Repowering from Gas to Deisel

[Capthead]

Sunchaser, I agree. I loved my gas boat. 24 kph @ 5000 RPM and cruising at 18 kts @ 3000 while getting 2 MPG on a 11,000 pound 30' cabin cruiser. It was a single 360 Chyrsler I repowered from a 318 and it got better fuel mileage with the 360.

I had a fuel computer onboard that measured fuel flow to 99.9% accuracy, speed, temp and depth and had total fuel burn, etc. When E10 happened, the plastic flow meter that was inline melted shut. I had to call the factory and they finally formulated new parts that could withstand ethanol. The part was an aircraft part and they didn't have ethanol in gas at that time.

I was lucky i caught it because when I removed that part, it was soft already.

 

[beachbum29]

Sunchaser, I agree. I loved my gas boat. 24 kph @ 5000 RPM and cruising at 18 kts @ 3000 while getting 2 MPG on a 11,000 pound 30' cabin cruiser. It was a single 360 Chyrsler I repowered from a 318 and it got better fuel mileage with the 360.

I had a fuel computer onboard that measured fuel flow to 99.9% accuracy, speed, temp and depth and had total fuel burn, etc. When E10 happened, the plastic flow meter that was inline melted shut. I had to call the factory and they finally formulated new parts that could withstand ethanol. The part was an aircraft part and they didn't have ethanol in gas at that time.

I was lucky i caught it because when I removed that part, it was soft already.

Can't you get ethanol free gas?

 

[Capthead]

Not here in CA. The FTC says it can contain 9.99999% ethanol and that doesn't have to be disclosed. I think there is some cal epa reg too because it happened in 1988 about with no word at all. I even asked the fuel dock and they said no alcohol. The place that replaced the flow meter unit knew it was and they fixed it.

I'm smoking diesel now. For the dinghy I replaced the fuel lines with the updated hose and carb kit. That Evenrude didn't mind the ethanol.

 

[Marin]

Can't you get ethanol free gas?

You can and while it's more expensive you get better mileage so the overall cost is a wash. But not that many places carry it. We're lucky in that there is a farm grange store near us that has non-ethanol gas. We now run our outboards, lawn mower, Honda generator (home), power washer, etc. on it.

Even with non-ethanol we still run all our gas engines (not the vehicles, obviously) out of gas when we're done using them. This makes a huge difference in how well they start again even after months of sitting unused. When we put the 17' Arima up for the winter i drain the carburetors, too, just to make sure.

Our new pickup can run on anything--- non-ethanol, E10, E15, even E85 although the manual has some specific procedures for using E85. I've never seen that around here anyway and wouldn't use it if it was.

All the gas station pumps here (except the non-ethanol pumps of course) have a big sticker that says "May contain up to 10% ethanol." Have not seen any E15 stickers yet.

 

[Capthead]

You're lucky Marin.

Pure-gas.org shows the ethanol free gas for the US and I looked at CA. It's almost Oregon where they sell it and it's in 5 gal cans for 25.00. Not at a pump.

I'll have to stick with Chevron with Techron for my generator and Johnson.

 

[MVNoPlans]

We are fortunate here in the Puget Sound area. The three closest fuel docks to me all have non-ethanol gasoline at the fuel dock.

 

[Marin]

It's almost Oregon where they sell it and it's in 5 gal cans for 25.00. Not at a pump.

.

In addition to the grange stores which sell non-ethanol gas from a regular drive-up service station pump, I am starting to see some mainstream service stations advertising non-ethanol fuel. So far the ones I've noticed have been Union 76 (Philips 66) stations.

 

[beachbum29]

I'd say that all fuel docks in Florida carry ethanol free gas. It's usually Shell Valtech? 89 octane.

 

[Capthead]

Next time I fuel up here I'll ask. As far as I know we don't have it here.

 

[Art]

Uniflites are 25 cents on the dollar here. The blister problem coupled with our warmer water destroyed their value. I've seen them with blisters all the way up to the gunwales and in the yard they can get deep into the glass. The fix is very expensive and you'll never recoup the cost at your selling.

To the contrary, the boat in the slip next to me is a Uni and he has zero blisters and has owned it about 12 years now. I like the lines of that boat too.

Uniflite blister problem began and continued due to govt requirement for fire-proof additive into the FG resin when Uni won contract (away from Tollycraft - thank God!) to build many thousand Viet Nam War 31' delta patrol boats. Not realizing the huge oncoming problem (sometimes it took years for the blisters to show-up, and sometimes not that long a time) Uniflite changed all their build-out resin to same as used on Nam patrol boats. Up to and including 1973 Uni's were still built with their original resin mix. From early 1974 onward the new govt mandated resin mix began to be used. Due to some bulk supplies of the orig resin during 1974 some Uni's were OK and others got blisters from the new resin mix. By end of 74 all Uni were built with the new resin mix... that eventually blistered all Uniflite boats. It broke the company due to class action suit from U.S. pleasure boat owners.

Uniflite I owned was twin screw, fly bridge, sedan sportfisher 1973 31'... duplicate hull to the Nam boats. The newer model 32'ers were exact same hull (they measured 31' 8" loa) with altered interior and bridge. My 73 never had a blister. Uni in slip next to you is either pre 1974 or one of the ones that was lucky in 74 to be built while they were using up the orig resin supply. Also, sometime after Uniflite went broke (mid to latter 1980's??) I believe it was Pacemaker that purchased the company and continued still building some boat models with Uniflite name but different resin which cured the blister problem. Now, I may be incorrect, used to know from having a conversation with one of Uniflite’s founders... but I think Chris Craft was the last builder to use some of Uni's larger molds. I don't believe CC used the Uniflite name on boats they built, and there was no blister problem.

 

[Art]

Not sure if still available this year – but, last year and years past, King Isle Marine in the SF Delta had High Test petrol with no ethanol... pricy though! Some of my "Fountain" and "Donzi" go-fast buddies always fueled up there.

 

[Capthead]

I had a friend that drove a river boat in Nam. The stories he told were awesome. They would be running WOT and if they took on fire, reverse gear on one engine and it would spin the boat 180 and then back they went. He said they had skids of new engines and trannies on the dock. I think they used Crusader 454's in them and a jet drive. You couldn't full throttle a reverse in a regular drive.

I was lucky and stayed state side my time in the army.

The Uni's were tough boats to take that abuse.

 

[Marin]

I had a bit of experience in the PBR world but not in the Uniflite boat. The Uniflite, by the way, was powered with two Detroit 6V53s, not gas engines.

But in that kind of service one did not spend any time worrying about engine longevity or efficiency. It only had to run long enough to get back and nobody cared how much fuel it used in the process.

 

[FF]

You couldn't full throttle a reverse in a regular drive.

Better tell Twin Disc , all their landing craft trannys can not only run full throttle in reverse but one can SHIFT into reverse at full throttle.

Since WWII.

 

[Capthead]

Okay, I won't run full throttle in my boat and jam it into reverse while maintaining full throttle. Nope, not a chance.