New Deisel Engines From Mercruiser

[Jetlink]

is diesel still worth it with higher initial cost and higher prices at the pump?

The cost of 87 octane here in Illinois near me is higher than the cost of diesel. A galling of diesel is going for $4.00/galling while 87 octane is going for $4.15/gallon and premium is running around $4.50 gallon.

[Salty87]

around here 87 is currently about $3.39 and diesel is $3.75

[inair]

A real cost analysis has to include not just the price of fuel but initial cost including installation, how long you plan to own the boat, ancillary installation cost, and so on. I own a 2004 2500HD Dodge Ram with a six cylinder Cummins Diesel. When I bought it the diesel option was $9000. The truck I owned prior was a Ford F250 six cylinder gaser that I owned from 1984 till 2004. I rebuilt the motor twice during that time and I felt that in the long term the initial price was worth it because of the extended life of the diesel engine. Also when I bought my Dodge in 2004 the price of diesel was less than regular gas. I'll have to run my 2004 for eleven more years and go through many unknowns (maintenance/fuel price changes) before I know if I made the right choice. Since 2004 there have been numerous emissions rule changes that I'm told are expensive maintenance items.

Having said all that, if I was buying a new boat I don't think I would choose diesel because of fuel availability issues at marinas, higher fuel cost and much higher initial cost balanced against how long I plan to own the boat. Retrofitting one of these in an older boat just seems silly unless you have a used turbo motor that will fit the bill and and are willing to spent the time to make it all hang together. After doing all that work I wonder about resale ability when the time comes?

[CornRickey]

Tranni gearing and prop pitch would be a adventure.

[2002 LAUNCH SS OWNER]

My Buddy tows his 24 foot Centurion Surf Boat with his 2007 VW Toureg with a V10 Tdi Diesel, he passes everything on the hills thru the mountain pass to our lake, He has a 2004 f350 that he blew up 6 liter 3 times so he sent truck to Dakota and had a Cummins installed* He still prefers to tow with the V10 Toureg

New Diesels are much cleaner now, no black smoke or smell, Mercruiser has shopped the world for the best Diesel engine they could find and I believe they have made a good choice. I would think engine is around 20,000 with Transmission but if you are buying a new boat it would be a choice worth looking at.

Indmar has a diesel inboard engine available also

[2002 LAUNCH SS OWNER]

Just thought I would put it out there, and I am very happy with response, I drive a full size GMC Denali with a 6 liter gas engine and it really sucks the fuel towing my boat thru the mountains, but I could buy alot of gas for what it would cost me to sell my Denali and then buy a Diesel Pick Up Truck. The same would apply if you took out a big block gas engine then installed a Diesel in your boat, it would take a long time in fuel savings to recover the cost of new engine.

Having said that though there are people in North America that can do anything and love a challange and strive to be different than the next guy and these are the same people that will break ground and to try be the first diesel inboard owners that you will see on the water some day soon

[2002 LAUNCH SS OWNER]

Maximum RPM is 4200, how is that a problem, this is not a diesel that red lines at 2800 rpm, Mercruiser is marketing these engines for a direct replacement for Inboard Sterndrive engines and Inboard direct drive engines.

[2002 LAUNCH SS OWNER]

If Mercruiser would give me a new VW TDI V8 engine to put in my boat and pay for the retro fit I would gladly be the first person to try surfing behind my boat and see if there is any black smoke or fumes

Indmar has had a diesel engine available for a few years and I saw picture of a ski boat with one of these engines installed, the owner lived in Hong Kong, I do not remember which brand of Ski Boat it was.