Who has repowered to diesel?
 

Has anybody repowered their boat from gas to diesel? What brand of motor did you use and what did it replace? What kind of outdrive do you have and what did you have to change besides the prop pitch?

I've done about a dozen. What have you got and what are your performance goals?

1980 38' Scarab, running twin turbo Mercruiser 454's with SSM II drives. Originally rated at 475 hp, probably around 550. Top speed is about 75 mph. Cruise speed is about 45 mph. My primary concern is better fuel economy with a comparable cruise speed.

There's no problem getting the same or better cruise speed from the diesels. There are so many different options and variables it might be easier to discuss it over the phone. Give me a call if you want 604 315 0570.

The diesels make tons of torque at a low RPM so you need reduced gear ratios and lots of pitch to take advantage of it. The lower rpm operating range of the diesel will take off some top speed but the midrange will be awesome. The trade off is you'd have to use your boat a LOT in order for the increased efficiency of the diesel to overcome the initial cost of the repower.. Alex