Serviceability is arguably better for gas motors as almost every marine mechanic has some gas experience while a good outboard or diesel tech is becoming harder and harder to find.

While not as fuel efficient as their diesel counterparts, they are much cheaper to purchase and maintain. The good old gas sterndrive is the most common method of powering pleaseurecraft below 30 feet long. Diesel exhaust odor is more noticable and unpleasant than gas exhaust, most noticeable at low vessel speeds.For the weekend warrior or fisherman who puts more hours on a kicker motor than his main power it might not actually save you any money. It is often only the commercial user who will use his boat enough to make diesel pay in the long run, or a recreational boater who is planning on taking the boat for long trips, so are going to have a lot of fuel consumption, that it makes economical sense to go diesel. When you consider the premium on powering your boat with diesel motor(s), and the higher repair and maintenance costs, how long will it take to re-coup that money in fuel savings? And may those savings be outsripped by repair costs. These attributes have one major trade off, the up front purchase price. Due to its torque the diesel has the ability to push a large load at a relatively low RPM and thus maintain a lower fuel flow rate and theoretically last longer.

The diesel motor’s claim to fame is fuel efficiency and longevity. Outboard or sterndrive? Aluminum or fiberglass? And when considering power options they will inevitably get to the question: diesel or gas? This article is intended to help educate new buyers on the pros and cons of both options. New boat buyers will face several questions when trying to find their perfect boat.

Diesel runabout boat