Diesel Guru

Where can I find the web guru that you can talk to about Diesel engine issues with an annual subscription?
The site has been mentioned several times on this forum, I just can't seem to find it now.

Larry M said:

http://boatdiesel.com/

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Thanks Larry.
Memory is a terrible thing to waste. Or lose.

Has everyone that paid the subscription fee been happy with the service?

I'm a $25/year member and I wouldn't really call it a "service".
You get access to a lot of information and forums where highly knowledgeable people may respond.

Another site is Seaboard Marine Custom Cummins Marine Diesel Repower Specialists | Seaboard Marine

There is a lot of good information on that site and Tony Athens will address specific questions for a fee with a paid phone consultation.

ktdtx said:

I'm a $25/year member and I wouldn't really call it a "service".
You get access to a lot of information and forums where highly knowledgeable people may respond.

Another site is Seaboard Marine Custom Cummins Marine Diesel Repower Specialists | Seaboard Marine

There is a lot of good information on that site and Tony Athens will address specific questions for a fee with a paid phone consultation.

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I have spent a lot of time on sbmar.com web site. It has great information in an organized format for mid to small diesels. Great resource.

Boatdiesel drove me nuts with its "you can't go here coz you didn't pay enough" or "pay more if you want access to that."

Good for the owner but not so good for me. Then, after paying, some of the info was poor. I won't go back.

YMMV

The problem with the Web is that it becomes harder to vet the information.

There is a lot of misleading, if not plain wrong, information out there. For a neophyte, one is left with an overwhelming amount of information to sort through.

I have found the folks at American Diesel more helpful in that they provide specific advice that's specific to my engine.

Xsbank said:

Boatdiesel drove me nuts with its "you can't go here coz you didn't pay enough"
YMMV

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What were you looking for that the $25 did not get you?

Part of the issue is many folks are selling stuff , so the real info and the sales pitches are mixed.

Very happy subscriber to boatdiesel.com here. Not sure what the complaint is about... that you had to pay at all? There are some very authoritative mechanics on there (including Mr. Athens), and urban, or should I say dockside, legend "I heard from some guy" BS is quickly shot down, something you can't say about most "free" sites....

I have been a boatdiesel subscriber for almost ten years. This is what I have found:

Some engines are well represented by pros and others not so well. The good in order of support:

1. Cummins- Tony, Ski and Paul are the absolute pros on this engine.

2. Cat- Dave is the pro on this one

3. Volvo- Dick for this one

4. Yanmar- Pretty well supported by Tony and others and might be a 2 or 3 if there was a single goto pro.

5. Gensets- Ski is the pro for all diesel gensets.

The others get some support but not as well. The larger Lehman and Perkins ok. Westerbeke, Beta, and smaller Yanmars not so good. Clark, Ski and others try, but this is basically a power boat engine support forum. Also I suspect that sailboat engines have far fewer problems than high performance turbocharged engine do.

I have never, ever seen someone trying to sell something on the boatdiesel support forums. Peter wouldn't allow it.

Tony is available for personal telephone consultation for a fee. But he gives freely of his time on the forum and has helped hundreds solve their problems on the forum.

You can post, create a thread, post some more and receive advice for free without joining. You can't post or see pictures or access the pdf library unless you join. That seems fair to me.

There is no better general resource for marine recreational and small commercial diesels. If you are even slightly hands on, join and pay your $25. It will help keep your engine running right.

David

I've used Boatdiesel for years. Lots of good information and advice from real diesel experts. $25 is chump change compared to the value received.

Agree completely with David at post #12

And I agree with me, post number 7. You got access to some stuff, not others. Largely it's an expensive way to get information and I didn't get my $25 worth.

Despite all the hidebound opinions that crop up on this site and the tendency to argue by some, I prefer this site to Boatdiesel. I prefer the model of like-minded individuals profferring their knowledge to help others for altruistic reasons, rather than getting similar sketchy information from people with sometimes less knowledge than me or my friends, for money.

A perfect example was the "mechanic and local Cummins expert" we hired to survey the two 6CTAs in my friend's boat. Everything he said was wrong with the engines was incorrect. The only thing he said that was accurate was to change the radiator caps!

Rant Switch............OFF

Sounds like you have a hardon for all diesel support guys. I don't see what the rant in the last paragraph has to do with boatdiesel.

This site is a great user support group. But with the exception of Ski and maybe a few others there are few boat diesel repair professionals on this site. There are at least a dozen who regularly contribute their time on the boatdiesel site to help solve real problems. If you have a complex marine diesel problem, post it on boatdiesel. No where else will you find the number and quality of contributors.

BTW, the opinion that I expressed in post 12 was not hide bound. It was well articulated and based on reading thousands of posts over the last ten years.

David

I am a happy subscriber and have been for years. In fact, that is the only pay subscription site of which I am a member. My only disappointment is that there aren't more posts about problems and fixes with my engines (QSM11's) -- but maybe that just means they are pretty reliable. The one time I sought advice for a problem I was having (when moving between my boat's six helm stations, one will randomly come up "backwards" -- forward puts the boat in reverse and vice versa). No one had seen the problem before but Tony put me in touch with a guy who specializes in that.

Surely it`s worth $25 to find out if it works for you.

Heck...for some here on TF...they probably spend $25 in blood pressure medicine just wading through all the answers....

Before the change of ownership at this forum I donated more than $25 a year here to help offset JB's expenses hosting this place. $25 for known professional advice at BD is dirt cheap in my mind. I've considered subscribing there and I don't have a Diesel engine in my boat.

I subscribe on occasion for the prop calculator, but rarely use. If I had a Cummins I would gladly pay and use. Not much there for my little Volvo Penta. But not a very complex engine either.

CPseudonym said:

Before the change of ownership at this forum I donated more than $25 a year here to help offset JB's expenses hosting this place. $25 for known professional advice at BD is dirt cheap in my mind. I've considered subscribing there and I don't have a Diesel engine in my boat.

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Thank you for your support!!!!.

I have subscribed and am pleased with the results.

Greetings,
Some time ago I "borrowed" a friend's password to BoatDiesel and found little to nothing to justify $25/yr. in spite of the fact I have a somewhat common Lehman engine. I have learned much, much more regarding care and feeding of the beasts right here on good ol' TF. A lot of anecdotal information which I can sift through is far superior to little information from "experts".

I contribute over at BD. It is quite valuable when someone is having a technical problem, especially one with strange symptoms. Or trying to sort a performance issue. Or someone trying to spec a powerplant for a build. Or inspecting an engine for purchase.

If you have a reliable engine performing well, or if you are not a hands on type, it might not be the site for you.

Some questions over there are poorly asked, or have few details given, or have obvious answers- and get no response. That must frustrate the posters who just spent 25bucks. It's not a perfect site for everyone.

If you are new to your boat or want to learn, it is worth the money to join for a year and spend some winter nights going through the archives just to learn your engine. It helps you build a quality "care and feeding" list.

I don't think it would take very much to justify $25 when we spend most of our time speaking in "Boat Bucks".

I got way more than $25 in just general knowledge bouncing around there and I am of the age I can only remember about $0.89 worth

ktdtx said:

I don't think it would take very much to justify $25 when we spend most of our time speaking in "Boat Bucks".

I got way more than $25 in just general knowledge bouncing around there and I am of the age I can only remember about $0.89 worth

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I joined for the first time last year and have learned a lot. The interaction with BD's subscribers has been valuable and appreciated. I thought I knew enough about boats & engines until I signed up with Boat Diesel. The $25 is chicken feed compared to the other "boat bucks" I've spent with absolutely nothing gained.

Baker said:

Thank you for your support!!!!.

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Gee! I guess you never got my mail, huh?

I was on BD several years ago but on reflection rarely went there after the first month. After all w guys like David and Ski handy .......

I'll go back and sniff around .. and see what I can see. Right now my only concern is finding the coolant drain petcock. It must be under the starter. But I can call my friends at Klassen/Hatton and find out quickly.

Codger2 said:

Gee! I guess you never got my mail, huh?

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I'm sure he did Codger because it was a post by you that brought it to my attention.