SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Gas Vs. Deisel (are we crazy?)

20K views 31 replies 18 participants last post by  SailNet Archive 
#1 ·
Hello All. Looking for some experienced judgement here, with an open mind based on experience. My wife and I are moving to SW Florida in September for a new life and work. We currently live in Pittsburgh. BRRRRRR!! Way too cold. We want sailing to be a big part of our new life. We first wanted a boat at least 30'' w'' deisel, and all the accomadations we could acquire. Work and finances are dictating that we may have to scale back our dream boat to more smaller, say 25'', maybe trailerable. Our intended cruising grounds are the Keys, Tortugas, and the Bahamas or beyond (providing we can follow a flotilla across the Gulf Stream, we''re not crazy). We are seeing alot of boats for sale that are great boats, Pearsons, Cape Dorys, etc., in our price range 10,000 and under. The problem is that they either have outboards, or inboard gas. I know the explosion risk associated with inboard gas so I have all but ruled out inboard gas engines. I have been told that a following sea w'' an outboard is a big problem in heavy weather while trying to negotiate inland piloting (prop coming out of the water). We don''t want to give up our intended cruising grounds. I keep thinking of way back in the day when there were no reliable engines and such, and the mariners that made it happen. I''ve even read about a 16'' that circumnavigated with no engine (www.mavc2002.com/caledoniayawl.agere1.htm), a very interesting story by the way. I also realize that weather would play a major factor in when we could leave any port that we are in given the conditions. My question is.. Are we going to bite off more than we can handle by purchasing a 22''-25'' boat with an outboard to use in our intended cruising grounds? I know that we could use the dinghy''s outboard if our main outboard would die. Is there anyone who''s had experience with our intended actions? Thanks for the input. Bob P. P.S. - If anyone needs crew, my wife and I are available for varying lengths, monohulls up to 40''. Good Day all!
 
See less See more
#27 · (Edited)
Another angle on things that makes me prefer diesel is the way we get jerked around regarding gas. In a pinch, the trucks and ships have to run. Diesel will have production priority over gas. Post -Katrina is a perfect example. Couldn't get gas, then after a few days, only a $20 limit (about 6 gallons!), but you could have all the diesel you wanted. Also, while gas engines will run on ethanol, the conversion requires anti-corrosion mods, but diesels run on bio-diesel will little or no adjustments, even used cooking oil will work with a simple "greasel" kit. Granted, this isn't as big a deal with pleasure craft, but still something to consider.
 
#28 ·
808state:

I live in Aventura Florida, 20 min north of downtown Miami.

I bought a 30ft Lippincott with an 15hp diesel engine. It was listed for 15k but I paid 9.2k out the door. it is 20 years old and needed TLC...mostly engine repair on the fuel side of things.

I believe the market for sail boats in Miami is soft and you can get a better boat for 10k if you negotiate good...I found alot of people are willing to come down thousands off the first price.

Just my opinion...!
 
#29 ·
There are thousands of boats out there with Atomic IV inboard gasoline engines that have run well for more than twenty years. Many, many more than have ever blown up. They are not as safe as a diesel, but they are far quieter, If you are intelligent and careful, you won't have a problem. Outboards are the least reliable option. And don't worry too much about your motor. I sailed a 30 foot schooner for years. The engine died about six months after I bought the boat and I didn't have the money to fix it, then realised I didn't need it. Never fixed it, never missed it.
 
#31 ·
Fair enough, I have seen a few otherwise undamaged cars catch fire due to some flaw in the fuel system. By contrast, in my limited boat owning career (1999 to present), I have seen two sailboats sink at dock due to hose clamp failure/backsiphoning of the head intake. Neither was lost, but some upholsterers were made richer.

I saw a third boat take on water because of a clamp or hose failure (everyone was too embarrassed to admit it) on a C&C 35. Ironically, it had an Atomic 4 and furthermore, once some bright sailor had figured out the floorboards were floating and had shut off the seacock, they used the Atomic 4 raw water hose (presumably loose at this point) to suck the boat 90% dry. The Atomic 4 was undamaged by this, so I assume they didn't have a lot of particulate crap in their bilges.

Risk is everywhere, but frequently the amount of actual risk is really about managing negligence and/or ignorance.
 
#32 · (Edited)
Gas vs. Diesel

I have a Catalina 27 with an Atomic 4, a Beneteau 32s5 with a Volvo M2002 diesel, two Jetta TDI turbocharged diesels, and an air cooled flat six gas sports car.

I do 90 percent of the maintenance on all the engines and have 100's of hours behind each of them. When it comes to the marine engines, I have actually had a harder time keeping the diesel running than the Atomic 4. Gasoline, with proper fuel additives (PRI-G) will keep for years. Diesel, on the other hand, will tend to grow algae/fungi (ask me how I know...). That said - each engine has its quirks, but none of those quirks are very difficult to understand. I am not a mechanic, either - I just like knowing my engine is there when I need it. And I really like both the Atomic and the Volvo.

So - don't let gas or diesel influence your decision. A mild dose of reason and intelligence will keep you safe and sound with either route.

Focus instead on the condition of the engine in question - its compression, ease of start, and state of engine systems. Pick an engine that is either in very good condition, or one that can be rebuilt quickly w/new parts (Atomic 4 is great for that) and brought current.

Rob
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top