Natural Gas Conversion

[Alan Wheeler]

DO NOT USE GASOLINE, in any modern day Diesel engine. Unless you want to destroy it. No joke, I have lifted a head clean off an engine running it on Gasoline. The noise was scary and I imgaine if the head didn't blow, we would have melted pistons or broken something else in sort succession. The detonation is unbelievable. A Diesel works quite well on LPG/CNG by the way. In fact, you can even inject either gasses into the air intake to get a boost much like Nitrous. ButI would not go doing that in your boat. We did this as a "Big boys toys" play excersise in a 4WD.

[Chief Engineer]

As a side note, this "going green' stuff can be taken to extremes.

In an effort to "go green" on this case, how much fuel is burned in the construction and installation of ONE of these units?

I like the diesel electric concept....this is the direction that I feel should be developed rather than trying to design the wheel gain to burn another fossil fuel/byproduct

As far as gasoline in a diesel....you are correct. It is highly dangerous and can turn your diesel into an antipersonnel munition.

[Pblais]

As a side note, this "going green' stuff can be taken to extremes.

Anything worth doing is worth overdoing. There is also what you say and what you do. It is easier to want to be greener than it is to actually be greener. It helps if you don't know a lot and pretend more.

Sorry, there is nothing about boating that in a "world" sense is greener. It would be a cruel joke or blind ignorance to pretend otherwise. The process of building boats is a very energy intensive process perhaps to the extreme. The concept of paying it all back is a poor joke.

[Chief Engineer]

Even Kon-Tiki wasn' too green.

(I have a first edition that was given to me by my Uncle)...I guess I have him to thank too for my love of the water.

When you read it today.....those guys were something else...

[Ex-Calif]

So the best thing to do in order to be green is to go with a smaller boat and eliminate any dependance on fossil fuel engines for electrical power. In fact solar power also has it's own footprint in externalities - the carbon cost of making the panels and disposing of them when you are done.

To be blunt you cant' say, "I'd like to be green, so I am gonna convert my boat to NG so I can have a big boat and all the luxuries I want."

To be honest it sounds hypocritical.

Don't get me wrong - I am not a greenie and I don't pretend to be.

But look on the bright side. When the fossil stuff does run out we'll all be ahead of the game because we already have sails. Just make sure your dinghy has oarlocks or a sail.

[HorizonMarine]

I make my living owning a yacht repair company. I have a feeling that this project would fund the college savings account for the grandkids! Both doing the work and then all the problems that would arise down the road. Diesels are consider bulletproof, BUT still require lots af maintenance. This conversion would really require alot of maintenance and you would have to train someone in any harbor that you broke down in...... Because any of us would have to study up for hours on this.