Petrol Inboard Engines

[sal garfi]

Hello All,

 

I have lately been looking for a GRP as a partial live aboard. There are many boats with petrol outboards, and some with diesel inboards (I'm actually quite partial to the former), but there are also a considerable number of boats with petrol inboards. Now I know that the majority of people would recommend not buying a petrol inboard for the common fact that petrol is not easily got on the cut, and that there can be safety issues. However, with so many petrol inboards for sale, are there any members of this forum who have actually lived aboard, or even CC'd with a petrol inboard GRP?

 

I know that there are live aboards and even CCers who have petrol outboards, but I'm really keen to hear from anyone who's had a petrol inboard. Their fuel tanks must be much larger than those for an outboard, so how have they coped getting petrol from petrol stations, and in reality, how truely infrequent are petrol providers on the cut?

 

There are probably many opinions about this on the cut, but I'd love to hear from someone who's actually spent a lot of time travelling the system on a petrol inboard. You must be out there since there are so many petrol inboards for sale, and to be honest, many look like very fine boats indeed!

 

Ta ra,

Sal

 

 

[abraxus]

The fact that they have larger tanks than a petrol outboard can be a positive, in that if you do find a source on the cut you can fill up and wont need to again for a lot longer.

 

I couldn't tell you how infrequent petrol providers are, but it may help to say where you intend to base yourself. Some other things you may want to consider:

 

If it's a single engine inboard with an outdrive, then steering in a straight line is not as easy, as they have a tendency to wander, and so need constant correction. Something you get used to, but some don't like it.

 

Most are built for faster, sea going use, and so have large engines, meaning that you'll generally find that your cruising speed is not much above idle speed of the engine.

 

Engine servicing is quite cheap and, whilst the same is true of the outdrive, the boat has to be hauled out for it, which significantly bumps the cost.

 

You can't be quite so cavalier in what you fit in the engine bay, in that everything must be ignition protected and spark proof. That usually means no cheaper automotive alternatives like starter motors for example. Fuses, pumps, bilge heaters, battery chargers etc, all need to be ignition protected. This will exclude all current inverters as far as I'm aware.

 

Thay are usually wider and taller than canal boats, and so will be restricted in the areas they can travel.

 

That said, if you accept the above and are happy with it, there are indeed many fine boats, at good prices, which are often fairly easy and cheap to maintain. Yes there are safety issues, but no more so than with gas installations on a boat, and so a bit of knowledge and common sense is enough to manage them.

Edited July 14, 2015 by abraxus

[zenataomm]

I think you already know the answers as you said .....

"for the common fact that petrol is not easily got on the cut, and that there can be safety issues."

 

I'd go a little stronger and say apart from a marina or two that cater for speedboats on rivers like Trent, Thames or Severn I haven't seen petrol sold on the cut since I had an outboard in the 70s. Even then I spent most of my holidays scanning the horizon for filling stations. I also think I spent more time traipsing across fields weighed down with containers than I did cruising.

Which then brings us on to Safety, I'd say there are definitely Safety issues, or at least many more than with diesel. Especially if decanting from containers into the boat's tank.

 

Another negative is cost. Petrol from a filling station is currently £1.179 a litre. Red diesel on the cut was .60p a litre last time I bought any. And don't forget diesel engines are more frugal when sipping at fuel while petrol engines guzzle it in the belief your middle name is Rothschild.

 

By the way I don't like gas installations on boats either, I only have a cooker (no pilot light) and refuse gas fridges or water heaters. Since I first went boating in 1966 I've lost count of the number of burnt to the waterline hulks I've seen.

 

I think opting for petrol over diesel is false economy.

[Tony Brooks]

I rather suspect the OP has been looking at things like the small Freemans and other boats of a similar age. My take on the issues are that I agree petrol supplies are very few and far between on canals. I would almost say non-existent, but better on rivers though. Modern fuel injected petrol engines are probably many times safer than carburetted versions and by now many of those carburettors will be worn and likely to leak fuel each time they are shut done unless they have been very well cared for.

 

Despite the attractive cost advantage of petrol engined inboard boats it is a route I would not wish to go down.

[OldGoat]

The older petrol inboard cruisers were never intended to be other than day boats or for occasional weekends. The accommodation was sparse and most didn't have a loo. After all spend a penny when you go to the pub.

 

For CCing - well be honest for a liveaboard - they are totally impracticable.

Another thread on here suggested that folks get attracted by the low cost, come down to London, find it's a disaster, then try to sell the boat on.

 

All the above is why they are inexpensive. Nobody wants them....

[Alan de Enfield]

We bought a 23 ft Fairline Holiday with a 170hp Petrol Volvo.

 

It had a full tank when we bought it, in our travels we never found a single marina selling petrol - sold it when the tank was virtually empty.

 

Why do you think they are cheap - no one wants to buy one.

[sal garfi]

It's amazing, things seem so negative on these boots.., it's a real shame!

Edited July 15, 2015 by sal garfi

[Alan de Enfield]

It's amazing, things seem so negative on these boots.., it's a real shame!

 

I think you may be confusing realism, facts and experience with negativity.

[Galeomma]

There are quite a few extra hoops to jump through for the BSS as well.Outboards with proprietry fuel tanks are fine. Older inboards with fixed tanks can have issues with the current regs.

[sal garfi]

 

I think you may be confusing realism, facts and experience with negativity.

I'm speaking figuratively here, not personally, or in any other way. I said things seem negative, not people. But that's by the by - I'll find the right boat for me some day, hopefully soon.

[Texasboater]

I had a Ford Petrol engined, shaft drive Sea Master 27 many years ago. We were on the Gt Ouse and used it as a Weekender mainly but it had all the comforts. I always wished it was a Diesel as fuel costs were horrific.

[Morat]

Of course you could convert a petrol engine to LPG, and there's plenty of that on the cut.....

You'd need to be very sure of your BSS requirements.

[Galeomma]

Of course you could convert a petrol engine to LPG, and there's plenty of that on the cut.....

You'd need to be very sure of your BSS requirements.

And make sure there is a qualified inspector to check. Most of us cannot do LPG engine checks at present.

[Morat]

Surely you just light a match?

[Tony Brooks]

And make sure there is a qualified inspector to check. Most of us cannot do LPG engine checks at present.

 

And you can get correct cylinders or find a canal side refilling station. At present I suspect LPG is effectively a non-starter apart from for small generators etc.

[Alan de Enfield]

 

And you can get correct cylinders or find a canal side refilling station. At present I suspect LPG is effectively a non-starter apart from for small generators etc.

 

Would you need to use the 'special' 29 litre "liquid take off" bottles that are used on fork-trucks ?

The ones that have a special regulator and are used lying down so the engine gets 'liquid' and not 'gas'- I bet they are not available at marinas.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Alan de Enfield

[zenataomm]

I remember a man on the Trent many years ago who plonked a Rover 3500 V8 in his boat.

Ironically these popular engines began life as a Buick. These all aluminium American engines were commonly used in The States as marine engines.

 

I'm not sure what transmission he used but 200hp at just over 300lb in weight is impressive no matter how you look at it. After a few runs on 5 star he discovered it would be cheaper to stand in a field ripping up tenners. So he converted it to LPG. His first trip out he linked two 13Kg bottles up and opened the taps.

 

Not only was he disappointed at the drop in performance but he only got a short distance before he spluttered to a halt. Opening up the gas locker to investigate he couldn't see the bottles, just a massive block of perma-frost which also encased the raw water cooling inlet pipe.

Everything frozen.

[twbm]

If you find a boat you really really want and it is spectacularly cheap through being petrol, these chaps might be worth talking to. Although I suspect cost of boat + cost of conversion = cost of diesel boat. Probably.

 

http://www.lancingmarine.com/

[Tony Brooks]

 

Would you need to use the 'special' 29 litre "liquid take off" bottles that are used on fork-trucks ?

The ones that have a special regulator and are used lying down so the engine gets 'liquid' and not 'gas'- I bet they are not available at marinas.

 

I am not sure but suspect yes to help minimise the frost problem Zentaomm talks about.

[Arthur Brown]

Having had twin petrol engines in a river boat, you don't want ANYTHING to do with petrol in a boat.

First you burn a gallon an hour instead of a diesel's litre per hour

Second petrol with tax is twice the price of diesel.

Third, the ignition system WILL give damp related problems

You will get long arms from carrying jerrycans over the fields. Apart from waterski clubs no-where on the river sells petrol.

lastly; BSS will be a headache.

 

For an open ski boat petrol may be viable but for a live aboard it's not an economical start to cruising or CCing.

 

With enough roof top solar you could get an electric motor if you only wanted to move a few hundred meters for CC compliance.