfectly & the boat was towed back to Port Albert and back into service on the Friday evening.
Our team at Aqua Power marine consider it an absolute privilege to have known and worked on this boat for so long. We would like to thank the Para Park team for the confidence they have placed in Aqua Power Marine and the Volvo Penta product. I am sure Yimbala will continue to provide another decade or two ferrying people & possessions between Port Albert and Sunday Island.
