Cost risk of older diesel engined boat?

mnts said:
I guess in UK you can use red-diesel for pleasure boats.
otherwise diesel is about on par with gasoline, in some countries more expensive.
European Fuel Prices
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Recently I paid €1.20 per litre of non bio diesel in The Netherlands
Prices on that chart are roughly about €0.20 too high for B7 diesel for the car here in Belgium.

Belgians go to The Netherlands for diesel and the Dutch come to Belgium for Petrol, we do live close to the border and there are filling stations on either side to pick and choose from.
 
When considering diesel vs petrol it's wise to consider the area where the boat is to be kept and used and the availability of fuel at the waterside.
In some areas the absence of petrol at harbours and marinas may limit possible cruising range.
 
Momac said:
When considering diesel vs petrol it's wise to consider the area where the boat is to be kept and used and the availability of fuel at the waterside.
In some areas the absence of petrol at harbours and marinas may limit possible cruising range.
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We have one marina at 7km from us that sells both diesel and petrol, closed on Sundays and Wednesdays, another at 14km open for petrol and diesel most days, but expensive, then at 30km, just over the border, for diesel is the cheapest, next is 55km for petrol and diesel, but don't know the prices there.
On the canals here the Vlaamsewaterweg have drink water taps at various lock gates and other locations that you can fill up your water tanks, saves having to buy water at a marina at 50c for 100 litres
 
I too think a single engine might be better ... another reason is that with 2 engines there are actually twice as much likelihood that you'll have something fail - if there are 2 impellers, it's twice as likely for example - however of course you can usually carry on much easier with one engine down if you have 2.

But modern outboards are so reliable I'd be happy using a single well maintained one... However there are very few boats of the type you describe with outboards - unless you are talking nearly new.....
 
petem said:
If you're looking at T29's then it'll either be twin AD31's or KAD32's. The latter has a supercharger and some additional electronics. It's not unheard of for a supercharger to fail so you could be facing a £5k or so bill if it does.

The likelihood of a major engine failure requiring a rebuild is slim. I'd have thought you could pick up a second hand KAD32 for under £10k if a partial engine rebuild isn't feasible. Be warned though, a major issue in the channel Islands or Scillies will add additional cost and hassle.

A more likely issue is the failure of an outdrive. You should be able to get a recon drive for under £5k.

As well as regular costs, you also need to factor in new covers every 5-10 years and money for lots of other things that break on boats (pumps, water heaters, etc).

All of the above is a reason why I part own our Targa 34 in the Med. All costs are shared three ways.
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I wanted to buy a boat which needed an outdrive repair, the problem was that in the area where the boat was for sale all the boatyards who did that sort of repair were booked up for weeks, and when I go out to buy a boat. I want to use it today.
Caution, I ended up buying a boat with a Yanmar Diesel engine, Brilliant Engine but having employed mechanics and a bit useful myself I wanted to change the impeller, but it was in a very inaccessible place so I had a Marine Engineer replace it.
I the service sheet which came with the boat said that it was only 50 hours before it had been serviced and the mechanic had written about the Impeller "Serviceable" Assuming that the boatyard had given a fixed price for the service and the mechanic did not want to spend 2 hours stripping the engine to get at the impeller housing and another 2 hours replacing everything he took a guess and put "Serviceable)

When my marine engineer took the Impeller out it was totally perished, Had I gone out to sea the engine would have failed.
 
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Jim@sea said:
I wanted to buy a boat which needed an outdrive repair, the problem was that in the area where the boat was for sale all the boatyards who did that sort of repair were booked up for weeks, and when I go out to buy a boat. I want to use it today.
Caution, I ended up buying a boat with a Yanmar Diesel engine, Brilliant Engine but having employed mechanics and a bit useful myself I wanted to change the impeller, but it was in a very inaccessible place so I had a Marine Engineer replace it.
I the service sheet which came with the boat said that it was only 50 hours before it had been serviced and the mechanic had written about the Impeller "Serviceable" Assuming that the boatyard had given a fixed price for the service and the mechanic did not want to spend 2 hours stripping the engine to get at the impeller housing and another 2 hours replacing everything he took a guess and put "Serviceable)

When my marine engineer took the Impeller out it was totally perished, Had I gone out to sea the engine would have failed.
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That’s a good lesson…an accessible engine (often singles…look at the brilliant accessibility of a Nordhavn) is often a well serviced engine…therefore hopefully more reliable.
 
Port side engines in twin engined boats have notoriously sketchy servicing due to the inaccessability of the fuel and oil filters. Another reason for one good engine. Also, unless you have separate fuels tanks there is very little backup in having two engines if they have been well maintained. Same, potentially dirty fuel going to both.
 
Farmer Piles said:
Port side engines in twin engined boats have notoriously sketchy servicing due to the inaccessability of the fuel and oil filters. Another reason for one good engine. Also, unless you have separate fuels tanks there is very little backup in having two engines if they have been well maintained. Same, potentially dirty fuel going to both.
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Depends on the engines, mine have handed filters inboard on both engines, so they’re easy to access. Entire saloon floor comes up for access. Starboard impeller a bit more awkward.
 
Farmer Piles said:
Port side engines in twin engined boats have notoriously sketchy servicing due to the inaccessability of the fuel and oil filters. Another reason for one good engine. Also, unless you have separate fuels tanks there is very little backup in having two engines if they have been well maintained. Same, potentially dirty fuel going to both.
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That must depend very much on the engines and the boat.


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Jim@sea said:
.
Caution, I ended up buying a boat with a Yanmar Diesel engine, Brilliant Engine but having employed mechanics and a bit useful myself I wanted to change the impeller, but it was in a very inaccessible place so I had a Marine Engineer replace it.
I the service sheet which came with the boat said that it was only 50 hours before it had been serviced and the mechanic had written about the Impeller "Serviceable" Assuming that the boatyard had given a fixed price for the service and the mechanic did not want to spend 2 hours stripping the engine to get at the impeller housing and another 2 hours replacing everything he took a guess and put "Serviceable)

When my marine engineer took the Impeller out it was totally perished, Had I gone out to sea the engine would have failed.
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Yeah, that's what I came across regularly when researching yanmar engines (when buying a boat with a yanmar engine); brilliant engines, but the Impeller is very difficult to reach, and even service mechanics skipping replacements saying "it's probably fine", or just skipping it without saying so.

I'll be sure to replace it myself just in case.
 
Bitter-End said:
Yeah, that's what I came across regularly when researching yanmar engines (when buying a boat with a yanmar engine); brilliant engines, but the Impeller is very difficult to reach, and even service mechanics skipping replacements saying "it's probably fine", or just skipping it without saying so.

I'll be sure to replace it myself just in case.
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First, make sure you are there during any service....not watching over anyone’s shoulder...that’s rude...but just being there. Second, ask for all the parts that were replaced (except filters....but you should always examine the filters before they are disposed of)
 
ontheplane said:
I too think a single engine might be better ... another reason is that with 2 engines there are actually twice as much likelihood that you'll have something fail - if there are 2 impellers, it's twice as likely for example - however of course you can usually carry on much easier with one engine down if you have 2.

But modern outboards are so reliable I'd be happy using a single well maintained one... However there are very few boats of the type you describe with outboards - unless you are talking nearly new.....
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I read on an aviation web-site that for private aircraft, twin engined aircraft crash more often than single engined aircraft. The second engine is only there to propel you to the crash site.

And of course with two engines you will have one engine fail twice as often as in a single engined aircraft.
 
ari said:
Perhaps someone should suggest that pilots use it to propel themselves to an airport where they can land?
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Statistics show that it does get them to the airport and that 2 engine planes crash more often than 1 engine planes with a single engine failure.
 
westernman said:
Statistics show that it does get them to the airport and that 2 engine planes crash more often than 1 engine planes with a single engine failure.
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Is that a typo or true ?
Is it possible that lighter single engine planes can glide to safety easier?
Or is any forced landing a crash ?
 
westernman said:
Statistics show that it does get them to the airport and that 2 engine planes crash more often than 1 engine planes with a single engine failure.
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If you dig deeper, it seems that many engine failures in twins end up with a safe landing and so aren't reported as accidents. The other issue is that twins are usually flown in less safe conditions - at night, over mountains etc. which increases the risk of an engine out crash. Singles with an engine failure are usually flown in daylight where a safe landing spot can be identified more easily.

Being able to manage an engine out situation is also an issue with pilots and circumstances such as an engine failure during takeoff can be fatal.
 
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