Diesel Engines

Todays 9.9-horsepower four strokes pack just the right amountof punch for a portable dinghy engine. The downside, as you may have guessed, is their hefty weight. The three Practical Sailor tested range in weight from 82 to 92 pounds. All are two-cylinder, water-cooled engines that take about a quart of oil, and all are pull-start models, with chokes that need to be used only when the engine is cold. All come with a standard 3.1-gallon plastic fuel tank, a fuel hose, and an aluminum propeller. In terms of propulsion, none of these portable outboard engines has it all. So after evaluating how easy each was to operate, transport, store, and maintain, we based our recommendations on weighing each engines pluses and minuses.

If given a free hand at design, material selection, fabrication and installation, what would Practical Sailor ideal replacement diesel fuel tank look like? The ideal diesel fuel tank installation should possess, above all else, access. A boat fuel tank that is completely and permanently buried beneath or behind fiberglass, timber, insulation or joinerwork is a tank cannot be inspected for corrosion, chafe, structural damage or leaks. Fuel tank baffles, inspection ports, and properly insulated fittings (in the case of a metal tank) are essential. Diesel tank contamination is inevitable, so any tank design for a cruising sailboat must take that into consideration.

For people concerned about losing fuel flow to their sailboat auxilliary engine while underway due to a clogged fuel filter, the FilterBOSS looks like a promising solution. The FilterBOSS can be ordered as a stand-alone unit ready to be plumbed into your existing fuel system ($950), or as part of a pre-mounted system containing your choice of two Racor filters (various models available). The unit we received for review was the 500FG Dual Filter Package, which includes a FilterBOSS with wiring harness and two Racor 500FG filters mounted and connected with rigid tubing on a pre-drilled, composite panel ($1,565). It features Type 1 copper tubing (.035-inch wall thickness), Bi-Lok CA360 grade brass fittings, heavy-duty valves (with Viton seals), and a Con-X weather-tight cannon plug for the wiring harness. The system also allows a convenient way to polish your fuel and rid it of debris that may clog your fuel system

The best way to get all of the oil out of the engine (after a thorough warm-up) is to drain it from the plug at the bottom of the pan. In boats, however, its often tough or impossible to get at that plug. The optimum solution is to have an oil-change system permanently installed, with a hose from the oil sump to a bulkhead-mounted pump.

The light, easy-to-start Honda BF2 fends off challenges from 3 newcomers.

MARINE INSURANCE REDUXI have been reading with much interest your articles about marine insurance this year (April and May 2006).

It was mid-July 1990 on the Caicos Banks, a stretch of shallow, gin-clear water extending for about 70 miles east to west in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Along with a dozen other cruisers whod chosen to thumb our noses at hurricane season (ah, those were simpler times), we were pausing in Providenciales before heading south. …

Minn Kota's 3X steering and ergonomic features push the RT80/S-3X past the competition in the 80-lb. thrust class. In the 50-lb. class, we like the no-frills MotorGuide SW46 HT.

Here's a dinghy-power option that might make sense — if your circumstances permit. It's quiet, clean, and cheap, but also slow, and may lack staying power.

Clean diesel fuel is the first step toward proper engine maintenance. Thanks to an Alaska-based inventor, attaining perfection in that department has become easier and less expensive.