Trojan Boat Forum

prowlersfish wrote:

todd brinkerhoff wrote:
Gas motor at 40 gallons an hour (2 engines at 20 per). at $5.00 gallon equals $20,000 for fuel for the season.

Diesel motor at 12 gallons an hour ( 2 engines at 6 per) at 4.50 gallon equals $5,400 for the season.

Todd I am one of the biggest fan of diesels on the site But the fuel burn Numbers you have are way off . Your not going to go from 40 gals a hour to 12 . Not going to happen .( unless you cut your speed in half ) you may go from 40 to the mid 20s . The Fuel burn hours in your chart are way off .

You can't get 280hp at 6 gal per hour You can get aprox 22hp per gal per hour .

The numbers came from Yanmar....let's go with 22 gallons/hrs. This would be $9900 in fuel. That would be a $9600 difference a year. With the the same $85,000 difference it would take you 8 to 9 years to make up the difference.

Of course I would never cruise 100 hours with my gassers. And my range that I currently go is pretty limited. I will assume gas prices in July will be about 5.30 to 5.40/gallon.

prowlersfish wrote:There is more to more to a Diesel boat then the fuel savings a lot more . Safety and reliability to start with . And a feeling and confidence you have with them ,something you can't under stand untill you have one .

Our Trojan has gassers and our Topaz has C-12's so as a guy that has both I can tell you that I love the diesels in the Topaz for the same reasons you state above. But, the Topaz runs alot offshore, on long trips, and diesels are the right choice for that boat because of what it is required to do. The trojan is a coastal queen that almost never goes more than 200 miles from the dock. Putting diesels in the trojan would be a total waste of money just because of the fuel savings or just to say I've got a "diesel"

As far as Safety and reliability, yea maybe 15 years ago. The modern marine gas engine has come a long way and are very safe and reliable. More often than not it is the operator that causes safety concerns and not the engine.

Some people simply must have diesels, some people have thought "some day I'll own a diesel boat" and to them I say go for it. If you want it and it makes you happy, then why not. But, if the reason is some sort of cost saving program then I don't see it. Buy a Porsche instead and have alot of fun driving to your gas powered boat.

And RWS is right, if your engines are done and need replacement that changes the numbers alot.

Like I said its not just about the fuel savings .nothing Yes gas engine have become safer , but gas is still gas 90% anyway Diesel it self is safer , Nothing against gas boat boats had them for years ,but I will never go back . Unless its a mid 20 foot or smaller .

"just to say I've got a "diesel" " Not even a factor

todd brinkerhoff wrote:

prowlersfish wrote:

todd brinkerhoff wrote:
Gas motor at 40 gallons an hour (2 engines at 20 per). at $5.00 gallon equals $20,000 for fuel for the season.

Diesel motor at 12 gallons an hour ( 2 engines at 6 per) at 4.50 gallon equals $5,400 for the season.

Todd I am one of the biggest fan of diesels on the site But the fuel burn Numbers you have are way off . Your not going to go from 40 gals a hour to 12 . Not going to happen .( unless you cut your speed in half ) you may go from 40 to the mid 20s . The Fuel burn hours in your chart are way off .

You can't get 280hp at 6 gal per hour You can get aprox 22hp per gal per hour .

The numbers came from Yanmar....let's go with 22 gallons/hrs. This would be $9900 in fuel. That would be a $9600 difference a year. With the the same $85,000 difference it would take you 8 to 9 years to make up the difference.

Of course I would never cruise 100 hours with my gassers. And my range that I currently go is pretty limited. I will assume gas prices in July will be about 5.30 to 5.40/gallon.

actually, if you are burning 40 gallons per hour at cruise maybe you should change to diesel It sound like a lot to me but I am used to F-32 numbers which are more like the mid 20's for both.

prowlersfish wrote:Like I said its not just about the fuel savings .nothing Yes gas engine have become safer , but gas is still gas 90% anyway Diesel it self is safer , Nothing against gas boat boats had them for years ,but I will never go back . Unless its a mid 20 foot or smaller .

"just to say I've got a "diesel" " Not even a factor

It's all good Paul, there's nothing wrong with a good debate!

summer storm wrote:

prowlersfish wrote:Like I said its not just about the fuel savings .nothing Yes gas engine have become safer , but gas is still gas 90% anyway Diesel it self is safer , Nothing against gas boat boats had them for years ,but I will never go back . Unless its a mid 20 foot or smaller .

"just to say I've got a "diesel" " Not even a factor

It's all good Paul, there's nothing wrong with a good debate!

X 2 . A good debate can bring out good info . And good info can help someone make a better choice , This is not a right or wrong for sure. all choices have their pros and their cons . Read up and pick your poison

And this is a lot more fun the a political debate .

actually, if you are burning 40 gallons per hour at cruise maybe you should change to diesel It sound like a lot to me but I am used to F-32 numbers which are more like the mid 20's for both.

10.8 Meter Express
Estimated 1/2 full weight - 20,000 lbs
Hull Length - 35'
Beam - 13'2"
Deadrise aft - 18 degrees

Twin Crusader 7.4 Liters, FWC
Speed at 3500 rpms - 22 mph

That actually is the fuel usage that came from Trojan. I was assuming that this is a little low, but I don't have flow meters.

Actual cruise is in the 3100 to 3300 rpm mark. I used 3500 as this is the peak torque number for the 7.4L

Some people simply must have diesels, some people have thought "some day I'll own a diesel boat" and to them I say go for it. If you want it and it makes you happy, then why not. But, if the reason is some sort of cost saving program then I don't see it. Buy a Porsche instead and have alot of fun driving to your gas powered boat.

With the subject of repowering, you always have to talk money first. Again, I started this as just an open discussion and labeled it as just dreaming for now. Repowering my 10.8 International Express would be a discussion beyond the costs at the time this comes to fruition. I love this boat, and I think, at least for me, that some Trojans are worth repowering with diesels. One of the reasons for my desire to talk about diesels, is to increase the overall performance of this rare boat. Yes, I could buy a Porche, but I would be afraid of being teased for buying a midlife crisis car...and it would take away from my time on my boat.

todd brinkerhoff wrote:

Some people simply must have diesels, some people have thought "some day I'll own a diesel boat" and to them I say go for it. If you want it and it makes you happy, then why not. But, if the reason is some sort of cost saving program then I don't see it. Buy a Porsche instead and have alot of fun driving to your gas powered boat.

With the subject of repowering, you always have to talk money first. Again, I started this as just an open discussion and labeled it as just dreaming for now. Repowering my 10.8 International Express would be a discussion beyond the costs at the time this comes to fruition. I love this boat, and I think, at least for me, that some Trojans are worth repowering with diesels. One of the reasons for my desire to talk about diesels, is to increase the overall performance of this rare boat. Yes, I could buy a Porche, but I would be afraid of being teased for buying a midlife crisis car...and it would take away from my time on my boat.

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safe to say, if she were a Sea Ray i would NOT have done the diesels.

RWS