Engine Room

Mercury Marine’s New Multifunction Display Keeps Track of All Four Engines, Plus Much More

By Peter Janssen on October 24, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Now you can have all the immediate information you need – data measuring 30 different parameters – to keep your boat and all four of your engines running happily, thanks to Mercury Marine’s new VesselView 903 display, the company’s largest and most advanced multifunction display yet. And yes, its bright, high-def glass touchscreen displays information simultaneously for up to four engines, if you have that many. “Our next generation VesselView technology allows boaters the ability to simultaneously display information for up to four engines at a time in an easy-to-use-touch-screen interface,” said Zachary Savage, Mercury Marine’s VesselView Program Manager. The…

Yanmar Launches World’s Smallest New Dtorque 50-hp Turbo Diesel Outboard

By Peter Janssen on October 3, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room

The trend toward diesel-powered outboard engines just got stronger, as Yanmar Marine joined forces with Neander Shark, a German manufacturer, for global distribution of the new Dtorque 111 twin-cylinder, 50-hp turbo diesel outboard. Yanmar says this is the world’s smallest diesel outboard with common-rail fuel injection, providing class-leading range, fuel efficiency, exhaust emissions and noise levels. The new compact outboard has an engine life of at least 10,000 hours, according to the company, more than double the lifespan of a comparable gas outboard. The diesel is smooth and quiet, delivering 50-hp at the prop with a torque output of 111…

Volvo Breaks 1,000-hp Barrier with New 13-Litre Engine

By Peter Janssen on August 3, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room

Volvo Penta just introduced a new 1,000 hp-engine, its largest ever, at the boat show in Sydney, Australia. The company says the new 13-litre diesel has both higher performance and a longer life than any of its previous engines. The new inboard, and its equivalent from Volvo’s IPS range, the D13-IPS1350, have been designed for use in yachts up to 120 feet, although the IPS version was tested in a 68-footer. “This is hugely exciting for us to create our most powerful engine yet,” said Johan Wasterang, VP for product management at Volvo Penta. “It’s truly a landmark product for…

Coast Guard Tests Diesel Outboards on Small Boats. Is a Diesel Outboard in Your Future?

By Peter Janssen on June 19, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room

In a move that could make your cruising life easier, the Coast Guard is testing diesel-powered outboards on some of its Fast Rescue Boats. If the tests are successful, and more diesel outboards move to the recreational boat market, it could mean that you wouldn’t have to carry separate gas on board for your RIB or dink if you have a diesel-powered cruising boat. It’s also possible that diesel outboards will become more popular as the primary engine(s) on larger recreational boats. The Coast Guard test involves 175-hp Mercury Optimax outboards, as well as 200- and 300-hp units, and will…

Keep Your Crew Happy: Soundproof Your Boat

By Peter Janssen on June 14, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room, Gear, Maintenance

Ask any builder of modern cruising boats, and they’ll readily confirm that sound levels are extremely important to their owners and potential buyers. Not only at the helm and salon, but also even in the staterooms, particularly since many master staterooms now are located midships, just forward of the engine room. A noisy boat with a lot of decibels coming from the engine or the generator (or both) can make for an uncomfortable cruise; it makes talking difficult at best, and it can lead to a headache and a longing to return to the peace and quiet of home back…

Problems with Your Diesel? Here’s a Great Guide on How To Diagnose and Fix Them

By Peter Janssen on May 23, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room, Maintenance

Do you know what to do if your diesel exhaust suddenly turns grey? Or the engine loses power? Or overheats? Even if you do, here’s one of the best and most thorough stories I’ve seen about how to diagnose and fix most problems with a diesel engine. It’s great as a primer, if you’re new to diesels, and as a refresher, if you’re an old hand. And it covers all the bases, including how to bleed air from the injectors, drain a filter, and change an impeller. The graphics are clear and easy to understand. Take a look: http://www.yachtingmonthly.com/sailing-skills/diagnose-and-fix-marine-diesel-engine-problems-29940

How to Bleed Your Diesel Engine: A Simple Guide

By Peter Janssen on May 1, 2017 Engine Room

There are many reasons why you might need to bleed your diesel engine, and few of them are good: You’ve run out of fuel, the fuel filters are clogged with dirty fuel, you’ve had to replace a secondary filter. If bleed you must, and sooner or later, unless you have a new high-tech common rail engine, you’ll probably need to get the air out of the system manually sooner or later. Take a look at this fast guide and then practice bleeding your diesel while you’re still at the dock, so you have this drill down perfectly. It will be…

How To Clean a Sea Strainer: A Fast, Easy Video

By Peter Janssen on April 18, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room, Maintenance

Cleaning a sea strainer (or strainers, if you have two engines) isn’t brain surgery, but it is vital to the operation of your boat. A clogged strainer will ruin a cruise, or even a short outing away from the dock, in a real hurry. Make sure you know how to check and clean your strainer. It’s not hard, but here’s a good introduction if you’ve never done it before, or a fast refresher if you have. (And remember to close and then re-open the sea cock.) Take a look here: https://www.facebook.com/BoatUS/videos/vb.127893933900510/1136420499714510/?type=2&theater

Spring Cleaning for Your Engine Room: What You Need To Do

By Peter Janssen on April 4, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room

A clean engine room is a dead giveaway about the owner’s care of his boat; it’s evidence that he does care, that he knows what he’s doing, that he plans ahead and takes care of things before they need taking care of. The converse: A dirty engine room is, well, simply not part of a boat you want any part of. Aside from all that (and my ungrammatical sentences), a clean engine room not only will help in keeping your boat running, but it also will preserve (and possibly enhance) the overall value of the boat. It certainly will boost…

Volvo Launches New Joystick for Twin Inboard Boats with Shafts, Wins Innovation Award

By Peter Janssen on February 6, 2017 Cruising Life, Engine Room

We all know about Volvo’s revolutionary IPS pod drives, and how they make docking and controlling a boat easy, and actually fun. But now Volvo is going one step further, introducing its new Volvo Penta Joystick for Inboard system, also controlled by a joystick, that makes docking and boat control just as easy for conventional twin shaft-driven inboard boats. The Joystick for Inboards is indeed new and different: It just won a prestigious Innovation Award at the Miami International Boat Show. The new system has the first joystick for twin inboard shaft installations with integrated rudder, engine and bow thruster…

Browsing: Engine Room