38 DA Gas or Diesel

Extract from Pascoe text: "....There is a point in boat size and weight at which gas engines can no longer push the boat efficiently. This is usually around 35-38 feet and 16,000 lbs., depending on hull shape and the amount of hull and wind resistance. ....."

Like I mentioned earlier, I truly believe that Diesel engines are required from a certain size/weight, but is it possible to be that specific about the lenght and weight, without being specific about the gas engine(s) he refers to ? Newer gas engines develop more "reliable" HP/torque per cubic inch than before and that trend will probably continue. What could be the limit of lenght/weight of a boat with modern 8.1 s ?
 
PlayDate said:
In my experience, Pascoe is dead on technically. The only thing he doesn't take into account is resale of the boat which brings it back to where you boat and how you use your boat/QUOTE]

Are you saying you can spend way more upfront, and then for maintenance labor and parts, and in our case for diesel fuel, and you are better off because you can command a higher selling price? Seems like how much money you keep in your pocket should be factored in as well. Most decide to buy diesels for noneconomic reasons
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To become a member of the snobby diesel society clique, (SDSC) are there any other entrance requirements other than owning a boat with twin oil burners?
 
sbw1 said:
PlayDate said:
In my experience, Pascoe is dead on technically. The only thing he doesn't take into account is resale of the boat which brings it back to where you boat and how you use your boat/QUOTE]

Are you saying you can spend way more upfront, and then for maintenance labor and parts, and in our case for diesel fuel, and you are better off because you can command a higher selling price? Seems like how much money you keep in your pocket should be factored in as well. Most decide to buy diesels for noneconomic reasons
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I like diesel's too. I just don't own one now. BTW I don't like it when Pascoe gets on his soapbox about issues. But I do find him to be technically accurate.

I've just got to find a few more little people to beat up and then I'll be able to move up....

-John
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Some of what Pascoe writes may be technically correct, but it may also be very inaccurate because it is incomplete. All that stuff on his sites is written for one purpose.....to sell his books and services......it is not there to provide the reader a complete and accurate picture of a given subject. For example, his treatise on the lack of justification for diesels in pleasure boats completely omits the improved quality of investment and reduced depreciation of the vessel. He only deals with cost justification on the basis of fuel efficiency, fuel cost, and hours run. Likewise, his cost numbers to illustrate a perceived higher maintenance cost with diesel engines includes Detroit Diesel 2 stroke diesels which are significantly more expensive to maintain than the 4 stroke diesel engines used since about 1995-6.

I sort of equate Pascoe work to that of the Weather Channel. Unsensational weather doesn't sell advertising. You don't see a blond in a studio telling you there is a thunderstorm in Florida.......you see a video of some guy in a raincoat hanging on to a palm tree in a rain storm in an alley with the wind amplified by nearby buildings. Why? Because it bring in viewers who see the ads and go buy the laxitive or denture cream.

Wesley- was it really necessary to get this Pascoe stuff going again?
 
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Most of the vintage 390's I looked at before buying were gas- and had the original mercruisers (or maybe they were "rebuilt", whatever that means). Diesels were hard to find, probably because there weren't many made and they're in higher demand for obvious reasons.
I had no intention of buying a boat with 20 year old gassers in it. There was one with brandy-new 8.1 HO's, but they were asking as much for that as the diesel one I ended up buying. For me, it was no decision at all to buy the boat with well-maintained 20 year old CATS with 800 hours rather than one with new gas power.
As far as new boats in this size range, gas might be a viable option for some if their cruising range is extremely limited and plan on keeping the boat. As fuel costs skyrocket, the "payback period" for the additional up-front cost of owning a diesel boat becomes shorter and shorter...
 
tobnpr said:
Most of the vintage 390's I looked at before buying were gas- and had the original mercruisers (or maybe they were "rebuilt", whatever that means). Diesels were hard to find, probably because there weren't many made and they're in higher demand for obvious reasons.
I had no intention of buying a boat with 20 year old gassers in it. There was one with brandy-new 8.1 HO's, but they were asking as much for that as the diesel one I ended up buying. For me, it was no decision at all to buy the boat with well-maintained 20 year old CATS with 800 hours rather than one with new gas power.
As far as new boats in this size range, gas might be a viable option for some if their cruising range is extremely limited and plan on keeping the boat. As fuel costs skyrocket, the "payback period" for the additional up-front cost of owning a diesel boat becomes shorter and shorter...
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Tobpnr- My father had your same boat (Cat powered 390 EC) for about ten years. I loved that boat! In fact, that was my entry into the "Your Favorite Sea Ray" thread. They were hard to find even in the 90's (he has his trucked up from Florida to Maryland), I can only imagine that they must be quite scarce today. Great boat!
 
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