Marine Gear: Inboard or Outboard?

When shopping for the appropriate marine gear for your boat, do you know which type you need?

An inboard marine gear is mounted inside the hull of the boat below deck, and the drive unit is mounted on the stern of the boat with a drive shaft encased in a boot, which goes through the stern of the hull. Such engines are standard on most runabouts, deck boats, and small cabin cruisers. The engine can range from a small 4 cylinder, 100 HP (horsepower) all the way up to an 8 cylinder, 400 HP (horsepower), with several others in between. The out drives are either single propeller or dual, counter-rotating propeller types and are mounted onto the transom of the boat. The dual prop tends to provide more 'traction' and power, particularly in accelerating from a stop. The out drives can be tilted up or down to compensate for differing boat load conditions and, since the whole out drive turns from side to side, steering and maneuverability are greatly enhanced.

An outboard marine gear is mounted onto the transom of a boat. Since the whole engine and drive train is a single unit turned by the steering, they provide excellent maneuverability.

Outboard engines are manufactured:

• 2 stroke, which must burn oil mixed with fuel;
• 4 stroke, which burn gasoline by itself; and
• a variation of the two called Direct Fuel Injection (DFI), which is a hybrid. 

2 stroke engines are desirable in high speed applications (like bass boats), and 4 stroke engines are used in applications where power and sound masking are more important (such as cruising).

If you're interested in purchasing new or used marine gear, check out the Depco Web site today.

Go Green - Sell Your Used Power Equipment

Throwing away power equipment or other industrial machinery can be highly detrimental to the environment. These parts usually end up in dumps around the world, contaminating drinking water, polluting the area, and harming the surrounding ecosystem. Instead of throwing away your used power equipment or paying outrageous recycling fees, help the environment by selling your used power equipment to Depco. We have trained experts at our facility ready to buy and repair your used generator set, used generator ends, used transfer switches, and other power equipment parts so you can "go green" and make some green at the same time.

A Sensible Choice

Diesel generators are critical to have in emergencies or for use in areas where there is no traditional electricity. Always keep in mind there are safety issues related to the proper use of the generators. Utilizing a diesel generator to power the homestead doesn’t have to be an environmental disaster. A generator can be a very efficient component of your independent energy system. The key is to observe a few basics: make the generator part of the system instead of a sole source of power.

Why use diesel-power instead of gasoline? Unlike gas engines, diesels have no spark plugs to replace, or carburetors to rebuild and service. Diesels generally burn less than half the fuel that gas engines do for the same amount of work. Diesels regularly outlast gas engines ten-to-one. The fuel-efficiency alone is a good reason for a diesel, plus off-road diesel fuel is cheaper than gasoline. It’s also a lot safer to store. It’s flammable, but not explosive like gasoline. And although diesel engines sometimes produce more visible exhaust, it is less toxic than the emissions from a gasoline engine. A well-tuned diesel, by the way, produces no visible exhaust except briefly, under severe load-changes.

The only maintenance generally required is changing the oil and filters for fuel, air, and oil. This much maintenance is the same for a gas engine. What you will not have to encounter is a tune-up. No carburetor adjustments, no distributor or magneto to burn out, and no spark plugs that require periodic cleaning and replacement. As with any internal combustion engine, proper maintenance is essential. Diesels are no exception, and the most important maintenance aspect is the oil change. An oil change every 100 hours of operation is normal operating procedure for a diesel generator, and it will assure a long and trouble-free life. For more information about diesel generators, visit www.depco.com.