I"ve got a good engine,, but it is gas.

Have thought about going the diesel route..

Since the fall is just starting :: where would/should I start looking for
a
good 20hp diesel for a sailboat? Would like to find a good used one,,
but it not used .. where is the best new dealer place?

Seems like everyone I know has a Yanmar.

On Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:10:53 GMT, "Thomas, Spring Point Light"
wrote:

I"ve got a good engine,, but it is gas.

Have thought about going the diesel route..

Since the fall is just starting :: where would/should I start looking for
a
good 20hp diesel for a sailboat? Would like to find a good used one,,
but it not used .. where is the best new dealer place?

Seems like everyone I know has a Yanmar.



I assume you have an Atomic 4? If it's running well I'd leave it
alone. You will never find a more reliable, easy to work on engine.

A new Yanmar, dealer installed, will probably be more than $10K. Mack
Boring is one of their main distributors in the North East but any
good diesel mechanic in your area should know how to get one. Used
prices are all over the place but you have to be suspicious about
condition. Unless the boat has been totaled (without sinking), why
would anyone get rid of a good running diesel?

One possible used source is a generator shop. People sometimes
replace generators for reasons other than a worn out engine. You will
have to locate a matching transmission, control panel, engine mounts,
etc. Unless you can get it close to free, probably more trouble than
it's worth.

On 2008-08-24 09:10:53 -0400, "Thomas, Spring Point Light"
said:

I"ve got a good engine,, but it is gas.

Have thought about going the diesel route..

Since the fall is just starting :: where would/shæould I start
looking for a good 20hp diesel for a sailboat? Would like to find a
good used one,, but it not used .. where is the best new dealer place?

Seems like everyone I know has a Yanmar.

We repowered with a Yanmar and couldn't be happier 16 seasons later.

BUT, if I were to do it again, I'd upgrade a working gas engine or
switch to a rebuilt drop-in diesel, as the Yanmar, professionally
installed, would cost somewhat upwards of $15k these days.

IF you can justify the cost over your expected use of the boat, I'd go
for a modern diesel, but expect to replace everything from the
batteries and cables to the exhaust.

If you want to improve an existing engine, perhaps the best investment
is a new prop. The new ones are considerably better than those of 20-30
years ago. CDI's composite props are SWEET!

--
Jere Lull
Xan-à-Deux -- Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD
Xan's pages: http://web.mac.com/jerelull/iWeb/Xan/
Our BVI trips & tips: http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

"Gogarty" wrote in message
...
Friend of ours had an Atomic 4 in a Triton yawl. Even had a Monel fuel
tank. However, the engine kepy giving all kinds of problems, mostly
leaking gasoline, even though he swapped out his original engine for a
newer used one from another boat. (That owner planned the Pardee thing --
cruising without an engine.) Eventually my friend bought a Yanmar at a
boat show for a show-special $5,000 and installed it himself over a
winter. Gave away the Atomic 4. That boat has been to the Canaries and
back and is still going strong.

==

Gogarty,, I have had excellent luck with my AT4. This is the third one
I've owned.
But::: As anyone who has ever sailed onboard a boat with an AT4 can
attest, things
can go wrong. Mostly, electric. The AT4 being a gas engine, has spark
plugs,
dist cap, ... etc. That stuff does not like moisture. The other big issue
which is new to
us gas engine owners, is the gasoline.. ethanol .. situation. This spring I
pumped out
my tank, the eth made the gas dirty, or at least helped it become dirty.
What a pain.
I had to pump out the gas, change the fuel pump, on and on...

Another reason for looking at a Yanmar, is the simplicity of operation and
the fact that there
are so many of them out there. The boatyard where I store? Almost every
sailboat there
has a Yanmar diesel.

So... I will start the lets see what's out there period.

I did find a place out at the Great Lakes,, the guy rebuilds diesels for
sailboats.
He has a bunch of Universals diesels.

Who knows... I haven't really finished this season yet.

Thanks for the input.

On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:10:52 -0400, Gogarty
wrote:

Friend of ours had an Atomic 4 in a Triton yawl. Even had a Monel fuel
tank. However, the engine kepy giving all kinds of problems, mostly
leaking gasoline, even though he swapped out his original engine for a
newer used one from another boat. (That owner planned the Pardee thing --
cruising without an engine.) Eventually my friend bought a Yanmar at a
boat show for a show-special $5,000 and installed it himself over a
winter. Gave away the Atomic 4. That boat has been to the Canaries and
back and is still going strong.

When I was in the USAF at Charleston, I met a guy at the marina. He
had a wooden ex Channel pilot boat. He had crossed the Atlantic,
single handed, to get his hands on a used Atomic Four for free.

Casady

"Gogarty" wrote in message
...
Friend of ours had an Atomic 4 in a Triton yawl. Even had a Monel fuel
tank. However, the engine kepy giving all kinds of problems, mostly
leaking gasoline, even though he swapped out his original engine for a
newer used one from another boat. (That owner planned the Pardee thing --
cruising without an engine.) Eventually my friend bought a Yanmar at a
boat show for a show-special $5,000 and installed it himself over a
winter. Gave away the Atomic 4. That boat has been to the Canaries and
back and is still going strong.


That is good because Yanmar spares are very expensive.

On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:56:45 GMT, "Thomas, Spring Point Light"
wrote:

As anyone who has ever sailed onboard a boat with an AT4 can
attest, things
can go wrong. Mostly, electric. The AT4 being a gas engine, has spark
plugs,
dist cap, ... etc. That stuff does not like moisture.

All true but they are inexpensive and easy to replace. Nothing on a
diesel is inexpensive or easy to replace once you get past the fuel
filter and raw water impeller.

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:22:17 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:56:45 GMT, "Thomas, Spring Point Light"
wrote:

As anyone who has ever sailed onboard a boat with an AT4 can
attest, things
can go wrong. Mostly, electric. The AT4 being a gas engine, has spark
plugs,
dist cap, ... etc. That stuff does not like moisture.

All true but they are inexpensive and easy to replace. Nothing on a
diesel is inexpensive or easy to replace once you get past the fuel
filter and raw water impeller.


Wonder if that will soon change. Seems to me there's really nothing
special about manufacturing diesels over gas engines. Sure, they're
different, but the big cost difference doesn't make sense except in
terms of volume reducing costs maybe, and lack of competition.
I guess the demand side is just too low now.
Larry picked up a pretty cheap Chinese genset, but air-cooled.
I thought Europe had a lot of diesel cars, and I wonder what the price
premium over a gas engine if for those.
Those Yanmar prices just seem out of whack.

--Vic

Vic Smith wrote in
:

Those Yanmar prices just seem out of whack.



If stupid Yanmar weren't so greedy in the USA, we'd be driving around with
YANMAR diesel OUTBOARDS. But, alas, even people with money balk when you
want $12K for 27hp....how stupid.

On Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:52:23 -0500, Vic Smith
wrote:

Wonder if that will soon change. Seems to me there's really nothing
special about manufacturing diesels over gas engines.

Actually I don't believe that is entirely correct. For one, the
injection systems are built to very high degree of precision. Also
the compression ratio is much higher which requires much beefier
engineering of bearings, cranks, head gaskets, etc.

You might recall that General Motors tried to build diesel cars like
automotive engines back in the early 80s. They were a disaster.