[Alberg30] Diesel replacement

[George Dinwiddie]

> Bob Chambers said:
> 
> One of the reasons you do not hear much about diesels being repaired
> underway is that they seldom fail underway.  Clean fuel to it and regular
> oil changes and a diesel will keep purring for a long long time

I'm not trying to put down diesels, but they're not a panacea.  Given
the proper care, gas engines seldom fail underway, too.  Granted,
few people give proper care to a sailboat auxiliary of any type.

Personally, I've heard a lot of tales of diesel engines failing
underway.  Generally this has been fuel problems (sometime corrosion
problems) and has frequently resulted in an injector rebuild or
replacement--not something the average joe can do.

I've also heard a number of stories about diesels being replaced in
10 years or so.  I don't know what kind of neglect would cause this,
but it does happen.

Your experience notwithstanding, diesels *do* break down.  Many
people do not have the knowledge, skills and tools to do much
work on them.  Diesel mechanics make a good living.

Diesels like to be run long periods at constant RPMs.  That makes
them pretty good for long-distance motoring on the ICW or for
island-hopping without waiting for wind.  It makes them relatively
lousy for motoring 10 minutes in and out of the slip.

Diesels burn fuel at a slower rate than gas engines--there's more
BTUs per gallon.  That makes them pretty good for long-distance
traveling where range and tankage are important considerations.
It makes them relatively lousy for light usage where you might use
only 5 gallons a year and have a 15 gallon tank.

So the best choice depends a lot on the usage patterns.  If you're
considering *switching* engines, then other economics come into 
play.  There's a lot of expense and work switching from a gas
engine to a diesel engine.  It's not something I would undertake
lightly.  People with more disposable income might feel differently.

 - George

-- 
 ----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Hope your road is a long one.                        George Dinwiddie
  May there be many summer mornings when,       gdinwiddie at alberg30.org
  with what pleasure, what joy,                 http://www.Alberg30.org
  you enter harbors you're seeing for the first time;
                                           from 'Ithaka' by C.P. Cavafy
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