Diesel Outboard

[odet]

Hi everybody,

the beloved one and myself are contemplating of getting a Wilderness Beaver in the not too far future.

The only thing that puts me off is the idea of having a petrol outboard.

 

Diesel is much safer and seems to much easier obtainable along the canals.

Now a bit of googeling revealed that Yanmar does / did (?) Diesel outboards. Unfortunatly I cant find a supplier in Ireland or the UK. Maybe somebody is able to give me a lead on this.

And does anybody have any experiences with this piece of kit ?

 

Regards

 

odet

[Proper Job]

There's a Springer 'bug' on the Southern Oxford that has a diesel outboard. I'm not sure what make it is and I think it's quite old

 

It's the noisiest bloody thing I've ever heard on a boat. You can hear it for miles

[twbm]

I had a very brief encounter with one years ago. There's a reason you can't buy them - it near enough shook the transom off the boat. Handled sensibly the petrol will be as safe as the gas you'll be cooking with, which I hasten to add is also safe if you stick to the rules.

[Guest]

They sure are...

 

[Proper Job]

........... and it's huge

 

On the back of a Wilderness it would be interesting

[odet]

They sure are...

 

 

That might do me. Creats just a wee bit of wash :-)

Not quiet sure if modern ones are that noisy, espacially as I would imagine that a 27hp on a Beaver would run at tickover or just above most of the time.

 

 

odet

[gazza]

Hi everybody,

the beloved one and myself are contemplating of getting a Wilderness Beaver in the not too far future.

The only thing that puts me off is the idea of having a petrol outboard.

 

Diesel is much safer and seems to much easier obtainable along the canals.

Now a bit of googeling revealed that Yanmar does / did (?) Diesel outboards. Unfortunatly I cant find a supplier in Ireland or the UK. Maybe somebody is able to give me a lead on this.

And does anybody have any experiences with this piece of kit ?

 

Regards

 

odet

 

Petrol outboards are fine, we have had a mayland family 16 for 21 years, it's got a 9.9 yam fourstroke, we have covered all of the navigable broads with it, all of the non tidal nene and ouse, a fair chunk of the middle levels and a trip onto the gu from Northampton,

Petrol is surprisingly easy to come by , most of the small roadside stations are gone, but

We have found that a big Tesco superstore is usually within reach.

They key to not running out is good planning of a long trip and sensible storage of spare fuel.

Fourstoke outboards are also quite frugal when put to canalwork, the little mayland and my brother's fairline 20 used under 1L an hour on the GU.

We have boated safely for 20+ years with petrol and gas on board, ignore the horror stories, use some common sense and get boating, avoid a diesel outboard like the plague

 

Cheers

[ditchcrawler]

There's a Springer 'bug' on the Southern Oxford that has a diesel outboard. I'm not sure what make it is and I think it's quite old

 

It's the noisiest bloody thing I've ever heard on a boat. You can hear it for miles

And that is if its working. BW use to have some on work boats, I think you will find the noisy and heavy

[odet]

Thanks for the advice,

guess I will stay away from diesel then.

Does anybody know how much Petrol I am allowed to have on board in suitable cans at any one time ?

 

Regards

 

odet

[JonL]

The amount of spare petrol carried is limited to any combination of the

following containers:

n 2 x 10 litre (2 gal) metal containers marked to conform with the 1929

Petroleum Spirit Regulations;

n 2 x 5 litre (1 gal) plastic containers marked to conform with the 1982

Petroleum Spirit Regulations;

n 1 x portable petrol tank of suitable proprietary manufacture of up to a

maximum capacity of 27 litres (6 gal).

[PhilR]

Ruggerini (sp?) manufactured a diesel outboard of about 10HP about 40 or 50 years ago. They were advertised in the waterways press but never caught on. Not surprisingly as they were horrendously noisy brutes.

[George94]

The PLA launches have diesel outboards and they are quiet enough.

 

My link

Edited November 13, 2012 by George94

[Guest]

The PLA launches have diesel outboards and they are quiet enough.

 

My link

 

The ones you linked to have in board diesels -

 

They do have two boats with diesel outboards though -

 

Chelsea and Richmond.

 

 

http://www.pla.co.uk/display_fixedpage.cfm/id/2208/site/pla

Edited November 14, 2012 by The Dog House

[larkshall]

My brother runs a diesel outboard on a lobster boat in the Scilly Isles. However what nobody has mentioned (in addition to the racket) is the WEIGHT. They are very heavy, and (to use his words) 'I right bugger to get on or off the boat' This same engine has survived a 30 metre dunking in the sea.

[Proper Job]

My brother runs a diesel outboard on a lobster boat in the Scilly Isles. However what nobody has mentioned (in addition to the racket) is the WEIGHT. They are very heavy, and (to use his words) 'I right bugger to get on or off the boat' This same engine has survived a 30 metre dunking in the sea.

I can see at least two posts that mention the word 'huge' and 'heavy'

 

But you're right. Size and weight wise in comparison to their petrol counter parts they are big boys

 

Still..... once on the transom, there's a lot less chance of it being nicked

[OldPeculier]

If I was looking for a replacement outboard. I would be looking at one of these.My link

[Proper Job]

If I was looking for a replacement outboard. I would be looking at one of these.My link

So.........

 

when you're out cruising for a week or so, where do you get the electricity from?

 

4 x 100 Ah batteries will give you an hours cruising then the batteries are as flat as a pancake

Edited November 14, 2012 by Proper Job

[odet]

If I was looking for a replacement outboard. I would be looking at one of these.My link

 

They seem to be reasonably priced.

Do they also supply the extension leads ?

[OldPeculier]

So.........

 

when you're out cruising for a week or so, where do you get the electricity from?

 

4 x 100 Ah batteries will give you an hours cruising then the batteries are as flat as a pancake

 

 

Well obviously you dont hook them up to a 100Ah leisure battery.

 

A 400-500 Ah bank of 2v traction batteries will give a light weight boat like a Beaver about 5 hours at canal speeds. Couple that with a 1KW solar panel and you should be able to cruise five or six hours a day in the summer without needing to re-charge from the mains. Winter is not so good but if you have a mooring with a hook up, you are still good for day trips. We are after all talking about a Beaver (fantastic boat) fine for day trips and weekends but not really equipped for extended cruising.

[bargemast]

Well obviously you dont hook them up to a 100Ah leisure battery.

 

A 400-500 Ah bank of 2v traction batteries will give a light weight boat like a Beaver about 5 hours at canal speeds. Couple that with a 1KW solar panel and you should be able to cruise five or six hours a day in the summer without needing to re-charge from the mains. Winter is not so good but if you have a mooring with a hook up, you are still good for day trips. We are after all talking about a Beaver (fantastic boat) fine for day trips and weekends but not really equipped for extended cruising.

 

 

I quite like the idea of silent propulsion that you get from the electric outboard, but I don't think that what you're saying is all that easy, the light weight boat like a Beaver will become a heavy weight boat with an enormous weight added by 12-2 Volt traction batteries to power this 48 V outboard, as 1- 2Volt 500 AH battery weights 34,3kg, which will be more then 400kg for the 12 needed.

 

Also, they'll take up a lot of space, and if you still want to use the boat as a trailerable boat, you may need a heavier trailer, so I don't think that this would be a feasable, and practical solution.

 

Peter.

 

edited to link this web-site about electric boats,My link of which the Dutch Barge "Sara" is surely better suited to electric propulsion than a Beaver, as "Sara" has plenty of space to store the batteries, and on her their weight is no problem.

Edited November 15, 2012 by bargemast

[bizzard]

We used to litter pick for BW from our 18ft boat 'Bin Laden' powered by a Minkota 1hp electric outboard, and a 110 amp battery would easily last out for 3 to 4 hours of very intensive usage, continual''full forward and astern.

A Wilderness boat in ''calm conditions on a canal for they have a lot of windage'' would pootle happily along with say the 1.1/2hp model on it at 3hrs per one 110amp battery from fully charged. they are surprisingly very efficient.

They are also very useful and efficient for mixing up and blending food ''Magi-mix style, and for hedge and hair cutting.

Edited November 15, 2012 by bizzard

[OldPeculier]

I quite like the idea of silent propulsion that you get from the electric outboard, but I don't think that what you're saying is all that easy, the light weight boat like a Beaver will become a heavy weight boat with an enormous weight added by 12-2 Volt traction batteries to power this 48 V outboard, as 1- 2Volt 500 AH battery weights 34,3kg, which will be more then 400kg for the 12 needed.

 

Also, they'll take up a lot of space, and if you still want to use the boat as a trailerable boat, you may need a heavier trailer, so I don't think that this would be a feasable, and practical solution.

 

Peter.

 

edited to link this web-site about electric boats,My link of which the Dutch Barge "Sara" is surely better suited to electric propulsion than a Beaver, as "Sara" has plenty of space to store the batteries, and on her their weight is no problem.

 

Quite correct. There would be a weight penalty of course. She wouldnt really be trailerable any more! Also quite an investment.

 

But having used small electric boats for the last few years, I can honestly say that my enjoyment factor has gone up ten fold, and I would always look for the electric option.

Edited November 15, 2012 by OldPeculier