Atomic Four vs. Diesel

[cdawgs65]

Have Moyer Marine rebuild my A4 or go with a diesel, I like the A4, but everyone says go with a diesel, so I'm asking for some more input. I just want to start fresh with the engine I have now, up date the ignition, fuel pump, gauges and so on. Anybody have their A4 rebuilt and loving it, let me know!

[Figment]

Go with your gut.
If you're looking for people to talk you into the A4, you'll find plenty. Likewise for the diesel swap.

My personal take on it is that a rebuilt A4 (with upgrades you listed) is perfectly adequate. One might even call it an "economically sensible" solution..... UNLESS YOU PLAN TO DO A LOT OF MOTORING.

In my opinion a diesel only has opportunity to pay for itself if you use it a LOT. The additional range-per-gallon of fuel only comes into play if you use it A LOT.

I'm clearly on one side of the fence, so take me with a grain of salt. As I've posted before, my one significant beef with the A4 is that it doesn't get along well with single-lever control units.

[Ceasar Choppy]

I agree with Figment on this.

My last boat, I bought a Moyer re-bulit A4 to replace the hole that was left by the previous owners. Couldn't have been happier with it. And it was the economically viable alternative to a new diesel.

Some additional thoughts:

A diesel MAY get you more resale value. That is not to say you will recoup what you put into it, but it may be more valuable in some eyes. As you probably know, for a lot of folks who don't understand gas engines, diesel is the only thing they will look at. Of course, these are the same people who are terrified of a gas engine, but have no problem with propane aboard a boat, but that's another story.

[LazyGuy]

For me it is not the gas it is the ignition system. The only boat that I am familiar with long term that had an A-4 did the rebuild with electronic ignition, three years later they did it again and one year later replaced it with a Beta. If it is strictly for economy, the pro A-4s have a good point. It would take forever to recoup the cost if it was ever recouped. Even if you include two rebuilds. On the other hand, if you are confident that you will own this boat for 10 or more years, I honestly believe that you are better off getting a diesel now.

The worst thing would be to invest the money in the update/rebuild and a couple of years later go with the diesel anyway.

There is also the issue with ethanol these days where the gas is going bad in the tank in less than a month. That is, if your tank is compatible with 5-10% ethanol. If your tank is fiberglass, you have a lot of work ahead to keep it the boat gas.

[feetup]

I agree with all of the above but with the question of gas vs. diesel I see niether solution as being perfect.
A4's are a smooth running little engine, that with a few upgrades are really quite trouble free. The only objection that seems to hold any merit is that they run on gasoline, and every so often you meet someone who knew someone who heard of a boat that burned to the waterline. No one can say for certain if it was gasoline or not but "it must have been or it wouldn't have burned." I think it is the routine of turning on your blowers to be sure you have cleared out any fumes before you engage the starter that frightens some people. I look at all the inboard and stern drive power boats out there with gasoline power and I look at the percentage of operators that seem to be complete idiots, at least on the water, and I think that if gasoline were as dangerous as some would have you believe there would be burned out hulls every weekend in the summer.
That being said, the chemistry of the new gasolines has caused problems for some, since few older fuel systems are comfortable with ethanol.
Diesel on the other hand has some huge points in it's favour. The engines are by neccessity built very robustly and, with immaculate fuel will run for a very long time, very economically. The catch seems to be in keeping the fuel clean, since diesel fuel will support the growth of organic contamination, sometimes to an alarming degree. Then there is the incomatability with even a tiny amount of water.
I think that every story I've ever heard of an auxillary engine failing when the weather got nasty with a lee shore getting way too close was a diesel with a neglected fuel system.
Then there is the vibration issue.....
Then there is the smell issue....
Then there is the cost issue.....

Feetup

The North American work ethic sucks...

[s/v Groovy]

If I was going to repower I'd seriously look into an Electric, maybe with a small charging system (diesel, gas, propane). Depending on how you use the auxiliary power, you could charge with; shore power, solar or wind, let the screw turn wile sailing to charge, or have a small charging system (choose your fuel), all of the above or any combination.

Lately I only motor for a few minutes to get out of the marina, so a moderate battery bank, and shore power charger would work. I'd eventually want something to supplement though, when I go for longer cruises.

Electric technology is maturing rapidly and might be worth having a look. Just imagine silent motoring.

FWIW, I have a diesel, it was a huge buying point when we were looking at classic sailboats, true the chug chug chug could be quieter (Yanmar 2GM20F), but I really like the 'not as flammable' compared to gasoline.

[A30_John]

In my mind it comes down to fuel choice. If you don't mind having gasoline on board, and you use the boat seasonally and don't do a lot of motoring, the A4 might be just the ticket. If not, go for a diesel.

Also, I agree with the resale comment above. There will be buyers out there who won't even consider a boat unless it has a diesel. I fit that category. I also agree with the comment that you probably won't recoup the cost of the diesel when you sell it, so it's a bit of a catch-22.

If I were to repower, I'd look at the Betas and the Yanmars. I haven't heard anything negative about either. I have a Universal, which I like except for the fact that the dipstick is infuriatingly difficult to access, and it's a hit or miss proposition whether you'll ever get it back in. I'm "accessibility obsessed" so that's a big negative for me.

Let us know what you decide to do.

[steve]

has anyone converted an A4 to run on prpane? years ago i had a kohler generator set up to run on propane. it ran clean, was convenient, and at that time the fuel was no more expensive. my triton #703 already has the propane stove, so.... BTW,#703, Artemis, is in Chaumont Bay, on Lake Ontario and sailing again after a 7 yr hiatus!!

LIFE IS GRAND!

[jollyboat]

I liked my A-4 a lot on 346 - it was smooth and quiet. I installed a new fuel tank and very well designed fuel delivery system that never leaked and I never had an issue with fuel vapors. Follow gas engine procedures for starting (run the blower, check for leaks, ect becomes common place and takes no time at all) The biggest issue that I have with A-4 is it's weight - ugggg that is a lot of iron to lug around and the responsiveness of the Triton with 400 plus pounds of weight reducution is significant. I have removed my A-4 on 466 and now use a 30 pound outboard motor set up on a removable Spartan Marine outboard bracket when in use. I will admit that my current arrangement - though light weight is not very practical and major pain to set up - but I am faster.

[Figment]

has anyone converted an A4 to run on prpane? years ago i had a kohler generator set up to run on propane. it ran clean, was convenient, and at that time the fuel was no more expensive. my triton #703 already has the propane stove, so.... BTW,#703, Artemis, is in Chaumont Bay, on Lake Ontario and sailing again after a 7 yr hiatus!!

LIFE IS GRAND!

Interesting tangent.

I have distant memory of reading an article on the use of propane as engine fuel in some powerboat magazine, must've been at least 15 years ago. As I recall, the biggest hurdle was finding space aboard to carry adequate capacity of propane.
Has the industry cleared this hurdle?