As every cruiser knows, your engine might not be the heart of your boat, but it’s definitely the lifeline. That’s especially true when the wind dies or you need to punch through a tricky inlet.

With fall haul-out season approaching, it’s a good time to revisit the basics of diesel engine care: clean fuel, proper lubrication and smart layup strategies that help prevent problems offshore or dockside.  

To dig into some of the most common questions sailors have about fuel and oil systems, Cruising World spoke with Bill McDonald, a longtime pro angler and Lucas Oil ambassador whose marine experience extends to fishing and cruising vessels. From stabilizing fuel to catching wear issues early, here’s what he recommends for keeping your engine healthy, whether the boat is on passage or on the hard.

CW: Contaminants in diesel fuel and engine oil are a constant concern aboard cruising boats. What practical steps can sailors take to minimize contamination, and what role can additives play?

BM: Fuel contamination is one of the most common culprits behind engine problems offshore. Regular maintenance—changing fuel filters, draining water separators and keeping tanks full to minimize condensation—is your first line of defense. Additives designed for marine fuel systems can help disperse water, clean injectors and reduce buildup over time. I’ve used Lucas Marine Fuel Treatment for years in both gas and diesel engines. It’s made a noticeable difference in how clean my injectors stay. In the crankcase, oil stabilizers can provide an extra layer of protection by improving lubricity and reducing wear, which is especially useful when cruising far from shore-based repair options.

CW: Marine engines often sit idle for long periods. How can sailors preserve fuel and oil health during layups or long crossings?

BM: Fuel starts degrading the moment it’s stored. Using a stabilizer when you fill your tanks—ideally just before a long idle period—can help prevent oxidation and gumming. Once it’s added, run the engine briefly so the treated fuel circulates fully through the system. The same idea applies to oil stabilizers: Adding them before a layup helps coat internal components and protect against corrosion and dry starts when it’s time to fire up again.

CW: For sailors using ultra-low-sulfur diesel, what’s the risk of reduced lubricity, and how can that be addressed?

BM: ULSD lacks the lubricating properties of older diesel fuels, a characteristic that can lead to premature wear in injectors and pumps. Many cruisers now use upper-cylinder lubricants or fuel conditioners that restore some of that lost protection. They often include detergents too, which can be helpful for keeping older systems clean.

CW: Why is it important to use marine-specific lubricants instead of automotive products?

BM: Marine engines operate under tougher conditions: long hours at high rpm, and exposure to moisture and salt. Marine-grade oils are formulated to resist corrosion and foaming, and to maintain their properties under heavy load. Using automotive oil may not provide the protection your engine needs in these conditions. 

CW: When should sailors consider using oil additives, and what are the signs that it might help?

BM: Additives shouldn’t be used to mask a real issue, but they can help reduce wear, lower operating temperatures and extend engine life, especially in older engines. If your engine feels sluggish, runs rough or is harder to start than usual, it may be worth looking into oil treatment as part of a broader diagnostic and maintenance approach. 

CW: What’s your advice for diagnosing fuel system issues at sea, and how can sailors prepare?

BM: If your engine starts stumbling or loses power, it’s often a fuel problem: clogged filters, moisture or dirty fuel. Prevention is key. Treat fuel consistently, carry spare filters, and know how to change them underway. Having the right tools and basic familiarity with your fuel system goes a long way. 

CW: Some sailors still encounter ethanol-blended gasoline when fueling dinghy outboards or generators. What’s the risk, and how can it be managed? 

BM: Ethanol absorbs water and can lead to corrosion, phase separation, and damage to seals and hoses in small engines. If you can’t avoid ethanol-blended gas, then use a conditioner designed to counteract those effects. It’s a simple step that can prevent a lot of headaches, especially when fueling at unfamiliar docks.

CW: Do you have any advice for boats operating in tropical or high-humidity environments where corrosion is accelerated?

BM: Salt air and humidity are relentless. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water after outings, check electrical terminals for corrosion, and use anti-corrosion sprays where needed. Good airflow in the engine room or lazarette can also help reduce trapped moisture. Regular inspection is the best prevention.

CW: With more cruisers doing their own oil analysis, what should they be looking for? And can additives affect the results?

BM: Watch for signs like elevated wear metals, thinning viscosity or contamination. Additives can help reduce wear particles and maintain viscosity, especially under load. When I started adding Lucas Oil Stabilizer to my maintenance routine, I saw a drop in wear metals on my reports. But if analysis shows recurring problems, that’s your cue to adjust service intervals or investigate further.

CW: How often should fuel and oil systems be treated during extended cruising, and how does usage affect your maintenance schedule?

BM: Your maintenance rhythm should match your usage. Liveaboards and long-range cruisers may need to treat fuel and change oil every few hundred hours; seasonal sailors might only do this once or twice a year. What matters most is consistency and prepping properly before layup. If you’re using additives, follow the recommended ratios and make sure they’re mixed thoroughly and circulated through the system.

Our final takeaway? Marine engine health is about more than just oil changes. A full-system approach includes clean fuel, good airflow, and protection from corrosion and wear. Additives can help extend engine life, but only when they’re used alongside routine maintenance and thoughtful operation. 

It’s work, yes. But when the wind dies, you’ll be glad you put in the time.

The post Extend Your Marine Engine Life With These Tips appeared first on Cruising World.

For sailors who are thinking about making the move to power, traditional styling is often a must-have quality in a new boat. The Hood 42 LM fits that description perfectly, with wood construction and styling by a design firm that has long been synonymous with the best of New England cruising.

The Hood 42 LM is a flybridge cruiser that marks the third in a series collaboration between Maine’s Lyman-Morse shipyard and C.W. Hood Yachts, which is based in Marblehead, Massachusetts. (The previous two models they collaborated on were the Hood 57 LM and the Hood 35 LM.)

“The Hood 42 LM is drop-dead gorgeous, bringing to life a timeless elegance, inspired by C.W. Hood’s classic Wasque powerboats,” according to the team at Lyman-Morse. “However, while the Hood 42 LM may evoke a Golden Age of Yachting on the outside, under the waterline she sports a modern hull shape, optimized for comfort and performance, and she’s constructed with the latest in materials and boatbuilding techniques.”

The layout includes a lower cabin with an owner’s stateroom, enclosed shower and head, and stowage for long weekends on the hook. The main deck has a single-level open living and entertaining space that combines the lower helm, galley and salon. Lyman-Morse describes this space as being open, airy and full of natural light and ventilation, with power windows, a galley to port, and a settee and table to starboard.

Up on the flybridge, there are reportedly 360-degree sightlines. Power for the Hood 42 LM comes from twin Volvo DPS drives that Lyman-Morse says provide a comfortable cruise in the mid-30-knot range. Top speed is listed as 39 knots for days when a squall is moving in and owners need to hustle back to their homeport.

Lyman-Morse builds the Hood 42 LM in cold-molded wood composite, using a combination of Douglas fir and western red cedar as the hull material. Key specs include a length overall of 42 feet; a length at the waterline of 38 feet, 8 inches; a beam of 13 feet; a draft of 3 feet, 4 inches; and a displacement of about 21,000 pounds fully loaded.

When will Lyman-Morse start construction on Hull No. 1 of the Hood 42 LM? It’s already happening as you read this. The first Hood 42 LM is being built now at the Lyman-Morse yard in Thomaston, Maine.

Where to learn more: click over to lymanmorse.com.

The post Thinking of a Shift to Power? appeared first on Cruising World.

Man, look at those guys on a full beam reach,” Parker mused. “What a perfect day to sail!” He was right. The sailboats on this leg from Anegada to Jost Van Dyke in the British Virgin Islands were fully heeled and solidly outgunning our pace aboard a similarly sized power catamaran. The sun was shining, and puffy cumulus clouds punctuated a deep blue sky hanging over green hills and rolling surf as far as the eye could see.

Our twin screws pushed us through the playground of billionaires and millionaires, Parrotheads and newlyweds, people escaping the law, and people like us escaping the grind. The British Virgin Islands as a name even sounds enticing. It’s a place where sunsets are a sweet, powerful kiss goodnight, and sunrises are a warm, orange embrace from Mother Earth. It’s a place we can run barefoot in the sand, drink piña coladas whenever we please, and safely swing our bow in whichever direction looks most agreeable.

On that day, it was toward Jost Van Dyke, the nautical day-drinker’s magnetic north. The icons on our weather app seemed stuck on repeat, forecasting sun and salty breezes that both warmed and cooled us simultaneously, and made our crew thirst for yet another cold Carib beer.

Parker orchestrated our ­counterclockwise circumnavigation of paradise. He not only plotted our trip and assembled the novice crew, but he also looked right at home at the helm. Accompanying him on the flybridge were his wife, Karen, and bubbly friend Milka, who kept Parker’s ego in check by lobbing continuous, well-humored insults his way.

Before leaving the MarineMax Vacations charter base in Tortola four days earlier, Parker’s official captain’s meeting ­discussing our departure went something to the effect of: “No one talk. Only Matt talks. Watch your corner, and make sure we don’t hit anything. Let’s go.” Matt is Milka’s husband, pressed into service as our chief blender operator and my counterpart in buoy wrangling. The most harrowing part of our entire trip would be leaving the tightly packed base in an ­unfamiliar ­monster of a boat, though Parker made it look easy. He, of course, declined assistance from the lovely local staff, as any proper mouth-breathing, knuckle-dragging man would.

On a whim, we diverted from our heading to Jost, the longest run of our week, for a brief stop at Sandy Spit. The deserted, heart-shaped sandbar is so idyllic, you’d swear it was Photoshopped into the landscape. From there we motored into Jost Van Dyke’s White Bay, where swimsuit-clad tourists dotted the shoreline, fronted by a string of some of the most famous beach bars in the Caribbean. Among them, Seddy’s One Love, Ivan’s Stress-Free Bar and, of course, the Soggy Dollar, where wet dollars from swim-up patrons have been the most widely accepted form of currency for decades.

Sitting under a row of newly planted palm trees, we’d reached a point in our trip where time was better measured by Painkiller intake than a watch. Around three-Killer o’clock, Parker happened to notice that many of the other bareboats had cut and run for the protected night anchorage of Great Harbour. We followed suit and spent the evening on the bow, watching shooting stars. The next morning, Matt and Milka kayaked into the sleepy village for a selection of breakfast pastries from Christine’s Bakery before we untied and dropped the mooring ball.

We chose to charter this MarineMax Aquila 443 power cat so we wouldn’t be at the mercy of the wind, even though the island nation is widely regarded for its steady breezes. Though some of us had flirted with sailing, we were all more comfortable with throttles and wheels at our fingertips in lieu of sheets and winches. With twin Volvo Pentas to push us through any headwinds—or lack thereof—and a spacious three-cabin interior, we knew we’d be predictably fast and comfortable. The thought of air conditioning didn’t hurt either.

On our first night in the BVI, we were pleasantly surprised to find the week’s provisions already delivered. A free service with an easily met minimum order, it required some advance online planning but saved a lot of hassle on our departure morning. At go time, a personalized onboard orientation of the cat included essential information we’d need for the week ahead. My biggest takeaways—which way to point the bow in the event of fire, and how to work the head—remain prized additions to my boating knowledge.

Once Parker, Matt and I took turns stumbling through the Raymarine Hybrid Touch chart plotter, our trip’s first waypoint was locked on Virgin Gorda. The plan was to overnight in Spanish Town, celebrate with dinner at a chic beachfront restaurant, CocoMaya, and turn in early. That would tee us up to grab a coveted mooring ball at the Baths—the stunning rock formations that are the country’s most recognizable natural wonder—at daybreak.

In the morning, I was awake in time to see the boutique cruise ship Club Med 2 drop anchor as we passed, threatening to inundate the Baths’ intimate beachfront grottoes with a crush of tourists. Parker hustled us to pack dry bags and swim ashore so we could enjoy the morning calm. As we exited the trail through the boulders at Devil’s Bay, completely in awe, we intersected with our first tour group. Our signal to turn back, we ate lunch overlooking the giant granite stones before motoring to Leverick Bay, where we’d be within reach of Anegada the next day.

“Drive on the left. Keep it under 30. We have wild cows, wild sheep, wild donkeys and wild people. They all roam freely,” said Lawrence Wheatley, owner of Anegada Beach Club, as he handed us the keys to the five-seater Suzuki we’d use to explore the backroads of Anegada. “I’m born and raised in Anegada, and I’ve snorkeled every inch of this beach,” he continued, directing us to his favorite spot in Loblolly Bay.

Many of the experienced skippers we’d encountered gushed about Anegada despite its flat, featureless figure and surrounding fortress of ship-smashing reef. As we passed deserted white beaches, with water in various hues of electric blue, we started to understand.

Our search for a lobster lunch from the surrounding reef led us to Big Bamboo, a restaurant and bar fronting the 10-mile ribbon of sand where Lawrence had pointed. We swung in chairs suspended from massive sea-grape trees while waiting for the succulent lobster to grill. Anegada, indeed, lived up to its low-key reputation.

I’m taking a break from responsibility today,” Parker announced on the flybridge. “You and Matt get us out of Jost and over to Norman.” Ready to get some time at the helm, Matt and I took turns navigating and steering between Tortola’s West End and Great Thatch Island, pulling up outside Norman Island.

It’s here we found the best snorkeling of the week, exploring submerged caves and thick schools of blue tangs. We took a break to move to our overnight mooring within the Bight, a large and protected anchorage encircled by uninhabited island. “It’s pretty easy, isn’t it?” Parker asked, referring to the precise control dual engines gave our big rig as we pulled in.

We opened the galley to the aft deck, unfolded the backsplash, and ponied up to the bar (ah, an ingenious touch). Matt and Milka blended some icy piña coladas, and with a slight buzz, Parker and Karen took the paddleboard as a mothership for a long snorkel along the rim of the harbor. As the sun sank low, we all hiked up the spine of the island, watching its last rays shoot across St. John.

Morning light was soft on the Indians, four pinnacles of rock just outside the Bight that break the surface like icebergs, with more below than above. Karen led our most epic snorkel yet along a vibrant reef teeming with sergeant majors, parrotfish, blue tangs and varied corals. We spent hours exploring the formations.

Before returning to the base at Nanny Cay, we sought out one final must-do: a visit to the William Thornton Floating Bar & Restaurant, known universally as the Willy T. It’s a renowned dive bar of indiscretion—and infamous in BVI lore. In deadpan, I overheard the bartender ask a patron if he’d like crushed Viagra sprinkled atop his drink. There was a moment of awkward silence.

“When I was younger, all I saw was fun here. Now at age 55, all I see is liability. And I think about my daughter,” joked Rick Schott of Charlotte, North Carolina, who sipped a drink next to me at the stern bar. Two patrons plunged to the water from the upper deck. It was too early for them to be naked.

At two-Killer o’clock, the need to return the Aquila power cat was greater than the desire to do things we’d later regret. We headed for the base. With a gusty wind chopping up the marina entrance, Parker made his best call of the trip, and had a crewmember dinghy out to steer us home.

We ended our adventure at the mercy of the very wind we sought to control, but were happy that the friendly help at the base kept the week worry-free. We ribbed Parker all the way in for leaving hatches open in the rain and always forgetting to leave a light on, but we were glad he was always the consummate skipper and responsible for remembering such things.

Zach Stovall is a photographer and freelance writer based in Florida.

BVI Power Charters

• Conch Charters: 800-521-8939
• Dream Yacht Charter: 855-208-7567
• Horizon Yacht Charters: 877-494-8787
• MarineMax Vacations: 813-644-8071
• The Moorings: 866-596-3459
• TMM Yacht Charters: 800-633-0155
• Virgin Charter Yachts: 284-495-2526

The post Power Cruising in Paradise appeared first on Cruising World.

It’s the end of another sailing season, and as you haul the boat and begin its winter layup, you have reminders aplenty that the 30-year-old auxiliary engine is getting tired. The intermittent no-start condition, oil and coolant leaks, and excessive smelly exhaust smoke are finally getting to you. As you prepare to change the oil and run some antifreeze through the block, it occurs to you that it might be time for an upgrade. What should you consider? What are your choices? What are the pitfalls? Follow along and we’ll set you straight.

First off, if your sailboat’s auxiliary engine is truly approaching its third decade (or older), you need to understand that there may be significant components besides the engine that are probably going to need replacement. Things like the exhaust system, primary engine wiring harness, instrumentation, engine- and transmission-control cables, fuel tanks, transmission, shaft, cutlass bearing and prop are all suspect and need to be carefully evaluated. When looking at your options, be sure to factor all these additional items into your budget projection. Your new engine is just a part of the big picture.

Need More Power?

Back in the 1970s and ’80s, a lot of new sailboats were produced with engines that, frankly, were a bit underpowered. I know; I owned one. It was fine until I hit a head-on current in a narrow channel; I clearly remember moving along at a half-knot under full power. This scenario repeated itself all too frequently in some of the other New England waters I cruised regularly. More get-up-and-go would have been greatly appreciated.

So if you’ve experienced similar frustration, now is the time to consider more horsepower. How much is enough? You’ll need to do a bit of research to determine the best possible choice.

Consider that a sailboat is just like an airplane that stays at sea level. Power-to-weight ratios do matter: The heavier the plane’s engines, the more thrust it needs to gain altitude. The whole idea is to find the ideal balance. Simply replacing your 25- or 30-horsepower auxiliary engine with a 75-horsepower turbocharged model might sound good, but there’s more to consider than pure muscle.

First off, the 75-horsepower engine might simply be too heavy for your boat. Next, since most cruising sailboats have displacement hulls, things like waterline length and actual weight count considerably, just as they do for airplanes. With a full-displacement hull form, you can squeeze only so much speed out of that waterline length. Adding more horsepower represents a significant economic waste.

RELATED: Monthly Maintenance: Getting Back Aboard

Besides weight, physical dimensions are of paramount importance. Is it possible to get a motor-mount configuration that will work with your choice of marine diesel engine and the existing engine bed in the boat? What about service-point access? The water-pump impeller might appear to be easily replaceable on your new engine when you look at it at the boat show, but what about when it’s been bolted into place? There’s nothing worse than an engine part you simply can’t reach when you need to in a hurry. And will your engine-room space require additional modifications to fit a new muffler, filter location, shaft coupler, etc.?

Remember that marine diesel engines require a considerable amount of fresh air to run properly. Especially if you plan to increase horsepower, you may need to add engine-room ventilation to keep that new power plant from suffocating.

Common-Rail Marine Diesel Engines

In recent years here in the States, officials at the Environmental Protection Agency, along with their counter­parts in Europe, have been working hard to create regulations that do two things: clean up diesel fuel by reducing sulfur content significantly, and eliminate emissions from the diesel combustion process.

EPA mandates now require what are described as “Tier 3” emissions standards for boats sold in the U.S., regardless of where they are made. The effect of this became evident this past fall, when I was one of the judges for Cruising World’s Boat of the Year competition. Of the 24 boats we tested and compared, half were equipped with electronically controlled “common-rail” super-high-pressure fuel-­injection systems. The new diesels use a common chamber that is often, but not always, integrated into the engine’s cylinder head, and which holds fuel for all the cylinders in the engine. The fuel is pressurized by a pump that operates at much higher pounds-per-square-inch than those used in older systems, which sent fuel from the fuel pump directly to individual fuel injectors at each cylinder.

In older marine diesel engines, fuel pressure typically ranged from a low of about 1,500 psi to close to 4,000 psi. In these systems, the injectors opened when fuel was compressed to what is referred to as the injector “pop” pressure.

In common-rail diesel engines, injectors are still used, but the pressure in the rail chamber is on the order of 15,000 psi to 20,000 psi. Injectors, meanwhile, are controlled by electronic solenoid valves, whose opening and closing time is controlled by an onboard CPU that adjusts the duration of each burst of fuel based on data inputs like temperature, engine load and rpm.

Here’s the good news: You’ll never have to bleed air out of these systems, as they are completely self-bleeding. With older marine diesels, bleeding was a fairly common task required after fuel-filter changes or running out of fuel. This problem is simply eliminated with the common rail. All that’s needed is to crank the engine, and the high-pressure pump will take care of the rest. Now here’s the bad news: The biggest fear with these engines is a problem with the onboard electronics. Rather than carrying spare fuel injectors, long-distance cruisers may now want to carry spare injectors and a spare engine-control CPU.

The hope, of course, is that the reliability of the engines will negate the need for fuel-system maintenance; routine fuel- and oil-filter changes can still be done by the owner. Problems will arise, though, when an engine doesn’t perform as it should. These are complex machines, and without the proper skills and equipment (diagnostic computers and the ability to read error codes), a boat owner probably won’t find a way to sort things out as he might have with a traditional marine diesel.

The Kiwi delivery skipper was aboard one of the boats I boarded during the boat show in Annapolis. It was a multihull, powered by a pair of common-rail diesels, and I asked the obvious question: How have these engines been, in your experience? His answer was telling. He said he was glad to have two engines on these catamarans because usually one of the two will have problems during the delivery — problems that he can’t solve. If you’re contemplating a voyage on a single-engine monohull, you would probably find that response unnerving, to say the least.

Rebuild or Replace the Auxiliary Engine?

As I stated earlier, the simple solution to your power needs may not be to replace the 25-horsepower with the beefy 75-horsepower motor. Depending on your boat and circumstances, you may still be able to get a currently compliant (EPA-wise) engine in the lower-horsepower range that still uses older technology. The dividing line at present is found at about 50 horsepower, depending on the manufacturer.

If you think you need more than that, you’re probably going to end up with an electronically controlled diesel engine with all the fixings — and a major series of modifications to your old boat will be needed to make the change.

If that’s the case, the possibility of rebuilding your existing sailboat auxiliary engine may make better economic sense, but only if the circumstances allow it. If you are merely trying to get a boat refreshed for resale within a year or so, the overhaul of your existing engine makes some sense. A rebuild typically will save several thousand dollars, compared with a full-on replacement. But you’ll only be able to enjoy a very limited warranty on the work, compared with the two- to five-year peace of mind that comes with a new marine diesel’s warranty. Further, realize that as the engine ages, parts become increasingly difficult to find; next time a repair becomes necessary, it may be impossible. If you’re planning on keeping the boat, in my view, a repower is the only intelligent solution.

Marine Diesel Engine Comparison

A search for sailboat auxiliary diesels yields results that would indicate there are really only seven brands: Yanmar, Volvo Penta, Beta, Westerbeke, Perkins, Vetus and Nanni, with Yanmar and Volvo Penta maintaining significant market share. Of the 24 sailboats in our BOTY mix this year, 11 were powered with Yanmars and 10 with Volvo Pentas. We had one boat with twin 20-horsepower Honda outboards, one with twin Nanni diesels, and one sailboat with an electric drive. You’ll probably read in online forums that most marine diesels are made by either Kubota or Mitsubishi, but that’s not quite accurate.

Yanmar produces all of its engines, and Volvo Penta manufactures its larger ones in-house. Smaller Volvos are produced by Perkins and given a Volvo-green paint job. Understand that Perkins uses the Kubota diesel as its base engine and then marinizes it to its own specifications. Perkins, which is a subsidiary of Caterpillar, is based in the United Kingdom, but also has some distribution here in the United States.

Nanni, a French company, uses Kubota, Man, Toyota and John Deere engines as its bases, depending on the horsepower. Vetus, with very limited U.S. exposure, has used Kubota, Mitsubishi and other base engines over the years. I can remember vividly a customer of mine years ago with a Vetus that used a four-cylinder Peugeot diesel as its base.

The bottom line today is that the volume of engines produced for the marine industry is quite small by industrial standards. Globalization has made it easy for manufacturers to source base engines for marine use that might also be used in tractors, generators and other relatively small machinery in both on- and off-road applications. With that in mind, it pays to check out the dealer and distributor network from both a regional and international perspective before you make a final choice. Beta, for example, has a significant dealer and parts network here in the U.S., so if you plan on cruising locally, parts and repairs should be easy enough to find. Beta, Yanmar, Volvo Penta and Westerbeke also offer a variety of engine-mount options to accommodate the various footprints that installers may encounter.

By comparison, if you opt to go with a Nanni, here in the States at least, repairs might not be that simple. I needed no less than 30 minutes and three phone calls to the Florida distributor to find out what the U.S. warranty covers. I still don’t know. I found the Australian distributor’s website, which mentions a two-year “plus one” guarantee, but the definition of “plus one” wouldn’t upload. On sailing forums, I found quite a few folks who complained about hard-to-find and expensive parts. It seems when Nanni marinizes, say, a Kubota engine, things like air-intake filters and other common service items are proprietary, and so replacements can’t necessarily be purchased at the local Kubota tractor dealer on some remote out island. Since the company is based in Europe, service and parts may be more available there.

For those who use their boats only occasionally and close to home waters, service and parts availability may not be a big enough issue to outweigh other considerations, such as cost. But if long-distance cruising is in your plans, it pays to carefully assess service and parts availability from a global perspective.

As for your modern electronic common-rail diesel engine, if that’s the way you must go, at the very least, stick with one of the two major manufacturers, Volvo Penta or Yanmar — and even then, good luck if you get hit by lightning halfway to Tonga. You’ll be hard pressed to find a service technician in a timely fashion, so carrying spare electronic components should be a serious consideration.

And a final note: For those of you who are on the last go-round with the venerable Universal Atomic Four gasoline engine, it’s time to switch to a diesel, if for no other reason than the continued availability of parts. If you want to stick with the Universal brand, give Westerbeke a call; the company still supplies two Universal engine models — the M3-20 B and the M-25 XPB — that are bolt-in replacements for the gas units. By the way, these are both Kubota-based engines.

Ed Sherman is the vice president of the American Boat & Yacht Council and heads its education division. He is a frequent CW Boat of the Year judge.

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