Diesel Engines cost more to produce?

cngarrod

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So we know that Diesel is the fuel of choice for boats... as it is cheaper to buy... but the diesel engined craft are £££ more than a petrol equivalent.

So - in my ignorance - do Diesel engines cost that much more to manufacture, or is it a case of supply / demand in that we will pay the extra for th engine to have cheaper fuel?

Ta!

Craig.
 

DavidJ

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It's a question of economies of scale. The more a manufacturer can make the more his costs will tend towards the cost of material. Since petrols are not so dissimilar from diesels and since the material cost is also similar then it's all about numbers produced. I think (without looking it up) that mass produced foreign diesel cars are a similar price to the petrols.
Of course supply/demand dictates the price but if there is competition then it usually corelates with cost.
David
 

adarcy

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Agreed David
Pre high tech diesel injection, diesels were v big heavy lumps for their power, as well as usually being made in much smaller numbers than petrols (usually based on car engines). Now that car manufacturers arre making much higher power to weight diesels, the cost of materiels is a lot closer. Also, the previously relatively high cost of the "precision" diesel pump is now matched by the extra cost of petrol injection and electronic controls.
Merc and VW charge similar prices for similar power petrol or diesels. Marine diesels are made in handfuls by comparison.
 

oldgit

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Worth considering the introduction of quite a few Diesels dor the light aviation market.
no more p*******g about with mixture controls or worrying about carb icing.
Most of the new types will appear to run on old chip fat as well(Well nearly)

O my Gawd its still going ahead......
 
G

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Cheaper fuel is not the main reason for having diesel engines in boats. It is safer because diesel oil ignites at a much higher temperature and so is less of a fire risk. You don't have to worry about those awful electrics, either, as diesel is a compression ignition system.
 

PGD

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I re-engined last year - lost my ols V6 to the frost - long story :)

The benfits as I saw them -

cost of petrol engine 2K less than new Diesel

cost of running Petrol to diesel - well Thames prices 90p+ / L petrol compared with as low as 24 p / L diesel.

Price of boat - resale with diesel engine increased by cost of diesel engine - so would recoup money if sold.

Cost od running - petro bost buring 1.5 gal / per hour - diesel boat about 1 gal / hr but at diesel prices this works out cheaper - even with ebbber heating and at only 4 kts.

Hope this helps

Peter
 
G

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In a nutshell yes they do because there is still a race on to get the best diesel, wether it be for marine or commercial/ car use the manufacturers are now in a war to make the lowest emission engines to suit the company car drivers, as well as the marine market so what we are actually paying for is the development and not the steel that makes them, if anything things are made cheaper these days due to modern cnc machine and casting techniques, I can remember years ago when I rallied ford escort bda engines a new steel crank was thousands it was turned from a billet of steel by one man at a lathe for hours, the same crank today is made by a cnc machine in no time at all. Fuel injection parts are not cheap and never have been but modern diesels also have costly electronics as well so that adds up, to sum it up , what you pay is what you get, so if you have a sports boat and only boat for 20 hours a year then order one with petrols, especially if you are abroad or in the CI, otherwise cough up and buy a diesel but be quick, we dont know how long the old red stuff is going to be around after 2006 and thats may be only 3 seasons away! shocking if you think about it, I can feel a charter company coming on for my next boat purchase???.

paul js.
 
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