INBOARDINBOARD
THE BOAT
The Judge 36 Chesapeake
is a classic. The 36-by-12-
foot hull possesses a lovely fl ared, bow-proud
semi-V Chesapeake deadrise shape. Unlike
most Chesapeake boats, it has no keel, though
the sharp deadrise extends back about two-
thirds of the length before fl owing smoothly
into nearly fl at (4-degree) transom sections.
The boat has always run well with 425 to 480
hp Cummins QSB series inboards, using Volvo
Penta’s Interceptor boat-trim system to dial in
running attitude. Most are rigged with an after
helm and rocket launchers for fi shing either
recreationally or for charter, but there’s roomfor a dinette and galley in the pilothouse and a
cabin forward with a V-berth, hanging locker,
and enclosed head for cruising. Judge off ers a
range of custom layouts.
Though he originally designed the Judge 36
Chesapeake for inboard power, Judge hasn’t
built one with a diesel for three years; the new
ones have all been powered by Suzuki 300s on
brackets — except for the most recent, which
runs Suzuki’s revolutionary new DF350A with
contra-rotating propellers. We fi rst pitted a 36
with a Cummins 480 hp 5.9L inboard against
one with twin Suzuki 300s, but then
the opportunity to run one with the
twin 350s occurred and we jumped
aboard (see “Judge 36 Chesapeake
with Suzuki DF350As”).PERFORMANCE
For the inboard model, we ran
Justifi ed, a 2012 inboard. Its owners
fi sh but also like to cruise, so Justifi ed
is fi tted with a full galley and
dinette, an after-cabin bulkhead,
air conditioning, and a genset. Its
Cummins 480 had 1,450 hours of
time when we tested. The ownersTHE OWNERS LOVE THEIR BOAT AND WOULDN’T
TRADE, CITING ITS EASY MOTION AT ALL
SPEEDS AND ITS FUEL ECONOMY, WHICH WAS
THE BEST OF OUR THREE TESTERS.
Th e owners of the 36
Chesapeake inboard like to fi sh
and take long-distance cruises
at trawler speeds.·LOA: 36'0"·BEAM: 12'0"
·DRAFT: 2'5"·DEADRISE AFT: 4 degrees
·DISPLACEMENT: 12,500 lb.·FUEL: 158 gal.
·WATER: 30 gal.·MAX HORSEPOWER:^700
HOW WE TESTED
ENGINE: 480 HP CUMMINS QSB 5.9
COMMON-RAIL DIESEL INBOARD PROP:
NIBRAL 22" X 24" 3-BLADE GEAR RATIO: ZF
GEAR 1.75:1 FUEL LOAD: 145 GAL. WATER
LOAD: 30 GAL. CREW WEIGHT: 600 LB.
High Points
Higher fuel efficiency
With proper maintenance, an engine
life of 6,000-plus hours
Engine weight, centered and low, pro-
duces easier motion when drifting
Easier to handle fish around transom
Low Points
Higher initial cost
Lower cruising and top speed
Because the boat sits lower in the
water, she throws more spray
Engine box takes up cockpit space
More complex winterization,
maintenance and repair
Need for trolling valve
SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATION
rpm knots mph gph^ naut. mpg stat. mpg range range n. mi. s. mi. angle levelsound
600 4.17 4.80 0.50 8.34 9.60 1186 1365 0 60
900 5.82 6.70 1.00 5.82 6.70 828 953 0 63
1200 7.47 8.60 1.90 3.93 4.53 559 644 0 63
1500 8.60 9.90 3.40 2.53 2.91 360 414 2 65
1800 10.60 12.20 6.40 1.66 1.91 236 271 4 68
2100 14.16 16.30 8.60 1.65 1.90 234 270 4 69
2400 17.90 20.60 11.20 1.60 1.84 227 262 4 69
2700 21.38 24.60 14.00 1.53 1.76 217 250 5 69
3000 25.11 28.90 17.60 1.43 1.64 203 233 5 69
3300 28.24 32.50 23.40 1.21 1.39 172 198 5 69
3400 29.20 33.60 25.40 1.15 1.32 163 188 5 70
MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEEDCUMMINS 480
Price: $340,000
(with test power)
58 |BOATINGMAG.COM | JANUARY 2018