Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

Nos4r2

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The gas useage of my 50hp merc is beginning to wear a bit thin now... it's close to £4 per gallon for petrol in the UK so I'm spending £20 per hour running at WOT.I'm seriously thinking about going over to a yanmar d27 or d36 diesel outboard. Speed aint really an issue when the price of red diesel here is between half and a quarter of that of petrol and they apparently burn just over 1.5gph. The only problem is I can't find anyone who's ever used or worked on one-or that sells them in the UK. Are they all that yanmar claim? I'm kinda dubious about aluminium blocks on diesel motors.
 

rodbolt

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

hello<br /> I did a search and saw a dealer in the UK. I have never worked on one but have seen a few on some yaht dingies. they seem to work well. sound and smell funny but the owner loved it. aluminium block diesels are not new at all.
 

WillyBWright

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

But what if it breaks? Who's going to fix it and where are you going to get parts? How long does it take to order parts that aren't in stock? Unless there's a strong dealer base, I'd bite the bullet and stay with what you have. Maybe go with a smaller 4-stroke if speed isn't a factor.
 

Nos4r2

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

Thanks rodbolt!<br />The thing is, even if I buy a smaller 4-stroke it's still going to cost a fortune in gas per mile-as an example, pump gas here is 80p/liter,equivalent of about $1.40.RED (agricultural untaxed) diesel which is perfectly legal for use in boats is between 19p and 40p a liter-and I'll have enough in my tanks at 10-12 knots to go fishing all week for about £20.The dealerbase is one reason I'm a bit wary-but then I'm 40 miles from the nearest merc dealer too (and 35 from any other!) so as long as there IS a dealer then I'll be happy-it costs me more to drive to any dealer than to mail-order anyway. Besides, being a diesel it's going to be that much more reliable and I don't have to worry about gas going stale in the tanks.I still can't find that dealer though-any clues?
 

steelespike

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

I saw a little inboard boat in wooden boat magazine.It was about 16 ft and was designed to run at displacement speeds 6-8 mph.I think it used an 8 or 16 hp Yanmar deisel inboard designed to run on reclaimed vegatable oil.And to top it off it got something like 28 miles per gallon.You can do something like that with a hull like a sailboat(not fixed keel) and a small outboard.Displacement hulls are the most efficient design but are most efficient at true displacement speeds.usually around 6 mph.If you are thinking about a deisel outboard how about an electric outboard(not trolling motor)Do a search for electric outboard.They will actually plane a small boat.Ill bet they are a lot easier to maintain than a diesel and a heck of a lot quieter and no smell.
 

Nos4r2

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

i'm not sure but I think you guys may have got the wrong end of the stick-the d27 and d36 are quite large (physically) engines and 27 and 36 hp respectively-as in, just enough power to get my 16' cabin boat to the plane with the 36hp. They are also quite heavy-the d27 weighs 110kg so as heavy if not more so than my 50hp merc.They'd sink a yacht dinghy! What I really want (utopia here I come) is to be able to go fishing 15-20 miles out and it not to cost a fortune every time. I can't carry enough batteries to do that with an electric outboard!From what I've read the yanmar outboards are ideal for what I want - diesel being at 1/4 price of petrol here and the fuel consumption being around half that of a petrol too but I've never actually seen one in use and I'm dubious about buying something without knowing something about them 1st.The only ones I've EVER heard about have been for sale on ebay, and they've all been seized or trashed. In my mind that could mean one of 2 things- either no-one ever sells a running one because they are so good, or that there's hardly any around and they break!As for running at displacement speeds i can well believe it-I recall in my youth my father crossing the English channel (Poole to Cherbourg-60ish miles) in the flat calm with no wind in our 30 foot sailing boat on 3 gallons of diesel at 4 knots...that was with a 12hp twin cylinder inboard bukh.
 
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DJ

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

Yanmar has been making small diesels for eons. <br /><br />They have a very good reputation in the industrial world.<br /><br />I wouldn't be afraid of one.
 

Nos4r2

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

Thanks Dj :)
 

Nos4r2

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

For anyone who's interested- I got hold of a yanmar outboard dealer in the end. Spares are still available but the outboards are out of production though they WILL make them...at a cost of £13500 for a 36hp!!!!!!!!!!Thats $25000! No wonder they aint making them anymore! I think maybe I'll give up on the idea unless one comes my way 2nd hand. :(
 
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DJ

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

Sounds like they're making "one offs" out of those spare parts.<br /><br />Will they send you a kit, and you build it yourself? :D
 

Nos4r2

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

Unfortunately the "dealer" wouldn't give me that option- I did ask. I wonder if it's possible to convert a 4-stroke to LPG instead...
 

cruiser01

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

Originally posted by Nos4r2:<br /> Unfortunately the "dealer" wouldn't give me that option- I did ask. I wonder if it's possible to convert a 4-stroke to LPG instead...
I have after a lot of searching managed to find a yanmar D27 to put on my canal/river cruiser in place of a 25hp Mariner which also drank petrol like it was going out of fashion .... if there is enough interest i will write regular updates on all aspects of performance and maintenance of the d27 as first hand information seems so rare ... so if you are interested please let me know .... I am located in the east midlands on the river trent .... and before you ask Nos4r2 no it is not for sale! and it took 2 years to find the right one
 

cruiser01

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

Originally posted by Nos4r2:<br /> Unfortunately the "dealer" wouldn't give me that option- I did ask. I wonder if it's possible to convert a 4-stroke to LPG instead...
I have after a lot of searching managed to find a yanmar D27 to put on my canal/river cruiser in place of a 25hp Mariner which also drank petrol like it was going out of fashion .... if there is enough interest i will write regular updates on all aspects of performance and maintenance of the d27 as first hand information seems so rare ... so if you are interested please let me know .... I am located in the east midlands on the river trent .... and before you ask Nos4r2 no it is not for sale! and it took 2 years to find the right one
 

Nos4r2

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

I'll have to give up on the idea then I guess....you SURE you dont want to sell it ? ;) <br /><br />How much did you pay for it?
 

gss036

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

I read an article a while back one of the engine companies( maybe Mercury) was expermenting on an all fuel type engine for the U S Military. They want to be able to use diesel and JP-4 (jet fuel)as well a gasoline. Maybe some day it will arrive but with EPA, probalby not to the American Public.<br />We have a Yanmar dealer here in town but no outboards.
 
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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

yanmar used to make the diesel outboards.i dont know why they stopped production. i come across alot of the inboards, which are great by the way.. but i still want and have been looking for a good used diesel outboard. gasoline prices are going up again in the states, and appear to going to go thru the roof this summer. it seems even with gas prices going out of site, the U.S. will never allow new production diesel outboards for use here. maybe if the EPA was not so strict,some domestic outboard motor builders would look into diesel outboards.
 

WillyBWright

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

I would think weight and throttle response would be big mainstream market killers for diesel outboards. The kicker and houseboat markets are there, but not mainstream. I doubt a diesel outboard would do well on your typical trailered runabout. Just not enough demand to make it profitable, I'm sure. :(
 

rmpray

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Re: Yanmar Diesel outboards- What are they like and Where can I get one?

IF your into some engineering, have you thought about possibly using a drive shaft driven outdrive with a small high speed diesel? The old Eaton ourdrives could be matched up to almost anything as the outdrive bolted to the transom and the motor bolted to an engine bed, connection to outdrive via shaft. A bit of a challange, but be an interseting trip. <br /><br />Meanwhile I am preparing to build a dory around a lister single diesel, but that is more of a headway speed only rig.
 
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