Engine

What you need to know about fuel-polishing systems for your boat

By Eric Colby | Posted February 2012

A fuel-polishing system heads off clogs before they slow you down...

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Auxiliary Propulsion Unit

By Eric Colby | Posted December 2011

Finally retired, you’re on a weeklong cruise aboard your trawler, just you and your wife. Suddenly your only engine quits, and you can’t restart it. Your peaceful...

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Walker Engineering

By Capt. Patrick S... | Posted April 2010

Walker Engineering has been making diesels breathe better for more than two decades.I used to crew on a 43-foot sportfisherman that was powered with twin 625-hp Detroit Diesel 6V-...

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Back to Basics

By Capt. Grant Rafter Photos by Jeffe... | Posted October 2009

Fort Lauderdale's International Yacht Training offers a true hands-on dieselengine course with small class sizes.Instructor Hartley MacDonald lectures to his students during an in...

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Jabsco Oil Changer

By Capt. Bill Pike | Posted August 2009

When my buddy Bruce said he had a like-new Jabsco Porta Quick oil changer he’d give me for free, I was happy. When I discovered the unit sells for $209.99, I was ecstatic.The...

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How to Break in a New Inboard Diesel

By | Posted April 2009

I’ve just purchased a new diesel inboard. What’s the best way to break it in without damaging it? -- Walt ReidMost manufacturers list procedures for break-ins in their...

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Separation Anxiety

By | Posted January 2009

Ever find yourself wondering if the fuel you're taking on is of good quality, or whether it might be contaminated by dirt, water, rust, or worse? Well, you should, especially if...

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Encounters With Ethanol

By Capt. Patrick S... | Posted December 2008

In 2003 several states switched their on-the-water gasoline from the traditional methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) blend to one containing ten-percent ethanol, called E10....

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Here Comes the Sun

By Mike Smith | Posted December 2008

If you're reading this magazine, chances are you're not a tree-hugger: You burn lots of fossil fuel to push your boat at high speed through a relatively unyielding...

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PROS and CON-verters

By Jeffrey O'Neil | Posted December 2008

The most controversial component of the decade eliminates the emissions from your boat's engine and hopefully not the money from your pocket. The Environmental...

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Oil Be Seeing You

By Mike Smith | Posted April 2008

You don't know what quiet means until your diesel goes "clunk" and dies—silence may be golden, but it rarely bodes well. "Clunk" is what a snapping crankshaft sounds like,...

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The Lowdown On Lubricants

By Catherine Pearson | Posted March 2008

Pessimists have been known to argue that engines are nothing more than constantly degrading machines. It's a somewhat depressing characterization to be sure, but it's also a...

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Magical Mystery Tour

By Capt. Bill Pike | Posted December 2007

The way the average marine transmission accomplishes the mission is "Way more complicated."Okay, my education concerning things mechanical has not been formal. Indeed, you might...

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