Engines · Cummins

Cummins QSC

The QSC8.3 is Cummins' 8.3-litre, in-line six-cylinder marine diesel, rated from 493 to 600 hp.1,2

Hulls on record
2
Builders
2
Built
2014

On the recordHulls by decade built

  1. 22010sJarrett Bay, Release Boatworks
First on record
Robin HoodJarrett Bay hull 53 · 2014
Latest on record
Reel GratitudeRelease Boatworks HIN RLB46002H314 · 2014

What it is

The QSC8.3 is a four-stroke diesel, turbocharged and aftercooled, with four valves per cylinder and a high-pressure common-rail fuel system. Cummins builds it at its Rocky Mount Engine Plant in North Carolina.1

It comes in 500, 550 and 600 hp ratings, 493 to 592 bhp at 2,600 to 3,000 rpm.3,4

How it runs

Common-rail injection improves fuel economy and cuts smoke. The engine meets EPA Tier 3 without exhaust aftertreatment. It cools through a seawater heat exchanger and reports to the helm through SmartCraft electronics.1,4

It is typically the engine behind the Zeus pod system. Zeus mounts rear-facing, counter-rotating propellers in a tunnel in the hull and steers by articulating the drives instead of rudders.3,5

What it's good for

Cummins credits it with the best power-to-weight ratio for its horsepower in the Cummins range. Marlin includes it in its roundup of diesels for sport-fishing boats, citing its power density.2,4

Trade-offs

Heat-exchanger cooling draws seawater through a pump, which can run into trouble from debris build-up in shallow water. Cummins added a 600 hp keel-cooled rating in 2022 that avoids the seawater pump.2

Behind Zeus, the rear-facing props run in disturbed water but avoid the form drag of forward-facing pods. The tunnel reduces the pod's exposure to submerged objects.5

BuildersOn record with Cummins QSC

Hulls with Cummins QSC

2 hulls · All engines

  1. Robin Hood2 names since 2014Jarrett Bay hull 53 · 43 Hardtop Express201443 ft
  2. Reel Gratitude2 names since 2014Release Boatworks HIN RLB46002H314 · 46 Express201446 ft

Sources

  1. 1Engines | QSC8.3 | Cummins Inc.Cummins
  2. 2Cummins announces new keel cooled QSC8.3 600 horsepower rating for marine vesselsCummins
  3. 3Tier 3 Diesel Engines | MarlinMarlin
  4. 421 Best Diesel Marine Engines for Your Fishing BoatMarlin
  5. 5POD PowerSoundings

Each hull’s original power is shown on her page as her source wrote it. Know of one we’ve missed? Send us what you have.