Replacement - Heresy?

[boatpoker]

Paul:

I have no numbers, as I said I don't understand why they don't blow up but they scare me enough that I would not want one next to my boat.
As to propane, that's an entirely different topic. This is about A4's

It is extremely rare to have a fixed propane system in this class of boats as very few have room for a tank.

[sailingdog]

Atomic A4s are fairly reliable, and the whole "gasoline engine=floating bomb" is pretty much BS IMHO.

Most of the boat explosion cases due to gasoline as a fuel have had a fairly large USER ERROR human component from what I've seen. Common sense and using your built-in Mark I gasoline fume detector go a long, long way to preventing problems.

[boatpoker]

I never did make any statement about numbers, just that I'd never seen an
A4 installation that did not scare me. After what I have seen you'd be hard pressed to change my mind on that.

I am a diesel guy and always will be cause' diesel fumes don't explode and while they may make you sick they won't kill you nearly as fast as gas fumes.
Suggest you check the BoatUS stats on CO fatalities on gas vs. diesel.

[boatpoker]

Diesel produces roughly 10 percent (too many variables to be more precise) of that produced by gasoline although the effect on your blood is cumulative. Where an exhaust leak from a diesel may kill you in 9hrs. a similar leak from a gasoline engine could kill in 1hr.

Most of the questionable A4 installations I have seen were factory installs ie. Non-ignition protected domestic single pole breakers without polarity indicator in the engine/fuel compartment. Solid copper conductors, No AC/DC bond, AC outlets in the engine/fuel compartment.

I do agree that these issues have been compunded by owners who think that wiring a boat is just like wiring your rec room.

[mgraham49]

You guys make me feel silly for thinking about it. And a lot better. Now to install the cool new extended dip stick that lets me check oil from the front of the engine.

On the speed deal, I changed out the prop for the Indigo Electronics 3 blade (the one in the back of good old boat that says, "repower your Atomic-4". Before that, had a 2 blade fixed, and before that a 2 blade folding. I will say that the boat handles well in reverse once I get it moving, and is easily backed into the slip.

I know that I need to check my compression, that may be the issue, And I may be unreasonable to expect any power against a headwind and waves.

All my best, thanks.

[sailingdog]

Glad to help.

[SEMIJim]

Originally Posted by boatpoker

I am a diesel guy and always will be cause' diesel fumes don't explode and while they may make you sick they won't kill you nearly as fast as gas fumes.

Oh boy: You've turned a perfectly reasonable thread into a gasoline vs. diesel religious war! Can I play? Let's see: I am a gasoline guy and always will be cause' [sic] gasoline engines tend not to stink the place up so much, gasoline engines tend to start and run more reliably (in my experience), gasoline engines run more smoothly and are much quieter, gasoline isn't quite as susceptible to fungus and turning to jelly as is diesel, and, last but not least, I understand and am completely comfortable with gasoline engines--diesel not so much.

Jim

[sailingdog]

SemiJim-

You forgot to add that the marine fuel dock price for gasoline is considerably less than that for diesel.

Ideally, since this is a sailboat we're talking about, the increased fuel efficiency of the diesel engine shouldn't matter too much...since I'm generally sailing rather than motoring.

[boatpoker]

37' trawler, 22000lbs. displacement, 7.6 knots at 1500RPM, 779 gallons from Toroonto to Bahamas and back at 1.2 GPH.
Which is cheaper gasoline or diesel ?

[sailingdog]

If the two engines got the same gallons-per-mile... the gasoline engine would still be far less expensive, both initially, since diesel engines are generally more costly than gasoline ones, and over the long term, since the gasoline prices are generally considerably lower than the diesel ones. It takes a lot of miles to make up the price difference between a diesel installation and a gasoline one.

Please note, I never said that diesel wasn't better suited for power boats under certain conditions... however, for smaller sailboats, diesel really doesn't make much sense... you're beating a dead horse, and you've lost the argument already, but just can't seem to face the fact.

Originally Posted by boatpoker

37' trawler, 22000lbs. displacement, 7.6 knots at 1500RPM, 779 gallons from Toroonto to Bahamas and back at 1.2 GPH.
Which is cheaper gasoline or diesel ?