On Tue, 06 Nov 2007 07:21:41 -0500, HK wrote:

D'oh. I'm not knocking diesels. I wouldn't buy another large boat
without them. What I am knocking is the concept that it "costs less" to
run diesels. It doesn't when you add in some of the incredible
"maintenance and repair" charges.

The boat originally in question was a 34 footer with twin outboards.
The numbers are pretty conclusive that the break even point on cost is
less than 200 hours of operation. Maintenance cost on the diesels
should not become a factor until well beyond 2,000 hours.