Diesel engines in speed boat
Charter Member
02-04-2008, 07:21 AM
#32
Registered
Duramax
Read about this Duramx project:
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...sel/index.html
Please take note of what Banks says:
"I'm taking all of my years of gasoline performance and applying [them] to a diesel engine to make it more gas-like," Banks explains. "We got rid of some of that diesel torque and lost some of the weight because we like it to spin faster."
When you read the whole article you will see this is no different than a racing gas engine. It is a great project but it's just an exercise in ego and I know every great forward step in technology starts as just that. I'm cynical, your right.
But, someone educate me and correct me if I'm wrong in saying the reasons you would buy diesel over gas are:
- it lasts longer
- it's easier to maintain
- better fuel economy
- a fuel cost savings that will outweight the increase in engine price over a short time period
- commonality of parts to minimize downtime if a failure occurs
The magic is not in making racing engines, 5 hp/cui racing diesels are old school in tractor pulls.
The magic is trying to make a diesel fit in the same space as a hi-performance gas engine, perform as well, last twice as long if not longer, burn 25% less fuel, and cost no more than 20% more.
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...sel/index.html
Please take note of what Banks says:
"I'm taking all of my years of gasoline performance and applying [them] to a diesel engine to make it more gas-like," Banks explains. "We got rid of some of that diesel torque and lost some of the weight because we like it to spin faster."
When you read the whole article you will see this is no different than a racing gas engine. It is a great project but it's just an exercise in ego and I know every great forward step in technology starts as just that. I'm cynical, your right.
But, someone educate me and correct me if I'm wrong in saying the reasons you would buy diesel over gas are:
- it lasts longer
- it's easier to maintain
- better fuel economy
- a fuel cost savings that will outweight the increase in engine price over a short time period
- commonality of parts to minimize downtime if a failure occurs
The magic is not in making racing engines, 5 hp/cui racing diesels are old school in tractor pulls.
The magic is trying to make a diesel fit in the same space as a hi-performance gas engine, perform as well, last twice as long if not longer, burn 25% less fuel, and cost no more than 20% more.
02-04-2008, 06:25 PM
#33
Read about this Duramx project:
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...sel/index.html
Please take note of what Banks says:
"I'm taking all of my years of gasoline performance and applying [them] to a diesel engine to make it more gas-like," Banks explains. "We got rid of some of that diesel torque and lost some of the weight because we like it to spin faster."
When you read the whole article you will see this is no different than a racing gas engine. It is a great project but it's just an exercise in ego and I know every great forward step in technology starts as just that. I'm cynical, your right.
But, someone educate me and correct me if I'm wrong in saying the reasons you would buy diesel over gas are:
- it lasts longer
- it's easier to maintain
- better fuel economy
- a fuel cost savings that will outweight the increase in engine price over a short time period
- commonality of parts to minimize downtime if a failure occurs
The magic is not in making racing engines, 5 hp/cui racing diesels are old school in tractor pulls.
The magic is trying to make a diesel fit in the same space as a hi-performance gas engine, perform as well, last twice as long if not longer, burn 25% less fuel, and cost no more than 20% more.
http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/e...sel/index.html
Please take note of what Banks says:
"I'm taking all of my years of gasoline performance and applying [them] to a diesel engine to make it more gas-like," Banks explains. "We got rid of some of that diesel torque and lost some of the weight because we like it to spin faster."
When you read the whole article you will see this is no different than a racing gas engine. It is a great project but it's just an exercise in ego and I know every great forward step in technology starts as just that. I'm cynical, your right.
But, someone educate me and correct me if I'm wrong in saying the reasons you would buy diesel over gas are:
- it lasts longer
- it's easier to maintain
- better fuel economy
- a fuel cost savings that will outweight the increase in engine price over a short time period
- commonality of parts to minimize downtime if a failure occurs
The magic is not in making racing engines, 5 hp/cui racing diesels are old school in tractor pulls.
The magic is trying to make a diesel fit in the same space as a hi-performance gas engine, perform as well, last twice as long if not longer, burn 25% less fuel, and cost no more than 20% more.
02-04-2008, 06:36 PM
#35
Registered
I rented a 38 foot Fountain several years ago in West Palm and we rode for half a day on 25 gallons of fuel. It had 2 300 or 330 yanmars I think. Boat ran 60 plus. So to get on plane but ran good and very efficient. What about the Duramaxs with bigger turbos, they already have 370 HP and 670 pounds of torque? Probably more without the EPA JUNK.
02-04-2008, 07:00 PM
#36
Registered
I hoping Ray from Raylar reads this, how are you making out with the Duramax, are your still doing something? If memory serves me right you were doing something for a Duramax project as far back as 2004? I see how you approach things, I think if it could be done you would have a great chance of doing it!
Does anybody know what's going on here http://www.marinetechn.com/6.html, a lot of very far out claims (3,000 plus hours????, Cummins can't do that with HO B's and they've spent a billion dollars on developement since the B was concieved).
Seriously, has anyone seen any of these run yet, like steady state on a production style dyno, not acceleration runs?
If you freshwater cooled a 1,000 hp engine along with the manifolds and turbo housings, the exchanger itself and the shear volume of fluids in it would be tremendous in size and weight.
If you saltwater cooled it, the amount of heat compared to gas engine is tremendous, every little air bubble in the cooling system would make the salt boil out, thus reducing the cooling because your insulating the metal. Cavitation of your cylinders would be out of control (you have "0" DCA) and you would probaly pit right through the cylinder walls before too long.
Think about all these things, I'm not raining on anyone parade here, but once you do all the great things to diesels that you do to your gas engines - you don't have dependable, cheap diesel engines anymore.
Does anybody know what's going on here http://www.marinetechn.com/6.html, a lot of very far out claims (3,000 plus hours????, Cummins can't do that with HO B's and they've spent a billion dollars on developement since the B was concieved).
Seriously, has anyone seen any of these run yet, like steady state on a production style dyno, not acceleration runs?
If you freshwater cooled a 1,000 hp engine along with the manifolds and turbo housings, the exchanger itself and the shear volume of fluids in it would be tremendous in size and weight.
If you saltwater cooled it, the amount of heat compared to gas engine is tremendous, every little air bubble in the cooling system would make the salt boil out, thus reducing the cooling because your insulating the metal. Cavitation of your cylinders would be out of control (you have "0" DCA) and you would probaly pit right through the cylinder walls before too long.
Think about all these things, I'm not raining on anyone parade here, but once you do all the great things to diesels that you do to your gas engines - you don't have dependable, cheap diesel engines anymore.
Last edited by HabanaJoe; 02-04-2008 at 07:12 PM. Reason: added
02-04-2008, 07:36 PM
#37
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I love diesel power,I think is the way of the future,however drives and trannys are another problem to witheld so much torque;arneson are good but either they dont turn or its a ***** to park,crash boxes sucks thats if you want to use beefy drives and before you know you have thousands and thousands of dollars on a dinasaur,so bottom line it will eventually happen but now still its no the time for something proven and commercially accepted to a very spoiled market...
Platinum Member
02-04-2008, 07:44 PM
#39
Registered
I dont know if they are still available but I know that the 7.3 turbodiesels (international/ford) were packaged by Merc with the bravo diesel drives and made a very reliable,powerful (300hp/550ftlb) and relatively compact package and way cheaper than a comparable Yanmar/Arneson setup.
02-04-2008, 07:57 PM
#40
Registered
HTRDLNCN,
Your right the 7.3L was a good package, but it had no speed. We were asked to go to Fountain in 1992(3?) and consult about a single engine fishboat they built with the 7.3L diesel in it - it wasn't fast enough. After all was said and done to make it go as fast as they wanted wasn't worth it, gas power was cheaper and easier.
matador,
If you read the 5 pages I posted, they are not theory they are real and are 18 years old. The fact that diesels today are so much better than then would make it work that much better now.
If anyone wanted to try it seriously, we still own the patents for the PE boxes and would love to partner with somone that wants to make them. We no longer have a machine shop and I don't want to go proto, build, test, market, etc, etc, again.
Even back when diesels were big racing it was never the engines but the packaging of the entire system that made them good. Putting the power to the water in a usable way made it work.
Your right the 7.3L was a good package, but it had no speed. We were asked to go to Fountain in 1992(3?) and consult about a single engine fishboat they built with the 7.3L diesel in it - it wasn't fast enough. After all was said and done to make it go as fast as they wanted wasn't worth it, gas power was cheaper and easier.
matador,
If you read the 5 pages I posted, they are not theory they are real and are 18 years old. The fact that diesels today are so much better than then would make it work that much better now.
If anyone wanted to try it seriously, we still own the patents for the PE boxes and would love to partner with somone that wants to make them. We no longer have a machine shop and I don't want to go proto, build, test, market, etc, etc, again.
Even back when diesels were big racing it was never the engines but the packaging of the entire system that made them good. Putting the power to the water in a usable way made it work.
