Diesel Speed Boat - Thoughts?
Discussion
Hi.
Looking to keep a small (18-23 ft) speed boat in the South of France for bay hopping and a bit of waterskiing with friends.
I have had speed boats in the past but never one with a diesel engine such as the 1.7 found in the Regal boat i think.
Looking for something reliable that starts when we get there for the 4 / 5 weeks use it will get through the summer. I imagine it would spend 4/5 months in the water.
Any thoughts would be appreciated or recommendations for boats. Seating for up to 8 preferable.
Thanks
Looking to keep a small (18-23 ft) speed boat in the South of France for bay hopping and a bit of waterskiing with friends.
I have had speed boats in the past but never one with a diesel engine such as the 1.7 found in the Regal boat i think.
Looking for something reliable that starts when we get there for the 4 / 5 weeks use it will get through the summer. I imagine it would spend 4/5 months in the water.
Any thoughts would be appreciated or recommendations for boats. Seating for up to 8 preferable.
Thanks
Being in the boating business, all I can say is avoid the 1.7 diesel. It was a bad conversion of the Isuzu engine used in the Vauxhall car range. We have seen issues with turbos, risers and manifolds. They smoke like mad from cold, rattle like hell and are generally pretty terrible. Spares are hard to come by as they were not a popular option. For some reason, the price variation on something like a Regal 1700 was about a £10k premium for having the diesel over the standard 3.0l Mercruiser petrol. Unless you are doing high hundred hours a year, I really wouldn't bother.
Well happy to steer away from the diesel then!
How would the 3 litre lumps fair in say the Bayliner and the like?
My boating history has been with 60hp outboards, Seadoo Challenger and now Mastercraft so 5.7 v8 but that is used on fresh water. Challenger was fun down there but fortunately it went before a big bill loomed!
How would the 3 litre lumps fair in say the Bayliner and the like?
My boating history has been with 60hp outboards, Seadoo Challenger and now Mastercraft so 5.7 v8 but that is used on fresh water. Challenger was fun down there but fortunately it went before a big bill loomed!
The 3 litre is an industry standard engine, loads of spares around, cheap to run and produce spot on power for the size of boat. I know of several friends (as well as many customers) who have 17-18ft sportsboats and love the engine. It has the drive out of the water for skiing/wakeboarding etc. I would say it is worth getting a second prop with a different pitch to allow for more drive and less top speed if you are serious about skiing, but if you just want a general purpose set up, then the standard prop will be fine.
Overall, a great set up that won't break the bank and will have good resale value. Oh and don't be put off by high hours, far better for a boat to be used than sitting around festering and rotting away. They used to say that the average hours per annum were circa 100. Nowadays, I would say that this is nearer 20ish, so this may give some guide on overall engine run time.
Overall, a great set up that won't break the bank and will have good resale value. Oh and don't be put off by high hours, far better for a boat to be used than sitting around festering and rotting away. They used to say that the average hours per annum were circa 100. Nowadays, I would say that this is nearer 20ish, so this may give some guide on overall engine run time.
They are perfectly happy sitting in the sea, provided the hull and sterndrive have been antifouled. Depending on the area, the anodes protecting the stern drive will need to be checked, but I would say that 6 months shouldn't be an issue.
As for the 4.3, there are 2 variants, the 4.3L which is a carb version at 190 hp and the 4.3mpi which is the injected version at 225hp. Again, both great engines and similarly not too bad to run. I would opt for an mpi version as they do run smoother. I would also avoid Volvo Penta power. Nothing wrong with the engines, as they use the same basic block as Mercruiser, but the spares prices are insane. We have a customer with a 4.3GXi Volvo which is the same engine as the Mercruiser 4.3MPi. He need a new propeller for his boat and the Volvo item came in at somewhere in the region of £380, as opposed to £170 for a Mercruiser. Generally, the Volvo spares are silly money.
As for the 4.3, there are 2 variants, the 4.3L which is a carb version at 190 hp and the 4.3mpi which is the injected version at 225hp. Again, both great engines and similarly not too bad to run. I would opt for an mpi version as they do run smoother. I would also avoid Volvo Penta power. Nothing wrong with the engines, as they use the same basic block as Mercruiser, but the spares prices are insane. We have a customer with a 4.3GXi Volvo which is the same engine as the Mercruiser 4.3MPi. He need a new propeller for his boat and the Volvo item came in at somewhere in the region of £380, as opposed to £170 for a Mercruiser. Generally, the Volvo spares are silly money.
I've got a Larson 180 Bowrider with the 3.0 motor. Great for general hooning around, not expensive to run (although it has developed an appetite for alternator belts) and a good ski boat.
If you think you might be 8 up on a regular basis, I'd suggest going a bit larger, maybe over 20' but then you're certainly going to want a bigger motor.
If you think you might be 8 up on a regular basis, I'd suggest going a bit larger, maybe over 20' but then you're certainly going to want a bigger motor.
Loads of choice really in that price point, but there are boats such as Maxum, Regal, Chaparral, Sea Ray, Monterey, Bayliner. Can't really go wrong with any of them, some are slightly better finished than others, but essentially, they are all doing the same sort of thing. Also worth looking at things like Quicksilver Commanders, Beneteau Ombrines, Jeanneau Cap Cammarat....slightly different style, but offer more usable deck space and sacrifice carpets and cushions for more durable plastics which do actually make more sense in the real world. With 18ft sports boats, have a good look at the floor, as this will be carpeted ply wood and generally built into the boat. Salt water over time will cause this to weaken and fail. If I remember correctly, the Monterey 180FS was the only 18ft sports boat on the market that had a proper separate floor.
RIBS are great fun, with not massive power required to get the biggest smiles. I would say that something like a 5.5m (ish) rib with approximately 100hp is a great combo. Sometimes the maximum recommended engine isn't always the best option on a RIB, as it can cause peculiar handling characteristics.
RIBS are great fun, with not massive power required to get the biggest smiles. I would say that something like a 5.5m (ish) rib with approximately 100hp is a great combo. Sometimes the maximum recommended engine isn't always the best option on a RIB, as it can cause peculiar handling characteristics.
I've been pondering a change to a rib but the money gets a bit mad, even old smokers are commanding top money. I was admiring a pair of new Rib Eyes that had just been delivered to the yard I keep mine in on the IOW at the weekend and the prices were eye watering!
Bigger Bowriders are nice and I'm always watching but even oldies are pushing your budget.
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/Bowriders-for-s...
Six up in my 18 footer is about as much as I'd want, if we were skiing I'd hope some of those were on the smaller side
Bigger Bowriders are nice and I'm always watching but even oldies are pushing your budget.
http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/Bowriders-for-s...
Six up in my 18 footer is about as much as I'd want, if we were skiing I'd hope some of those were on the smaller side
Don't bother with the diesel.
Folk get bogged down on gals per hr.
Given the overall running cost of owning a sportsboat and general hrs used in the U.K they are a poor option.
I have sold plenty,turbo issues, many head gasket issues, diesel bug, I could go on.
Better with your standard 3.0l or 4.3l american pushrod pig iron.
I know of good Maxum 1800 with 3.0l for sale..
Folk get bogged down on gals per hr.
Given the overall running cost of owning a sportsboat and general hrs used in the U.K they are a poor option.
I have sold plenty,turbo issues, many head gasket issues, diesel bug, I could go on.
Better with your standard 3.0l or 4.3l american pushrod pig iron.
I know of good Maxum 1800 with 3.0l for sale..
I agree with the idea of avoiding diesel sports oats. The place I work used to be an imported of Rinkers (American sportsboats and cruisers) and the diesel powered smaller boats were always a disappointment. At one point a 246 (24ft cuddy) was about 40k with a 260hp 5.0 V8 but to spec a 190hp diesel was over 50k. Yes it reduces the cost of your day out but being 70hp down makes a big dent in the performance anf 10k buys alot of petrol.
We also did 192s (19ft bowrider) that the standard engine was the 3.0 with the 4.3 optional but was also available with the 1.7td. With the diesel you could open the throttle, get changed into your wetsuit, put skis on and swim out to the end of the ski line by the time the thing would pick up.
Diesels make sense on bigger stuff when range and availability of fuel.is more important but sportsboats are for fun not commuting. People would get freaked when told the mpg of a 24 with a V8 was about 5mpg, but in reality we would have 3 yr old boats back in partx with less than 30hrs on them so the cost per hour in fuel negotiable compared to the other costs.
It's telling that most of the big European manufacturers have now moved away from diesel for small boats, Jeanneau for instance don't do a diesel until a 9m cruiser, everything smaller is outboard powered and the yanks are still using their V8s.
I'd go for a 3.0 if around the 17-18 mark then a 4.3 for 18-19-20. It's worth remembering that a speed boat is effectively always powering uphill, so alot of the time the smaller 'more economical' can often be worse on fuel, especially with a full boat load of people, because it's working harder all the time.
We also did 192s (19ft bowrider) that the standard engine was the 3.0 with the 4.3 optional but was also available with the 1.7td. With the diesel you could open the throttle, get changed into your wetsuit, put skis on and swim out to the end of the ski line by the time the thing would pick up.
Diesels make sense on bigger stuff when range and availability of fuel.is more important but sportsboats are for fun not commuting. People would get freaked when told the mpg of a 24 with a V8 was about 5mpg, but in reality we would have 3 yr old boats back in partx with less than 30hrs on them so the cost per hour in fuel negotiable compared to the other costs.
It's telling that most of the big European manufacturers have now moved away from diesel for small boats, Jeanneau for instance don't do a diesel until a 9m cruiser, everything smaller is outboard powered and the yanks are still using their V8s.
I'd go for a 3.0 if around the 17-18 mark then a 4.3 for 18-19-20. It's worth remembering that a speed boat is effectively always powering uphill, so alot of the time the smaller 'more economical' can often be worse on fuel, especially with a full boat load of people, because it's working harder all the time.
Diesel engines are suited to boats 40ft upwards where they can be safely hidden away in a large and sound proofed engine room, with all passengers kept well away from the fumes.
Diesel engines on small boats, especially 20-30ft bowriders is just a bad idea in my opinion. The sound and smell would just be s
t. One of the boats in my charter fleet used to be a Yanmar diesel engine. Was a 25ft Sea Ray cuddy cabin and everyone hated the sound and smell being on board it.
If you plan to use it for towing/skiing then I would personally go for a 5.0 or 5.7l V8. With 6 pax on board and some fat bloke struggling to stand on a wake board you will want all the power you can have. Fuel consumption once you're planing and have trimmed/balanced the boat properly is not too bad, anyway if you have a smaller block and end up plowing through the water all the time you'll spend more money on fuel.
Not quite to the 143L 42 cylinder standard, but I do agree with the post above above go big or go home!
Diesel engines on small boats, especially 20-30ft bowriders is just a bad idea in my opinion. The sound and smell would just be s
t. One of the boats in my charter fleet used to be a Yanmar diesel engine. Was a 25ft Sea Ray cuddy cabin and everyone hated the sound and smell being on board it. If you plan to use it for towing/skiing then I would personally go for a 5.0 or 5.7l V8. With 6 pax on board and some fat bloke struggling to stand on a wake board you will want all the power you can have. Fuel consumption once you're planing and have trimmed/balanced the boat properly is not too bad, anyway if you have a smaller block and end up plowing through the water all the time you'll spend more money on fuel.
Not quite to the 143L 42 cylinder standard, but I do agree with the post above above go big or go home!
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