Atkin inboard utility, diesel

[Anthony Z]

I really enjoy sifting through the Atkin catalogue, especially the inboard utilities. What considerations would have to be made to fit a diesel of comparable horsepower to Atkin's design in one of these designs (say, 'utility')? What performance ramifications would there be?

http://www.atkinboatplans.com/Utilities/Utility.html

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[Breakaway]

A modern engine of either type may be lighter than the equivalent was in Atkins's day. You may need to add some ballast. It depends.

As for installing diesel versus gas, you can probably downsize in hp by 25-30-percent and achieve similar performance. Diesel's greater torque will allow for spinning a bigger prop ( make sure there is enough aperture). So if a 30-hp gas engine is called for, a 20 or so diesel should deliver roughly equivalent performance.

Kevin

Kevin

[Anthony Z]

Thanks Kevin. I did a ROM analysis on more specific example: 'wakeful' is specified with a max 40hp plant turning at 2000 rpm, and weighs 520lb. A beta 38 makes 38 at 3600 rpm, and weighs just 375lb. If there's room for a larger prop, this seems like a compelling possibility to me.

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