Thread: Dinghy Motor
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Old 09-22-2021, 03:31 PM   #11
socalrider
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City: San Diego
Vessel Name: SEA WOLF
Vessel Model: 1979 CHB 41 Trawler
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ski in NC View Post
A little dink two stroke does NOT "pollute the water and air terribly". The trace of oil and fuel out the exhaust is so minimal and is readily consumed by organisms naturally in the sea.

Absolutely and issue if there are hordes of old 235hp OMC two strokes running all over the place burning 20gph each. But we are talking little dinks that might burn a couple gallons a YEAR.
Old 2 strokes are nasty for a bunch of reasons - of course bigger ones are proportionally worse than smaller ones. Newer EFI 2-strokes are somewhat better, but there's a reason the old carbureted 2-strokes are banned most places now. About 25-30% of the fuel is not burned and goes into the water - think about that whenever you fill the tank. Moreover, the combustion byproducts are way worse & persist for a long time.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/scienc...4313549400331Z

In remote areas I might buy your argument that this pollution is so diluted as to not matter, but in the areas where a lot of us cruise, which are already under heavy environmental stress, I don't think it's conscionable to use this technology if you have the means to buy something better. Again, there's a reason these engines are banned.
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