WHEN THE DREADED day
comes, and your old auxiliary engine finally decides to head for the great
scrapyard in the sky, what are you going to replace it with? There’s almost
complete agreement these days. You’ve got to get a new diesel, right?
But why a diesel? It’s not
necessarily the right choice for everyone who owns a good old boat. In fact,
it’s more of a fashion than a logical choice. There’s much to be said for
modern gas engines with fuel injection and solid-state ignition.
The most popular reason
given for choosing a replacement diesel is that it’s safer. But sailors who own
diesels mostly cook with propane gas, which can blow a boat to pieces just as
easily as gasoline can.
A gas engine is cheaper,
smoother, and more powerful than a diesel of the same weight. It’s easier to
crank, easier to repair, even for an amateur, easier to remove from the boat,
and much quieter in action.
Gasoline engines in cars
are designed to run about 3,000 hours, or 100,000 miles before they need an
overhaul. Now, the average boat owner logs 200 engine hours a year, so, if you
maintain it faithfully, it would take nearly 15 years before a gas engine
needed an overhaul.
As for safety — your nose
is very good at sniffing out very small concentrations of gasoline. Together
with a bilge blower, run for five minutes before every start, it will virtually
eliminate the chances of a surprise explosion.
So, when the time comes to
replace your auxiliary motor, don’t be stampeded into diesel. Gasoline engines
have been used in small boats for many decades. Consider their advantages very
carefully before you make your choice.
Today’s
Thought
To
some will come a time when change
Itself
is beauty, if not heaven.
—E. A. Robinson, Llewellyn and the Tree
Tailpiece
Notice
outside a muffler shop:
“No
appointment necessary. We heard you coming.”
(Drop by every
Monday, Wednesday, Friday for a new Mainly about Boats column.)
