Don't fight the Power

Phil Herring

Alien
Mar 25, 1997
4,918
- - Bainbridge Island
Diesel, outboard, sail drive, or the fabled Atomic 4... engines not only help us dock, moor, and power through current, they also drone, vibrate, and in some cases stink to high heaven.

If you could have any type of power in your boat, which would you choose? Which do you believe is the cheapest and easiest to maintain and live with?

Yanmar.Skid1.jpg
 

Sailm8

.
Feb 21, 2008
1,746
Hunter 29.5 Punta Gorda
I would stick with a Yanmar. Very dependable and easy to find parts.
 
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Likes: TomY
Oct 10, 2011
619
Tartan 34C Toms River, New Jersey
At my age and the age of my boat, I'll stick with my now reliable Atomic 4. After I rebuilt it. Replacing it with diesel which included wireing, exhaust, tanks, etc, made no financial sence.
But if I had a choice I would go electric. I don't use power all that much.
 

tbruml

.
Feb 24, 2020
2
Sabre 28 Louisville
At my age and the age of my boat, I'll stick with my now reliable Atomic 4. After I rebuilt it. Replacing it with diesel which included wireing, exhaust, tanks, etc, made no financial sence.
But if I had a choice I would go electric. I don't use power all that much.
Can you give me a ballpark number for how much you spent rebuilding your A4?
 

DougM

.
Jul 24, 2005
2,242
Beneteau 323 Manistee, MI
My. boat has a Yanmar 2GM20F which is certainly adequate for my use. Subsequent models have the 3 cylinder Yanmar. I like having the lesser weight, but the 2 cylinder with a two blade prop can lead to somewhat annoying vibration at times.

The engine is now 15 years old, gets the usual maintenance, (oil changes, filters, fuel stabilizer, coolant, winterizing...). When the boat comes out of winter layup and is launched, the engine starts on the first try.
If I was young enough to contemplate a new boat, I would definitely opt for Yanmar power.
 
Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
I wonder if the technology used in jet skis can be adopted to sailboats using electric turbo jets instead of propeller and shafts.
 
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Likes: Will Gilmore
Apr 26, 2015
660
S2 26 Mid On Trailer
Diesel, outboard, sail drive, or the fabled Atomic 4... e

If you could have any type of power in your boat, which would you choose? Which do you believe is the cheapest and easiest to maintain and live with?
Lee says we already have 20K in a $7,000 boat so our reliable and quiet Atomic 4 will stay. But if I were to make a change it would be to a hybrid electric system. We could get away with a straight electric system, with our current solar system, here on the sunniest lake in the country that is only 20 miles long, We could carry our Honda 2000 generator if we needed a "little" boost. Crossing oceans was entertaining, but is well in my past.
 
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
I wonder if the technology used in jet skis can be adopted to sailboats using electric turbo jets instead of propeller and shafts.
Hinkley uses jet drive in their "Pinic boats". I've always wondered how people keep them from clogging up with marine growth. (My guess is they don't, and/or it's a maintenance nightmare, or they should be stored on a slip lift). Makes sense for jet skis that are pulled out at the end of each use.
 
Apr 8, 2011
768
Hunter 40 Deale, MD
Sure, but reverse would be a challenge.;)
Jim...
Reverse is easy - all that is needed is to redirect the jet flow to get reverse, and the designs for that have been around forever. When I was in the Marine Corps as an Assault Amphibian Vehicle officer our vehicles were all built in the 70s with two 14,000 gpm water jets for propulsion when in the water and the assembly simply folded around the rear of the jet when actuated, redirecting the flow forward, thereby giving us a very powerful reverse (just like more modern jetboats). It was a very reliable and robust system - we almost never had issues with it. Wish I could say that about the big Cummins diesel, the turbocharger, the comms gear, the tracks, etc, etc. Don't know enough about water jets to know why they're not more common, but my experience with them has been good.
 
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Likes: Will Gilmore
Jun 14, 2010
2,081
Robertson & Caine 2017 Leopard 40 CT
I would love electric, but the problems are range, weight (for adequate battery power), recharge times via solar, and cost. For now, I continue to prefer diesel and try to sail as much as possible when conditions are conducive. I prefer to keep my boat on a mooring and don't want to have to tie to a dock. Scaled down it works -- I love my Torqeedo 1103 dinghy motor (even at 3x the cost of a 2.5 HP ICE outboard).
 
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Likes: Tom J
Apr 5, 2009
2,774
Catalina '88 C30 tr/bs Oak Harbor, WA
You have to make a 180° change with a Jet or perhaps like a landing Jet plane does, but I said it will be a...

Challenge

not impossible.

Propellers just change rotation, not disturb the possible bottom sediment.
____
But I like diesel engines, back to the topic.

JIm...
A boat jet drives only push the water in one direction through the drive. to revearse, a diverter is droped down to turn the flow 180º just like is done with thrust revearsers on airplanes. jet drive
 
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Likes: tfox2069
Feb 17, 2006
5,274
Lancer 27PS MCB Camp Pendleton KF6BL
Jet planes have a reverse. Some prop planes also have a reverse. As mentioned above, they use panels to redirect the thrust and the prop blades rotate.

Keel? Rudder? They are basically the same thing but one is smaller and turns while the other is fixed. Water flows around them the same way, forward or backwards.

I agree that the problem for in-the-water boats is marine growth. But I am sure that can be fixed by adding doors and then pumping in fresh water forcing out whatever is in the jets.

This can be done. I have faith.
 
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Likes: Will Gilmore
Jan 19, 2010
1,169
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
If I were King..... It would be gen-set low in the boat. Say in a bilge type area. It would power all the electrics including electric drive.. Oh and diesel gen-set for sure.