1stSeaRay
New Member
Well, one thing not to like about diesels is that my boat doesn't have one!
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On balance, diesel doesn't really make sense where we boat for the following reasons:
1. In a good season, we may put 50 hours a year on the boat. Even boating in May and October can be iffy, weatherwise.
im in tousans island and will do at least 80 hour this year for shure it is not a lot but I will save at least 5000$ in gas
2. The regular mechanics in this area aren't terribly knowledgeable working on them. To get a "good" diesel mechanic here, you have to send for someone 100 miles away and often are waiting a long time for service.
yes but they are a way more reliable and dont broke plus they are realy simple and easy to fix
4. Only about 50% of the marinas around here stock diesel fuel. Those that do don't seem to sell a ton of it, which makes me wonder how fresh the fuel is.
diesel stay fresh longer than gas so it is less an issue
If you own a model that can be pushed around adequately with gas motors, the "economics of diesel" argument doesn't really hold up as well here as a location with a 12-month boating season where you can rack up many more hours. If I were operating a boat much larger/heavier than this, I would prefer the torque of diesel motors, of course...
You're right about the Hull being the limiting factor....you won't get a 410DA to plane at 10 knots....not gonna happen.
But, start by understanding that motors don't move boats, Props move boats.
Motors, of course, are what turns the trans that turns the props that moves the boat.
In all planing hull boats, designing the props/motors/trans to work together is a compromise. You have to be able to spin the prop fast enough to get the boat on plane and then once on plane, be able keep the boat there and move it at a reasonable speed.
That said, with gas motors, there is less torque to start with, so in order to spin the props fast enough to get on plane, you can either cut out pitch (which will kill your cruise speed) or increase gear ratios in the trans.....like putting your ten speed bike in first gear....more teeth, higher gear ratio....again...designers have to find the happy compromise.
With Torquey diesel motors, you spin a higher ptiched prop through lower gear ratios to get the boat on plane.....like starting off ten speed bike in 5th gear or so....so the boat actually gets on plane at lower RPMs and will cruise faster at planning RPMs.
Again, the Hull will determine the lowest speed it can hold plane, but the motor has to be able to spin the prop to keep it there.
I hope I explained that right.....:smt101
You will find that most, not all but most, serious issues with diesel engines are directly caused by the owner not understanding the importance of proper maintenance and loading. In pleasure boats, nearly every replaced head, blown head gasket, etc. is the result of overheating or overloading. With a gas engine, you can run one hot, let it cool off and try again, but diesels with their higher compression and closer tolerances are not nearly as forgiving.
If you think you can run them forever and not worry about maintenance, then stick with gas motors, a paddle or a sail.
Another reason to hate diesels - a carbon tax. Diesel fuel has 50-80% more carbon per gallon over gasoline. Use less but pollute more. If the libs fail on this initiative then maybe my next large yacht might have a pair!:smt001