DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Ok if you were buying a Cruiser 34 foot would you go Gas or Diesel and Why?

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I've had a number of 30-35 ft cruisaers and would prefer diesel, but most are not built that way. The additional cost would take forever for most of us to make it up in fuel economy. I don't believe I ever used one enough to justify the additional expense. Boats in FL with a 12 month season may get more use, but in VA we have a 5 month layup.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

How about if you had 2 boats exactly the same but 1 was gas vs diesel same price ?

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

It has been my experience that diesel engines seem to last a good deal longer and require a little less maintenance. They also have much greater torque and get better fuel efficiency at low RPM's. Oil changes will cost you much more as they usually take about 3 times as much oil and the oil has to be diesel rated so it costs more. One additional thing that is nice is you can use off road or red diesel in it. There are no road taxes on that fuel and it is usually 30-40 cents per gallon cheaper than regular diesel. You can usually find it at truck stops. Not sure if that would help you since you probably won't trailer a 34 foot cruiser. Just a few thought. I would probably go with the diesel.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Same boat, same price, I'd go with the deisel in a heart beat. They last much longer, get better fuel economy and the fuel is usually cheaper than gasoline on the water, but I guess this can differ from region to region. In OCMD, diesel has always been cheaper than gasoline.
If you were looking at having to pay the upcharge for diesels in a new boat, then I'd might have a different answer. Good Luck!

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

same as above. Same cost.....no brainer.
Gas has a road tax, but in VA you can send in your reciepts and have that refunded to you if the fuel went into a boat. At the marina I used to slip at, the diesel guys would get together every few weeks and have a tanker truck meet them at the docks and fill all the diesel boats up. They got a better deal, convienent, and didn't have to pay the road taxes either!!!!

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Diesels are much cheeper to operate, it nots just fuel savings. In a heavy cruiser or sportfisher gas motor are so overworked that they just don't hold up. They are constantly having problems and they don't make enough power to move most wide beam cruisers much over 10 knots or so. Diesel all the way.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Same price, go with the diesel - no brainer. But how can you buy the same boats w/ diff power for the same money?? A diesel 34 cruiser will be a very hard resale if you want the premium that paid up front back out.

As an example, go to yachtworld.com and search Sea Ray 340DA's. I'll bet you lunch 95% are gas boats. Search 40' and up and 95% will be dsl. Save the money Capo. Call me if you need anything.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Two boats , same price , go Diesel :evilb:
You can beat the ball$ off them all day long and they don't even work up a sweat.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Two boats, same price? Better check the condition of those diesel engines carefully. A diesel costs much more to rebuild than gasoline engines of the same horsepower (ultra high performance gasoline engines excepted).

Michael

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I was at a Sea Ray dealer a few weeks ago. I saw most of the Sundancers up to 36' having gasoline engines. Not one diesel. Even the 38's seemed to have a good proportion of gas engines. Then hit 40' and it's diesel city.

A 34' Sea Ray with gas is fine..diesel is nice but more costly.

Diesel of course is a safer fuel especially if running the Genny a lot.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

it was hypothetical....

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I would buy my Diesel, 46 Crusier and be done with it :D ,

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Don't for get the heat exchangers ;)

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

GO DIESEL-- resale value is much higher. Can you imagine trying to buy a used 34' cruiser with 200 hrs. on it with gas motors??? Now imagine the same boat with diesels....it's just broken in with 200hrs. :D

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Exactly... not to mention less maintenance as well...

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Diesel-Resale,durability,torque and most of all last 2-10 times longer between rebuilds!

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

A cruiser...deisel, for reliability, resale etc. It would have to be parked next to a 45' Cigarette Maximus(sp) or 42' Fountain (both sans cabin, that's what the cruiser is for). I'm a woman, I can want it all right???

Vicki :drink:

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

great minds think alike,my girl has it :D

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Yanmar offers 5 years or 2000 hour warranty , which ever comes 1st.
Diesel is the only way to go on a cruiser. Don't be surprised to see more Diesel powered offshore boats. Yanmar makes a direct replacement for the big block, bolts in perfectly & plugs in with same harness.
The fuel efficiency is awesome...however they are pricey

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I was in Newport Beach, CA. today and I met a guy from Tahiti that has a 35' Cafe Racer with diesels!!! He showed me pictures of it. It was pretty cool.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Specifically: Let's say you wanted the largest boat you could easily trailer without painful permits, that seems to actually be in demand. That seems to be a Fountain 47 Lightning. But you only want twin engines to keep it simple.

Twin diesels, or twin big gas?

I think twin, staggered, 440 Yanmars with ASD8 Arnesons would be the ticket.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Semper-

Absolutely false. A diesel 34 will bring only slightly more $ when it comes times for resale. A guy buying a 34 is going to put 5-100 hrs a year on the boat. The diesel has it's advantages but not for 30 or 40K. That's a lot of beer money. I have had gas vs. dsl in the same boats and had to give the dsl away. Just as a 40' gas cruiser will sit for a long time before finding a home.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Actually, Its Marine Diesel That makes the Direct Replacement to the big Block not Yanmar. Marine Diesel USA would be the way to go for that conversion. Their engines are from 175-400 hp are the same weight as the big block gasoline. We are actually the distributor for the caribbean and we are outfitting a scarab 33 with a pair. Here are some pics of the engines and boat.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Side View

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Diesel...for all of the reasons above......and..... Diesel is cheapest at the warmest times of the year.... Gasoline goes the other way in price.

T2x

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Boat. 89 Scarab III We are putting in two MD 400. We are selling out our current demo engines MD300 17986.00 New with warranty.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

CAPO........

Judging by the size of the chicks that you date, i would say you need the hauling power of the diesels.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

My A$$. I don't believe that for a second. I have friends that sell cruisers, and they ALL say the diesel is the way to go. The resale value is much higher for a diesel. I have a diesel truck also, you couldn't give me a gas truck.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I think that with the new gas prices diesels will soon be the only thing anyone wants.

In Europe, you will rarely see a gas powered boat. It its bigger than a dinghy, it almost certainly has a diesel engine. High performance boats too! They have been living with $5 or $6 per gallon of gas for years.

How much did you spend on gas last weekend? I spend about $200 to $400 each weekend I use the boat. When its $400 to $800 per gallon? Maybe getting twice the mileage on diesel will make one hell of a lot of sense.

Oh: and my engines are not blown. Blowers, due to the power required to turn the compressor, burn about 50% to 100% more fuel than non-blown engines. So going from a blown gas to a supercharged, intercooled diesel results in up to a 3x savings in fuel.

Soon, this will not be a question anyone asks, because the answer will always be the same. "Diesel, of course."

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Maybe in So Cal, but not the east coast. I am not talking opinion, I'm talking facts.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I am talking facts also. How can you even compare a gas to diesel?? Diesel is CHEAPER, lasts 5X LONGER, RESALE is BETTER.
Not too mention the strain on a gas motor in a heavy cruiser. Diesels like to run at like 90% capacity, gas motors do not. :D

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I couldn't agree more. People think they are saving money by not spending xtra money getting the diesels (in the right application) in the first place. You cannot go wrong with diesels.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Twice the mileage??? :eek: This must be some sort of miracle diesel, or it is being compared to a two-stroke gasoline engine with fouled plugs.

Michael

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I was not addressing the question Capo had from a "logic" sense. I was telling him the pro's and con's from a $$$$ standpoint. No question that in anything other than a small boat or a performance boat diesel is the way to go. The problem is that even though most of can afford these toys, we don't flush money down the drain everyday.

Therefore, you must examine the "cost of ownership". Most people keep a boat about 3 years. When you factor in depreciation as a % and the overall amount of money invested, it takes much longer than 2 or 3 years to recoup the premium you pay for diesel power.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I do see your point :D I would agree it does matter how much you use the vessel. Personally for me, there is no comparison (gas vs. diesel) in a larger boat or 1 ton pickup
I think that the price of gas these days is seriously closing that gap. Most of the experienced boaters I know who buy cruisers or larger boats (non-performance boats) buy diesels. I think the lower end boats and newer people to boating buy more gas motors because it will bring a lower purchase price.
A 3yr old boat with 150 hrs on gas motors would probably need some freshening, where the diesels would be ready to go.

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I thought alot about desiels for my next larger boat. Problem with desiels is that they do not like to sit. Many desiels go kaput from internal rust after a mere 1,500 hours. Try fifty grand for each motor vs 5K for new crusaders! Talking about dropping them into cruiser/fish type boats here.

If you ran the motors every week to normal temp (or had someone do it) and used the boat alot to make the extra 45K *2 expense worth it in fuel savings, then desiels would be good. I seriously doubt desiels are worthwhile in say a forty foot boat that sits in Miami for six months between uses. And, when it is used, only goes a few miles for cruises to the local waterfront bar, or sailfish off Miami Beach.

Anyone know what 500 HP Yanmars cost each, or equivilent MANs? What is the premium over Merc 500 HP blue motors?

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

Cost is appr. 5k more vs a 525. Then you have to put a serious drives to handle the 900 plus ft. pds. of torque, like some ASD-8's. The acceleration is unbelievable, but suffers some on top end. The cruise is where it's at, less than 1/2 the fuel burn, and thats what im after. Jeff

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

how many hours a yr? is relibility an issue if you are going to keep it and put 500+ hours on it?

I love disel, but can't justify if you are not doing long sea trips or going to rack the hrs way above normal

Re: DIESEL vs GAS?
 

I just bought a 06 sea ray 44 and I have the standard horizons in the boat. It has a top speed about three mph slower than the diesels. It cruises about 6 mph slower and and burns about 10 gallons more per hour at cruise speed. I really wanted the diesels but couldn't justify the extra 75K. If I had it to do all over again I would buy gas. It really depends on the year of the motors and the brand. Cats are really expensive to fix. The motors have to be pulled for anything to be done inside them. I can buy new horizons for what it cost to refresh diesels. All in all, it depends on where and how you are going to use the boat. If I were boating on an ocean instead of a lake I wouldn't consider gas. For me, I boat at LOTO and will go through about 1 more tank per season with the gas motors. No way I was going to pay the extra 75K for diesel. Resale may be better for diesel but as a percentage of the purchase price it is not, at least not at LOTO.