Conversion costs can vary wildly. Dropping the boat off at a reputable marine mechanic to have the latest and greatest engines installed and approaching the project with an open checkbook- replace everything -mentality, could easily top 80-100K for new twins with all support systems. Thats one extreme.LandVF36 wrote:So, those of you that have converted, what did you spend again? I sent a note to Mercruiser last week after seeing and add for their new marine diesels somewhere. Thle add claimed to have new options for dimensionally equiv models to replace my GM 454s. The new engine was a common rail 6 cyl model, gears and guages ..... $79K.
I love my boat, a but I can buy a lot of gas and parts for the old blocks before I'm going to burn through that kind of fuel.
Is this price what others have spent on a new swap to Diesel?
I've also heard of DIY guys buying older running diesel takeouts with gears- then selling thier gas engines and getting out of the whole project for under 10K. That's the other extreme.
Most guys are somewhere in the middle of that range and exactly where will depend heavily on the owner and the boat. The largest factor IMHO- depends on wether the owner prefers to hold a wrench or a pen.
There's a lot of logic in the arguement that a costly conversion is difficult to justify based on fuel savings alone. But I can tell you phsycologically- and mathematically- the fuel savings are significant.
When I had gas engines- I had flow scans so I knew exactly what I was burning... it was around 23 GPH @ 17 knots. This is when gas was 2.25/gal so it was costing me $51.75 per hour to run the boat or $3.04 per nautical mile. At the high point, gas was $4.25/gal so that would have cost $97.75 per hour or $5.75 per nautical mile.
At it's peak, I paid $3.79/gal for marine diesel. My boat now cruises @ 20 knots burning 14 GPH. That equates to $53.06 per hour to run the boat or $2.63 per nautical mile at the peak. Thats still cheaper (per mile) at diesels peak compared to gas at it's low point when I bought the boat. Diesel is now is round $2.59/gal so my fuel costs are $36.26/hour and $1.81 per nautical mile.
Yes- it will take years to save what I spent on the conversion but, the visits to the fuel dock are much less frequent, less infuriating and as I cruise - I know it's costing me less per hour and mile of travel to run the boat today than it did almost 10 years ago. How many folks out there can say that? Of course their are other benefits too but the one that seems to nag folks the most is the return on investment. IMHO- both sides have merit but as I said before- I don't know of a single perosn that has made the change and regretted it. I'll now add that I know of a few people that have replaced gas engines and have regretted not going to deisels.
