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Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
If you're new to the Sailnet Forums... please read this POST.
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.
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.
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Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
If you're new to the Sailnet Forums... please read this POST.
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 ?
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.
Quote:
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 ?
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Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
If you're new to the Sailnet Forums... please read this POST.
I came across this post by accident while looking for something else (the thread has been so riveting that I can't remember what it was....). My experience in the UK (and in Europe as a whole) was that diesels are all but universal on sailboats ovee there (outboards being the exception). The reasons for this are as so clearly set out by Boatpoker ie safer, more reliable, more economical in terms of fuel consumption. Let's face it, the initial cost question is really only an issue if replacement is being considered.
However, if I was in a position where I had a gas engine which I knew well and which had always been in the boat, I would sure be tempted to have it overhauled. Somehow, it seems the right thing to do.....
Stuart
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Leith (rhymes with teeth) is the port of the City of Edinburgh in Scotland. A Leither is someone who comes from that area.
I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky - I left my shoes and socks there, I wonder if they're dry?
Having just read the current issue of Good Old Boat and the article about the A4, I was very curious to read this thread. Of course, it turned into gas vs diesel. Too bad. I happen to like gas, and wooden boats, but the boat that fit my dreams was glass with a diesel, far too big a boat for a single A4, maybe twins? Oh, don't like twins, sorry, its a motorsailor for me.
Boat Poker, I am with you, having just bought a boat and looking at a couple dozen, probably more in the last two years, the number of boats still afloat that seem like they shouldn't amazes me, from rot to bad engine or shore power installations.
Long live the simplicity of the A4, close up the cabin, and vent before refueling and, of course starting
I've surveyed dozens of boat with A4's and don't understand why they have not all blown up ! Every one I have seen has at least 2 or 3 of the following issues.
1.) Improperly installed engine compartment ventilation systems (per ABYC).
2.) Engine compartment not vapour proof to the accomodation spaces.
3.) Non-ignition proof battery (auto type)chargers in the fuel/engine
compartment.
4.) AC outlets in the fuel/engine compartment.
5.) Ungrounded fuel fill/tank.
Actual selling price of a diesel vs. gas in this category is usually 2-4k more.
Ahhhh ! diesel fumes ....mothers milk
Gee Boatpoker, it sounds like you are describing my boat! Almost exactly what you said when you surveyed it!! You forgot to mention the battery tiedowns, and waited for another post to mention the household ac wiring and ac fuse panel.
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Patrick Rea http://www.reasystems.com
1978 30' Hughes Northstar 1000
1964 20' Bertram Moppie
Last edited by patrickrea : 12-29-2008 at 08:26 AM.
