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Discover Boating offers advice on ‘Choosing the Right Engine Package.’ It’s best to do your homework and evaluate options according to the size of engine you require in accordance with your fuel delivery system.
Go Boat Engine Shopping with Online Research
Choosing the proper engine for your boat is important. If your engine doesn’t generate enough propulsion power, it will continuously provide a weak performance; however, if your engine generates too much power, you could be in danger of exceeding safe speed limits as outlined by the boat manufacturer.
According to Discover Boating, boat engines fall into these five categories:
1) 2-stroke or 4-stroke outboard motor – ranges from 1 to 350 horsepower (HP); designed for use in all water types; provides good fuel economy; runs approximately 1,500 hours before requiring servicing; available brands for purchase include Nissan, Yamaha, Mercury, and Evinrude.
2) Diesel inboard motor – ranges from 25 to 715 HP; does not produce carbon monoxide gas; inexpensive to run with a life span of approximately 40 years; available brands for purchase include Yanmar, Cummins, Mercruiser, Westerbeke, and Volvo Penta.
3) Gasoline inboard motor – ranges from 90 to 1,000 HP; quiet with low maintenance required; has minimal running cost; available brands for purchase include Marine Power, Mercury Racing, and Indmar.
4) Jet Boat & Propulsion engines – water powered with no propeller; not able to steer when power is not applied; cannot be operated in shallow water; available brands for sale include Honda, Yamaha, Mercury, and Mercruiser.
5) Stern Drive – (also known as inboard/outboard) the engine remains inside the boat while the propulsion drive is located outside; easy to steer in forward or reverse; low maintenance; available brands include Mercruiser, Ilmor, and Volvo Penta.
The appropriate engine for your boat should be determined in part by the size and weight of your boat, which includes fuel capacity, the number of passengers to be carried, along with the weight of any gear stored onboard. According to Discover Boating, when determining your required horsepower, “a good rule of thumb is to come as close as possible to the maximum horsepower that your boat is rated for.”
The last choice to make before you go find a boat engine involves the fuel delivery systems. According to Discover Boating, marine fuel systems consist of three types:
1) Direct Fuel Injection – provides great fuel economy; has low emissions with smooth idling
2) Electronic Fuel Injection – allows for great fuel economy; low emissions, plus quick throttle response and power
3) Carbureted Fuel system – low cost, not as good fuel economy as electronic or direct fuel injection; higher emissions
When you go shopping for a new boat engine, evaluating your options for both price and performance may help get your choice a little closer to the net.
Sources:
Discover Boating
Boat Safe
Tags: boat, cabureted, delivery, diesel, direct, electronic, emissions, engine, fishing, fuel, fuel economy, go, horsepower, motor, new, outboard, performance, power, size, stern drive, system, weight