Boat engine electrics

[pirate]

On the outboard electric start question, it's not really possible to start a 6.5L 300HP V8 with a pull cord...

 

[pirate]

The current list price for a Yamaha 300HP V6 varies between £27 and £33k, depending on spec, so at that price I would not be expecting to pull-start it!
My first house cost less than that...

 

[mainline]

I don't suppose you tried push-starting it? This involves putting it in gear and turning the propellor very quickly, which is extra tricky if the boat is actually afloat!
Seriously @littlespark I've spent decades working on boats with engines buried deep in the bilges with very little room to maneouvre and I think you are wise to walk away from this!

Yes, Ford did make marine diesel engines in the past. I had a "Sutton" Ford in one of my boats and it was excellent. In many cases the engines were simply marinised versions of road vehicle ones. It's always fun to find out what the "base" engine is. My sister has a boat with a Volvo Penta engine. Nowadays VP pretty much make their own stuff, but my sister's boat is quite old and the VP badge simply means it is a marinised version of something else, which ib her case is a BL taxi engine from yesteryear. This means that some spares can be got much cheaper fron Euro Car Parts etc rather than paying huge amounts for the same part in a VP box. A "genuine" VP oil filter was £37, the same filter was £3.50 from the sheds.

The last inboard engined boat I had was a Broom Capricorn with a Ford 302 v8.
Lovely boat, except I had to rebuild the engine twice due to the hammering I gave it.
I find outboards to be more reliable than a big inboard especially if your prop is out of the water more than it's in.

 

[pirate]

Outboards are better for access for maintenance too, but the modern, huge ones are so complex i'd never tinker! I have a great service centre for outboards nearby. Drive up, they forklift the outboard off and into a rig with massive water reservoir...and then they get the laptops out!