BioDieselNow - Renewable biodiesel fuel

Anyone running biodiesel in a boat?  Just wondering if the slight loss of power associated with high ratio biodiesel fuel would be even more noticeable in a boat.  Typically boat engines are under more stress than car engines.  Just wondering how that pans out in the real world.

- Glen

I am just getting into this and have plans to run it in my boat. I will post my resaults with in a year, sorry but I'm going to try it on a throwaway motor first..

Not sure it real life boatings as you guys are thinking about it ... but so far biodiesel is running pretty good in Earthrace. (in San Diego tonight -- May 16, 2008 -- on a record atempt around the world)

I don't know about BD in boats. Its one thing to have a fuel problem in a vehicle is one thing, but a boat could be quite dangerous depending on the circumstances.

 Rich question for you on a simular angle. Would you get in a C-172 fueled with BD and take a ride?

Why would there be a concern about a boat motor which in a general sense has a less complicated fuel deliver system than say my '01 CTD which has been running B100 for over four years.

Where I live, SF Bay, I know of boats running anywhere from B20 to B100.

dereckbc:

 Rich question for you on a simular angle. Would you get in a C-172 fueled with BD and take a ride?

I might give this one a try  but probably only in the pattern until someone figures out how to keep B100 from gelling ... but I get your point Dereck.  I don't see boats (the larger ones often with twin engines) nearly as critical as a single engine airplanes ... besides the power-plants used in marine applications generally are among the most durable diesels around.

I particularly fond of biodiesel as a fuel choice on sailboats.  

raften:

Why would there be a concern about a boat motor which in a general sense has a less complicated fuel deliver system than say my '01 CTD which has been running B100 for over four years.

Where I live, SF Bay, I know of boats running anywhere from B20 to B100.

I don't know that there is, it was more of a question in my mind.

Rich:

I might give this one a try  but probably only in the pattern until someone figures out how to keep B100 from gelling ... but I get your point Dereck.  I don't see boats (the larger ones often with twin engines) nearly as critical as a single engine airplanes ... besides the power-plants used in marine applications generally are among the most durable diesels around.

Rich I knew you would get my point, and also knew you either owned or certlified to fly 172S. We chatted once about it because I am a pilot and plane owner, well share owner.

If they made a AV grade BD with something like a JP8 rating I would do it, otherwise no way. The thought of the engine stalling over the threshold on take off sends chills down my yellow spine.

I,ve been runnung on b99 for 6weeks now in my shrimp boat.  I  no longer see a trail of fuel behind my exhaust pipes at idle anymore! the engine seems to run smoother (although that might just be in my head).But definitely there is less smoking. as for the power, at full throttle i'm down about 100 rpm, which for me is not a problem .I don't need it anyway. You can stand behind this boat and breathe again. hope my good luck continues, will stay in touch. another fisherman has been using wvo in a 80-20 mix of unleaded gasoline for about the same amount of time and says he's had no problems either. but i see them changing thier fuel filters quite abit more often. hope this can be of some help.  jamie

jayfrogsouth:

I,ve been runnung on b99 for 6weeks now in my shrimp boat.  I  no longer see a trail of fuel behind my exhaust pipes at idle anymore! the engine seems to run smoother (although that might just be in my head).But definitely there is less smoking. as for the power, at full throttle i'm down about 100 rpm, which for me is not a problem .I don't need it anyway. You can stand behind this boat and breathe again. hope my good luck continues, will stay in touch. another fisherman has been using wvo in a 80-20 mix of unleaded gasoline for about the same amount of time and says he's had no problems either. but i see them changing thier fuel filters quite abit more often. hope this can be of some help.  jamie

What engines and fuel delivery system are you using? Keep an eye on any 'rubber' or synthetic parts that are not tolerance to biodiesel. Great to hear the positive reports.

I'm running an old 853 natural G.M. I will definitely keep an eye on the hoses, for sure. the other guy is runnung a small 6 john deere.thanks,  jamie

 I've recently started volunteering on board a tall ship called Gazela out of Philadelphia ( http://gazela.org/ ) and they are interested in running their diesels in both the Gazela and the Jupiter on biodiesel but I am having a tough time finding vendors in the PHilly area.  Does anyone know of vendors in PA?

 Any recommendations for old diesels other than replacing fuel lines with viton?

 Update on the shrimpboats: I ran short of bio-diesel  and started using the 80/20 mix for about 3 weeks. The french fries got alot stronger and I seemed to lose a little zip in the engine. After a week or so I began to have starting problems, and the engine would hunt at an idle. It was getting worse almost every day. My mix was clean, filtered ,dewatered and nad been run through a centrifuge to 1/10th of a micron wvo at 80%,19% jet A,1%unleaded gasoline and a bottle of diesel kleen. I don't know if it was the viscosity or the quality of the oil that was making this happen.Anyway my b99 dealer finally got a new supply in, So I went back on the bio for the next week. After only a few days everything straightened out and the engine is back to its old form. My friend with the 6068 john deere has developed big problems this week. His boat was towed in night before last. The engine would not run below 1000 rmps. They have to replace the injector pump. He conceeded to me that he was running on 100% wvo this week. Also he revealed that the engine started running rough at the end of last week. We were both using the same oil source. I tested the oil a couple of days ago for acid. the titration test using KOH came out to 23. I'm just wondering if it was the quality of the oil we used for the past couple of weeks? He's been on that mix for over 3 months now and we both started having problems around the same time.  I'll keep updating.   jamie

Thanks for updating Jamie. I look forward to hearing more.