A year on How has the Fuel Duty

[ian38_39]

The more I hear of diesels the more I love my petrols.

Have seen a number of instances this year of ultra reliable diesel engines needing second mortgage type sums spending on them. the sort of money that would take years of tax rebated savings over petrol to regain.

 

[Divemaster1]

The more I hear of diesels the more I love my petrols.

Have seen a number of instances this year of ultra reliable diesel engines needing second mortgage type sums spending on them......

Depends on what engines really...

Newer diesels with electronic management etc., tend these days to be throw away blocks and quite highly tuned with sensitive cooling systems etc., which when it goes wrong makes for very expensive repairs... The time of ultra reliable diesel engines really ended when diesels started to approach 2000 RPM... and when they exceeded 3000, sensitivities around effective dispersment of heat (cooling systems, demands on oils) etc., became the real issue. This coupled with change of use... ie' infrequent use and for high speed crafts with treatments like the less complex perol engines, just makes the sensitivity issue more pronounced, with expectant results.... never mind the issues around the drive systems which are dimensioned to be min spec., rather than over dimmensioned.

If you refer to the bigger engines like Volvo TMD120's, MAN, CAT etc., you are taking on a use and load which petrols cannot practically serve, which makes it somewhat un-comparable.... yes you can put 2 x 500 HP petrols in a 50 ft semi displacement cruiser (ChrisCraft did I believe with big Crusaders), but it just did not work very well, som most of them ended up with or changed to diesels..

 

[asteven221]

Power is the cheaper option, its not bravado, the faster and further you go the cheaper it gets !

With respect, what planet are you on? If your boat gets cheaper the fast it goes then you had better get a patent on it as it defeats the laws of physics!

I said that there was some bravado, because many people have a problem admitting that the price of fuel is an issue because it may suggest that they can't afford it. There are a lot of people that like to give the impression that they are well of when in fact they are anything but!

To suggest having a 42ft mobo is cheaper than a 45ft yacht is dreamland. I wish it was! It's is not even close. FWIW my comparison is between a 40ft flybridge that cost me circa £120k and a 43ft yacht at the same sort of money. I am not arguing over which is best, cause I am neutral in that respect, probably more in favour of mobo's, but trust me the mobo was considerably more expensive. 2 x 300hp diesels (generator as well?) against a single 55hp! £270 anodes against £30 anodes. £700 servicing against £50. Double up on virtually all instruments and controls which mean repairs and replacing. Furnishings that are more lavish, thus needing 24/7 heating and dehudifying to keep the boat fresh. Insurance at three times the price. And there is still fuel!

Also FYI (Being on the mobo forum I can say this!!) I don't sail in the wrong direction - I motor all the time unless the wind suits where I am going and how I am feeling! As you would expect I do sail, but I couldn't care a jot about the having to sail all the time, just because I have a yacht. Drifting at 3 knots would bore me to death. Zigzagging about to get from a to b is not my idea of boating either. Nope - it's the iron sail for me in these situations.

 

[DAKA]

I guess we are all in different situations, I did look into to the costs in great detail ( I have sailed in the past and still sail when I get the chance).
I took into account the cost of sail repairs and renewals, and found the extra draft restrictions and lowered cruising speed meant fewer weekends were available and less miles covered.
When I divided the costs to include berthing fees by the estimated reduced miles I was shocked.

I am currently benefiting from duty free fuel anyway and have nothing to gain by misrepresenting my findings.