The expensive half has now decided she wants a boat that can be used both in lakes and along intercoastal/sound/semi-deep water. With the cost of petrol climbing I am wondering if a smallish diesel-powered day cruiser might be the way to go.

Anybody know of or have experience with smaller boats that burn #2? There is a big boat show in Raleigh next weekend so I am going to peruse it but I doubt there will be much more than lake boats and pontoons and bass boats on display.

If I get one with a head and a galley then I can technically call it a second home and write off the interest but I don't want to have to go get a dually CTD to pull a huge boat around with (although that might be the way to justify a new ride ).

Any info, pros/cons, disaster stories, and/or encouragement appreciated.

 

Volvo makes a sweet marine engine
not a cummins but a superior engine just the same. We used them in Navy rhib boats till we switched to Cummins in 96.

 

Here you go, this will fill the bill nicely

http://www.terrawind.com/index.html

 

Talk about a real LAND YACHT

 

John, tell your wife she would look great in one of those

 

Yanmar makes a small diesel and so does mercury marine. I doubt you will recover the additional costs in fuel savings but who knows. I wonder if you can use the red diesel (off road) or how the marine diesel is priced ? on the intercostal. I run a 38' pursuit( not mine) w/ a cummins a really sweet ship and the diesels run well. The motors I mentioned above are in the 120 hp range. Test boat usa did some tests on these motors.

 

I run red diesel in my offshore boat. I don't pay the high price of marina diesel rather having it delivered to the boat from a fuel supplier.

Cummins is making engines for MerCruiser now (smaller than 15L). Yanmar, Westerbeke, Lehman, Perkins are all good small diesels.