gas or diesel

[natalie e.]

I have torn out an old 45-4 gray marine gasoline engine and face the choice of replacing with the same or changing to diesel. Firstly gasoline scares the hell out of me because of it's combustability. Will someone please tell me their pros and cons if given the choice?:( :(

[Bill]

Our last boat was Diesel powered. It was safe and solid. The one irritant for me was keeping the fuel clean. The stuff likes to grow algae, which gums up the injectors.

There's a neat little Kabota based diesel on the market that is just right for the Ariel/Commander. It's a 12hp Beta Marine (more hp if you want it). Check it out. Those Kabota engines are supposed to be bullet proof.

http://www.betamarinenc.com/

[tcoolidge]

Diesel would be my choice. Only reason I could possibly imagine someone installing an inboard gas engine would be initial cost might be lower. They have more ways they can and will break down, especially in a marine environment, they are noisy, potentially explosive and are fuel hogs compared to a diesel. Diesel fuel can have problems with contaminants but so can gasoline. Filtration and periodic decontamination is the key for either.
I would second the recommendation of the Kubota Betamarine 12hp. I have known a couple people who repowered boats (not Ariels) with them and they couldn't be happier.

Tom

[marymandara]

It's worth noting that diesel will explode, too...just have to work at it harder.

Gasoline is perfectly safe as long as it is respected and as part of that respect the engine is well maintained, frequently inspected, and no cost-cutting measures like the replacement of marinized (sealed or shrouded) alternators, starter motors and distributors by automotive items is undertaken. If gas were indeed so dangerous, given how many boats used (and still do use) gasoline inboards, a lot more of us would be dead or disfigured. Seriously, how many bilge explosions has anyone personally witnessed or heard about happening not by word of myth but by immediate witnesses? I have only seen one (or more accurately the immediate aftermath thereof) in my entire life, and that was a big Uniflite where the guy did everything wrong at the gas dock, including a failure to run his blower before starting...combined with some sort of a fuel leak.

Diesel is a combustible fuel, too, and should be treated with the same awe and respect as gasoline. EVERY hydrocarbon fuel has a stochiometric ratio, at which the appropriate combination of fuel and air will change the nature of the fuel from a combustible to an explosive. Actually harder to achieve than one thinks, even with gas...but my point here is that it can indeed be achieved with anything. Diesel is every bit as FLAMMABLE as anything else, and I have noted that more folks have fires with diesel inboards...probably due to a false sense of security. Now, I HAVE seen that more than once in my lifetime. Fiberglass is hard to light, but once you do--good luck putting it out!

Dave

[drm901]

We have a Volvo MD6A (10 hp, 2 cyl) diesel (35 years old and still ticking - never been overhauled) in our Ariel. It only uses 1/3 gal per hour at full speed, so my 10 gal tank gives me about 150-180 mile range. More than I will ever need.

Pluses - pretty much bullet proof. Keep the fuel clean (!!!!!!!!) and it will run for ever. Almost nothing that can break.

Minuses - noisy, heavier, harder to get good mechanics

The last issue is the biggest one. When I was trying to resolve a problem, I ended up doing it all myself because I just couldn't find someone who knew more about diesels than me - and I was trying hard since I prefer sailing over engine repair.