I’m standing in what one might call the History Room (or “museum”) at Red Bay Boats behind a delightfully and tastefully restored Red Bay Skisport 136 – one of the excellent little runabouts Tom used to make in the early days. Little sports boats of this ilk were the go-to “all-rounder” which people bought before small RIBs became prevalent in the early-mid ’90s. And there was an abundance of choice in the UK and Irish market in that era, with the likes of Fletcher, Picton, Shakespeare, Ring, Broom, Super V and Dateline etc.
There were, however, no such boats built in Ireland, north or south, at the time, with the exception of this little 136 Skisport and and its bigger sibling, the 166.
For me, another thing of particular and poignant significance in this picture is the motor on which my arm is resting (in fact I think I even gave it an affectionate little pat!) – a 1993 Suzuki DT65TCL 2-stroke. This was the de rigueur sportsboat motor in the UK and Ireland in the late ’80s to early ’90s, and I’d even go way out on a limb and suggest that this motor (and its 55hp DT55TCL sibling) collectively outsold the formidable Yamaha 60F 2-stroke of the era. Only the Sanshin/Yamaha-built Mariner 55 would have single-handedly outsold all three.
I remember these motors warmly and extremely fondly, as I wrote the factory service manual for them when I worked at Suzuki’s HQ in Hamamatsu at the time. The ’93s were, for my money, the last of the properly rated motors in terms of output. Beginning in 1994, along with the deletion of a proper oil-injection system (oil injected separately from the fuel just before the reed valves) and the adoption of a less sophisticated auto-blend system, the ECU ignition timing at wide-open throttle was retarded by 4 degrees and the cylinder head squish clearance was increased to lower the compression.
But even allowing for that slight reduction in output towards the end of the motor’s life, the DT55/65 remained resolutely reliable and powerful and consistently indestructible. It was a class act the whole way. And there was no better way to experience its earnest, honest acceleration and torque than on a delightful little rocket ship like the Red Bay Skisport.
Danny Casey is highly experienced, undoubtedly idiosyncratic, and immensely knowledgeable about things mechanical, new or old. His knowledge and passion are as a result of spending his whole life in or around anything power-driven – especially marine engines. His passion for boating is second to none, with his life a montage of fabulous memories from decades spent in or around water and boats, both here and in Europe. Danny has spent myriad years in the recreational marine industry in a varied career in which he has bamboozled colleagues and competitors alike with his well-honed insight.
His mellifluous Irish accent, however, has at times been known to become somewhat less intelligible in occasional attempts at deliberate vagueness or when trying to prevent others from proffering a counter-argument or even getting a word in. Frank and to-the-point, but with a heart of gold, it can be hard to convince Danny to put pen to paper to share his knowledge. Marine Business News is grateful for his contributions. Connect with Danny through LinkedIn.
