Sea Ray Diesels

So far, marine diesels have been exempt from most of the restrictions the EPA has imposed on diesel engin used on highways. Given the life span of the typical diesel and the fact that the EPA cannot retroactively impose restrictions, it will be a long, long time before most of us ever have to even consider cat converters and urea tanks on our boats since everything made up to the point of the imposition of restrictions will be grandfathered as of their date of manufacture.
 
I was wondering about a voluntary retrofit to appease a wife who hates smelling the fumes. I stood at the exhaust of a 6.6L long enough to connect a heavy trailer, yet I totally forgot it was a diesel.
 
A couple of points...

When we bought our boat w/ CAT 3126's they had been replaced under CAT's warranty, they had 600 total hours on the boat and only 300 on the replacements. Diesel mechanic survey came through with flying colors with some minor stuff, hoses etc, heat exchanger on the gen etc, all covered by the PO. Diesel on our boat at 51' loa was a no brainer for me.

Last summer I was hired to run 38' Sedan Bridge with gassers.... The boat was not doing what I wanted without pushing the throttle up, I was not used to this at all after running nothing but diesel for the last 10 years... The difference (torque) in close quarter boat handling was night and day.
 
The Bill Collector said:
A couple of points...

When we bought our boat w/ CAT 3126's they had been replaced under CAT's warranty, they had 600 total hours on the boat and only 300 on the replacements. Diesel mechanic survey came through with flying colors with some minor stuff, hoses etc, heat exchanger on the gen etc, all covered by the PO. Diesel on our boat at 51' loa was a no brainer for me.

Last summer I was hired to run 38' Sedan Bridge with gassers.... The boat was not doing what I wanted without pushing the throttle up, I was not used to this at all after running nothing but diesel for the last 10 years... The difference (torque) in close quarter boat handling was night and day.
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Yes, the low speed torque / handling was another reason why 'I was' leaning toward the diesels, I think with the revelation of the Admirals displeasure, it's a non-starter now.
 
You also have to see/smell the difference between full mechanical and full electronic engines. My wife is very sensitive to diesel exhaust and will easily get sick from it. We took a ride on a 420DA with full mechanical engine (Cummins 450C) in cool weather, the smoke at startup and overall smell nearly killed her. Three weeks later on an even cooler day we sea trialed our boat (full electronic) and cold startup after sitting for over two weeks not a hint of smoke or smelly exhaust.

When I start my genny (full mechanical) we either need to be running so the fumes are downwind or I need to start it up with the cabin door closed and her inside until it comes up to temp or there will be no boat ride that day!

Unless the boats your looking at have equal options and value in both gas a diesel I would not rule out diesel.
 
swaterhouse said:
You also have to see/smell the difference between full mechanical and full electronic engines. My wife is very sensitive to diesel exhaust and will easily get sick from it. We took a ride on a 420DA with full mechanical engine (Cummins 450C) in cool weather, the smoke at startup and overall smell nearly killed her. Three weeks later on an even cooler day we sea trialed our boat (full electronic) and cold startup after sitting for over two weeks not a hint of smoke or smelly exhaust.

When I start my genny (full mechanical) we either need to be running so the fumes are downwind or I need to start it up with the cabin door closed and her inside until it comes up to temp or there will be no boat ride that day!

Unless the boats your looking at have equal options and value in both gas a diesel I would not rule out diesel.
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My old jalopy (3116TA's) might have a puff (very rarely) during start but there is no smell or smoke after that first kick-over. Same goes for the genset. Now I can smell a gasoline powered boat throughout the marina when it is running. Neither are offensive to my olfactory however.
 
My 1500 hour Cat 3116's are like Tom's. We may see a puff of smoke on a 40 degree day in the winter after the boat has been idle for 2-3 weeks, but it is just a puff. I have never smelled diesel exhaust with the underwater exhaust system, even though we know it is there.

Cummins mechanical engines are a bit worse, but they aren't that bad either.

Don't tell you wife the boat is diesel and she will never know it.....diesel smoke and odor just isn't noticable, unless there is something wrong with the engines, or they are Detroits!
 
fwebster said:
My 1500 hour Cat 3116's are like Tom's. We may see a puff of smoke on a 40 degree day in the winter after the boat has been idle for 2-3 weeks, but it is just a puff. I have never smelled diesel exhaust with the underwater exhaust system, even though we know it is there.

Cummins mechanical engines are a bit worse, but they aren't that bad either.

Don't tell you wife the boat is diesel and she will never know it.....diesel smoke and odor just isn't noticable, unless there is something wrong with the engines, or they are Detroits!
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Frank, IInteresting that you mention the underwater exhaust - what I'm looking at is a 420 Aft Cabin in the 1996 to 2001 range and all have the underwater exhaust. I know these will be a bit under powered if I went with the gassers but I could most likely pick one up cheaper but, would much rather have the diesels.

More to think about...
 
Maybe my nose is broken, but the only place I have smelled diesel exhaust is sometimes at startup in our boathouse, never on outside dock.
2017-03-16-A 18.38.23.jpg
 
I get a little smell at start up/idle, but once I get moving on plane there is no smell.
 
My 3126's might have given a slight puff at start - but no smell. Letting the intake heaters run for 30 seconds prior to start eliminated all smoke. My common rail MANs start immediately - no glow plugs or intake heaters - and are smokeless and smell-less immediately after start.
 
I have the mechanical 8.3's. My engines start easy, after the preheat cycle, press the start button and they're running literally in a second or so. I've never seen any 'puffs' at startup but there is a slight haze hanging at the waters surface. When the engines warm up that stops.

When we fire up my wife is on the swim platform, she verifies cooling water flow and OK's me to fire up the second engine. Only a couple times has she said 'it stinks back here', sometimes a breeze can move the exhaust around and a bit gets to her sniffer.

In the longer term I wonder about the relationship between good fuel, fuel maintenance, fuel additive plans, and smellier than need be engines.

This makes me think of Frank W's excellent advice on fuel treatment....where is it at on the new CSR?
 
I can't find it either.

Additives are important to fuel quality since the fuel in our tanks may be there for months at a time. The biggest thing affecting smoky at start up is cetane. ULSD has a significantly lower cetane which leads to slower starting since the fuel doesn't ignite as easily or as completely until the engine reaches operating temperatures. Be sure whatever you use specifies what their additive does to cetane...you like to see it increased by 5-7 numbers.

I have edited t he diesel Fuel Management article to update it for several changes in the industry. I'll post it when I figure out where the articles are supposed to be now. In the meantime, if you want a copy, PM an email address to me and I'll send you one.
 
I also have the 8.3 450 Cummins Diamonds... I have has some smoke, but once I got it all tuned up its gone!! I use the Stenadyne performance and the Lubricity additives and biobor. Once a year, I use the Diesel 911 (typically on the last tank before I plan to change the filters) just to be sure I don't have an issue. I get a puff of smoke from the stbd at startup and nothing from the Port.

Before I adjusted the props and have the valve job completed, I had a significant amount of "soot" after a long day of running. Once I got it running at spec, it doesn't exist.

@FRANKW If you follow Frank's advice with fuel management you won't have any issues, I have 1400 hours on my engines and 300 over the past year! Runs like a top!

Josh
 
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