Diesel or Gas?

Thanks for all of the discussion and answers. In the end I am 90% positive I will get diesel not gas. We intend to live aboard in a couple of years somewhere between the Bahamas and virgin islands.

As for the boats they are 2004 silverton 39MY aft cabin. The diesel has 620 hrs and the gas 578. Other than the motors I do not see any difference. I am not that interested in the boat as I think it would be to small for our intended use. I am interested in the price disparity and the discussion that surrounds it.
 
I should also note that I live in California begrudgingly and will be rectifying that this winter.
 
There is one of those boats next to us where we stay in New Bern. The couple happily live aboard full time. However, I do not think it is what you want for where you are intending to go and the waters you would be using it on. As you might guess, you'd be better served with an older Hatteras from 43 feet up. "Boatbum" on this forum, (Dan Mapes), seems to be doing your dream pretty well on a 43. Or Pascal on his 53. I super-sized a bit and have never regretted it.

George
Hatteras 56MY
Boston Whaler 130 Sport
 
Then by all means get diesel and wait until you are out of CA to do so.
I agree that for long time aboard the boat need to be larger than just weekending. IMO a large interior is better than a large exterior since you can expect to encounter hot, cold and rainy weather. We have a large salon but smaller aft deck and that suits us fine.
Get one with diesels that handles well slow and fast and you will have the best of both worlds.
 
We have a Silverton 39MY with 370 Yanmar diesels. This boat is heavy and I really feel diesel is the way to go on this model. RWS made a lot of good points in his reply. The handling is much better with the greater torque you get with the diesels. We've had gas on a previous boat and will never go back
 
That extra torque allows bigger props. Thats what improves the slow speed hangling.
 
This was the exact situation I was in at the beginning of summer. Trying to decide between two identical Tiara 3600's. One with Gas and one Diesel. In the end, nobody can answer the question as to whether it's worth it or not. For me the price difference was much less, about $20k to go to diesel from gas. But it was still a difficult choice. Budgets being what they are, $20k is a LOT of money no matter how good diesel is.

There can be no argument that diesel is better suited to a boat than gas for all of the reasons sited. The only question is, is it worth the extra money, and that's a personal decision. In the used market, the price differential between the two basically lets the market decide how much better gas is than diesel. If the price difference is really that big ($95k) it would seem to tell me that buyers and sellers are putting a huge premium on diesel power over gas, meaning it is much more desirable.

In the end I am very happy with the performance and economy of the diesels. But I am constantly worried, despite all maintenance, that a catastrophic engine failue could cost me tens of thousands instead of thousands. They are an expensive proposition.
 
A properly maintained deisel should be every bit as reliable as a gas engine. And last twice as long or longer. That maintenance though is time consuming and expensive unless you are doing it yourself. And the extra torque as some have pointed out will surely be a godsend if maneuvering in tight spots. $20k difference is a no brainer. At even just $50k though you can buy a couple of sets of rebuilds and a whole lot of extra fuel.

George - If it were only up to me the Hatteras would be number one on my list. Unfortunately, I have to convince my wife that it is number one too. There is one in Maryland that I am going to go look at next time I am out there. I think if she looked at it too I could convince her it is the way to go.
 
quote:
Originally posted by jmeirhofer

A properly maintained deisel should be every bit as reliable as a gas engine. And last twice as long or longer. That maintenance though is time consuming and expensive unless you are doing it yourself. And the extra torque as some have pointed out will surely be a godsend if maneuvering in tight spots. $20k difference is a no brainer. At even just $50k though you can buy a couple of sets of rebuilds and a whole lot of extra fuel.

Click to expand...


In my world there is nothing about spending $20k that's a no-brainer. As for maintenance, I would agree that diesel SHOULD last longer than gas. But SHOULD and WILL are to different things. Stuff breaks on boats despite best efforts to prevent it. If a gasser goes bang then it's $5k-8k. If a diesel goes bang it's more like $18k-20k.

My boat is right on the edge. But a 39ft aft cabin MY likely needs Diesel to be at all practical. The choice of gas probably just muddies the waters.
 
Pros:Those are great enginesin your boat. besure they are propped loose, maintain the cooling system well dont run them too hard and they will outlast you.
 
What Bruce said. Those engines are long lived if you take care of them and don't jack the HP up.

IMO, the gas vs diesel debate is really boat specific 30-38ft. Over 38 and diesel is the only way to go. Under 30 and it's gas. In between really has to do with the type of boat, how heavy it is and how you are going to use it. I hate to think about selling before I have even bought, but selling an under-powered boat in this market would be a challenge.

Many make the mistake of thinking that they will never make up the difference in fuel savings. While this is true, the boat will presumably be worth more when you sell it.
 
I think it strange that the gas diesel cost argument goes on forever. There is nothing rational about boating expenses but we try to approach this one topic as if was a rational decision.
 
Think of the economic reasons for buying diesel as being like choosing between two properties, one with waterfront, the other a few blocks back.

The waterfront property is going to cost more to buy. But chances are its also going to be the better investment if you can swing it.
 
Having owned a 2005 Silverton 38 Sport Bridge, let me assure you that having a 39 aft cabin silverton with gasers will be a slow selling boat....i.e. it will take forever to sell it, particularly in this market. If you were just going to be chilling out on a lake and cruising 20-30 minutes out and anchoring for a weekend, gas would be fine. If you are seriously planning on doing more cruising and the bahamas, diesel seems an absolute requirement. if you combine a large aft cabin boat like the 39, add lots of salt water exposure, and then gasers= VERY hard to sell when the time comes. For that matter, if you are going to buy in CA and then haul to the east coast, be sure to get quotes on cost of transport- it will not be cheap at all.
The good news is that the 39 does have a very good layout with lots of room.
 
Yeah, I will likely not be buying in CA. The expense to ship would be just to great. These two boats are at the same broker so it just seemed to be a huge difference for just an engine choice.
 
The cost difference of $95K will make a payback difficult. Invest that initial $95k and in 10 years a 7% it would be worth almost $200k. After 10 years a diesel powered boat will be worth $10-20k more, but can you recoup the difference?
 
I think George makes an important point. You need to carefully evaluate the type of boat needed for your usage. We travel to the Exumas and Abacos and bought our current boat with the idea of maybe traveling further south to the Virgin Islands. Having made the Abacos/Exumas trip several times, and looked into the passages required to go the Virgin Islands, a seaworthy boat needs to be your foremost concern. Once you get to the Exumas and further south the power boats tend to get bigger with a 50 ft boat being on the smaller side. Although I have never been on the ocean on the boat you are looking at, on our most recent trip we saw mostly Viking Sport Cruisers, Fairline Squadrons, Tiaras, Sunseekers, Hatteras etc, boats that are generally thought of as good ocean cruisers.

On last months trip we hit rough weather a few times, when crossing the gulf stream and the deep water crossing to the Exumas and that was in July which ordinarily is one of the best weather months. You may encounter chop on the banks when it is windy, some designs tend to pound more. But the trade winds blow pretty consistently the further south you go and once you are south of the Bahamas 4 to 6 ft seas are the norm for nice days. If you have lots of time to wait for perfect weather that may help somewhat, but adventuring to the southern Bahamas and beyond requires the right boat and the right equipment.

In a boat 40 ft boat diesels are the way to go. Lower incremental cost for each trip (you will use the boat more), payback when you resell, and the close quarters handling in unfamiliar docks (with wind and current) will make life less stressful. Just stay ahead on your service routine, as diesels are much more expensive to repair.

-Rick

Viking Sport Cruiser 50 FY
"Silver Lining"
 
Been here and done this.
I wanted diesel for my size boat, but when Regal called with the deal on the gasser, it was a no brainer.
My boat is still worth more than I paid, so how can I go wrong.

As for the extra torgue, yes its there, but its the captain that docks the boat, not the engine.
You just learn to goose the engines a little when needed.
Same boat as mine is on my dock in diesel and I dock my gassers better than that one docks its diesel.

You gotta run all the #'s. If the price difference is $95K, then like someone said, put the $95K in the bank and resale goes out the window. In my opinion, if you don't do more than 100 hours a season, then your wasting your money. You wil lnever recoup fuel savings and you risk having more repairs because the diesels need to run and run hard and alot.

I do 50 hours a year, my gassers are fine for me! Very happy with them and the price I paid for them.
Yes boating is expensive, but $95K is not a # you can say, "whats another $95K"!!!
 
quote:
Originally posted by mandm1200

The cost difference of $95K will make a payback difficult. Invest that initial $95k and in 10 years a 7% it would be worth almost $200k. After 10 years a diesel powered boat will be worth $10-20k more, but can you recoup the difference?

Click to expand...


Let me know where to get the 7% for ten years and I'll send a check NOW.... :-)
 
I find it interesting that people with gas engines in 38'+ boats always use the "recoup investment" argument and yet how often do you see diesel owners in the same boats say they wish they had gas?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top