Petrol v Diesel

[Micky]

Assuming the cost of Diesel is going to rise level with the price Petrol, do you think it will decrease the value of Diesel boats to the lower level of petrol boats, or do you think that the petrol boat prices will increase as there will be no disadvantages of owning a petrol engine boat due to the fuel prices being equal.

Also bearing in mind that the petrol engines are quieter/cleaner/easier and cheaper to maintain compared to diesel engines, i am wondering whether it would pay to take the gamble and buy a petrol boat, as there are some pretty good low price bargains to be found due to the fact, that at the moment, petrol is the most expensive fuel.

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[scarlett]

safety

Petrol in a boat is a bargepole job for me. And the ignition is not fond of damp. And you'll have trouble filling up - you'll be carrying it from the nearest filling station.

For = it smells better and spillages evaporate quick.

No thanks.

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[BrendanS]

Ignore the safety issue. It isn't one, despite all the doom sayers who claim your boat will blow up if you use petrol as a fuel.


<hr width=100% size=1>Me transmitte sursum, caledoni

 

[Abigail]

My last boat had a petrol engine when I got it, but it died (long story!) and replaced it with a deisel. I would never go back to petrol. Whether or not it's doom saying, it certainly feels less safe. It's not readily available on pontoons. And i am not expert but my perception is that petrol engines are not as comfortable in the (sailing) marine environment (dump, bumpy etc) as deisel workhorses.

<hr width=100% size=1>Sarah & Pip

www.greatlittleboats.com
UK & Ireland distributors of Swifgig

 

[Keith]

All things being equal you burn less fuel with a deisel........keith

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[Anonymous]

Leaving aside safety and availability of fuel, the diesel engine needs to be made more solidly than a petrol engine because the pressure in the cylinders needs to be very high to make the fuel detonate when it is compressed (petrol detonation is caused by a spark igniting a much more flammable air/fuel mix). As they are heavier and sturdier, diesels have tended to be more suitable for running hour after hour at the same RPM than petrol engines.

Secondly, all diesel engines are fuel injected which is inherently more accurate than a carburetta.

Thirdly, marine diesels are controlled by a speed governor rather than a throttle. What you set is RPM, not power. If you take a diesel boat out into choppy seas you will hear the engine load increase and decrease as the boat pushes into waves or runs down crests but you will see that the RPM is largely constant despite quite large changes in load. This is, in my opinion, a better method of controlling a marine engine.

If you want heating on board you will probably want a diesel heater so you will want a diesel tank somewhere.

Touching on safety, in my thirty years or so in boats of various sorts, I have lost track of the number of times I have had half a cup of diesel, or even far more, in the open when changing filters, clearing blockages, filling tanks, working on the boat, etc. I wouldn't be as relaxed doing that with petrol.

I'm staying with petrol for our new tender, though, because a diesel of the right power would be far to heavy to take on and off, particularly at anchor. And my car is firmly petrol, so I am not anti-petrol, it is just 'horses for courses'.

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