Will Ranger make the 29/31 with outboards?

There are a lot of these out there.

To me, a big part of the debate is more about gas vs diesel.

More so than inboard vs outboard.

But that's just me.
 
To all those that say diesel is safer than gas...

I would agree that poured into a bilge, gas is more flammable than diesel.
Gas engines on boats that are fuel injected, have no open gas. I have a gasoline boat today and the only time I smell gasoline is when I'm filling up the gas tank or changing the fuel filter.

Older gasoline inboards which have a carburetor require a blower and adequate ventilation and a spark arrester to prevent such explosions. This seems inherently 'bad' in my opinion. My last boat had a 5.0l V8 260HP gasoline inboard (stern drive). It was fuel injected. Again, I never smelled gasoline unless I was filling the fuel tank. Fuel injected gasoline boats don't have open fumes as the gasoline is contained within the enclosed fuel system.

As far as diesel, it's not hard to find a recent fire on a boat with a diesel engine. Maybe it was electrical? Boat fires happen to diesel boats as well as gas boats.

Personally, I wouldn't want an inboard again (gas or diesel) mainly because I'm tired of working in cramp spaces. My last boat had an inboard engine (stern drive). It was $1,500 in labor to pull the entire engine out. The fuel pump was on the bottom of the engine and only accessible with the engine out of the boat. This was part of the reason why I went with an outboard. The other reason was speed.

I can cruise comfortably at 25 kts, with almost the same efficiency as a diesel boat. Sure diesel is less expensive than gas. So I pay a premium to get somewhere in 1/2 the time. Or to cover twice the distance in the same amount of engine hours.

I would also note, I see lots of folks with diesel boats who have portable gasoline generators and gasoline outboards for their dingy's. I have to assume there's a portable gasoline container onboard somewhere.

Walking through the Seattle boat show in Jan 2020, it was quite apparent that outboards, which already were popular, are even more so today. Bowriders, which used to be equipped with inboard gas engines and stern drives are now offered with an outboard instead. They're efficient, easy to work on, easier to replace.

If I were to look at a diesel inboard, I'd want something with 2,000 gallons of diesel onboard so I could get to Hawaii. For inter-coastal cruising, I prefer the outboard with a 150nm range between gas stations.

That said, I would love to see an RT-29 with twin outboards. But with RT having the RT-27 OB and the RT-29 as diesel/inboard, is a fantastic lineup. If I were them I'd leave it the same. But if they ever did come out with a RT-29 with twin outboards, I'd be interested. I just won't hold my breath and will enjoy my RT-27 OB today.
 
More motors, more fuel, more maintenance, more money, more moving parts, more electronics, more points of failure, more headaches - OUCH! Oh, and gas - yuck!

Can't imagine what it costs to fuel up and maintain this baby!

https://www.soundingsonline.com/.image/ ... g_0882.jpg
 
deasil outboards are now a thing. currently they are priced high and mainly targeted at commercial use but we could see them moving to recreational use in the coming years.
 
Submariner:

You are right about all of that.

I used to drive Jeeps. Until I grew tired of expensive bills, because nothing could be done without disassembling half the engine to get to the part in question. I last had the hemi (fun to drive 🙂) and the plugs had to be changed often, 2 per cylinder, and parts had to be removed to get to some of the plugs.

But depending on your use, the issues with diesel can be solved. Personally, I'm headed toward a cruiser that will not be trailered. East coast, I'll have a gennie for the necessary AC. With a generator I'm thinking about going with an electric galley to eliminate propane. And an electric dingy outboard since planing speeds are not my objective and that eliminates gas. High speed on the big boat is not the objective.

My mission for the boat differs from yours. Different strokes. Some long runs up and down the east coast, and over to the Bahamas and Caribbean where range matters and fuel isn't available around every corner.

One last thing: Since November fuel prices are ramping up fast. There is no way to forecast how high they will go. The expensive speed one is willing to pay for at last season's costs may become another issue at some breakpoint, for some people.

There is no such thing as a "best boat" or "best engine". Best for what, and who?

I'll take a diesel inboard, for what I am looking to do.
 
FWTMD":wil44wi1 said:
Submariner:
There is no such thing as a "best boat" or "best engine". Best for what, and who?
Click to expand...

You are exactly right. Boats are all about compromise. What's best for one, could be the worst for someone else.

I'd really like the dingy lift on my R27-OB for the convenience. But then it'd interfere with fishing, it'd take up one of my downrigger spots, I'd have to deploy the dingy to check the oil in the engine... <sigh> 😉
 
FWTMD":29h6eyk4 said:
Submariner:
I used to drive Jeeps. Until I grew tired of expensive bills, because nothing could be done without disassembling half the engine to get to the part in question. I last had the hemi (fun to drive 🙂) and the plugs had to be changed often, 2 per cylinder, and parts had to be removed to get to some of the plugs.
Click to expand...

Ha!

I've got a Chrysler 300 with the 5.7l Hemi. Spark plugs every 25,000 miles. 16 plugs. I do them myself, takes me about 2 hours. Only the back two cylinders are done virtually blindfolded due to their location, the rest are easy. My mother has a Dodge Ram, same engine, same plugs every 25,000. 16 of 'em... The truck takes me an hour longer as 4 out of the 8 cylinders are done nearly blindfolded, feet sticking up out of the engine compartment. It's not hard work, just time consuming and requires I remove a few components/interference.

Fun times... 🙂
 
GaylesFaerie":u6yumopu said:
More motors, more fuel, more maintenance, more money, more moving parts, more electronics, more points of failure, more headaches - OUCH! Oh, and gas - yuck!

Can't imagine what it costs to fuel up and maintain this baby!

https://www.soundingsonline.com/.image/ ... g_0882.jpg
Click to expand...
Have you seen the newest 600HP v12 Mercs with dual props and only the lower gearbox turning? Amazing technology at $80k a pop.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
FlyMeAway":3qc3vuh3 said:
Also, for those who say "but regular gas is cheaper than diesel!" At the gas station, maybe (depends a lot on where you live). But, except in the winter time in cold climates, the biggest part of that difference is road taxes that are put in place for trucks but do not apply to marine fuel docks. Take away the taxes, diesel is a lot less than regular in most places, especially in the summertime.
Click to expand...

I live in WA state. We have amongst the highest gasoline tax in the nation. 49.4 cents per gallon. The state constitution mandates that the gas tax be used exclusively for roads. Boats don't use roads and are thus exempt from the gas tax. But we pay the tax at every pump throughout the state, including marinas.

I keep my gasoline receipts, turn them into the state and I get a refund on the gas tax. It's not a simple calculation, (nothing with taxes is ever simple). My last gas tax expense report (as I call them) was for 499 gallons, for $150 back. (About $31 per 100 gallons of gas purchased).

Still not enough to equal what diesel costs. But more than enough to pay for several nights moorage at some really nice marina/resorts.
 
Submariner":26y43al1 said:
I live in WA state. We have amongst the highest gasoline tax in the nation. 49.4 cents per gallon. The state constitution mandates that the gas tax be used exclusively for roads. Boats don't use roads and are thus exempt from the gas tax. But we pay the tax at every pump throughout the state, including marinas.

I keep my gasoline receipts, turn them into the state and I get a refund on the gas tax. It's not a simple calculation, (nothing with taxes is ever simple). My last gas tax expense report (as I call them) was for 499 gallons, for $150 back. (About $31 per 100 gallons of gas purchased).
Click to expand...

Me too (live in WA). I don't think the calcs are all that bad.

Note that this only applies (in WA) to gas purchased at marine pumps. Marine diesel is dyed, which means it can be sold tax free. You get about 60 cents back per gallon, which usually covers about half the spread to marine diesel. It does mean that if you can buy un-dyed diesel at Costco you might be better off, but not all states let you seek a refund -- and, the paperwork!
 
S. Todd":efwjrjv6 said:
Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but if you put a POD drive on the boat I believe you just eliminated the trailering aspect in addition to giving up the protection of the keel in the event of an unfortunate encounter with something other than water. I would want to give up neither in exchange for eliminating the need to learn to drive the boat with a rudder and thrusters. I suspect there is a cost difference and a maintenance cost increase with a POD drive over the tried and true shaft drive. To me, the cost of a Sharrow propeller would be a better investment.
Click to expand...
My thought exactly S.Todd. I have seen first hand how the keel protects the prop and with a POD may have sheered it off or at least damage the prop.
 
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