Yanmar opened its doors with the introduction of the world's first commercially viable small diesel engine back in 1912. Today, the company has sales and support facilities in more than 30 countries around the world. During the past decade or so, it has become one of the most dominant players in the small-footprint, high-output diesel arena. Though the competition is slowly catching up in this lucrative market, matching Yanmar's power-to-weight ratios can't be easy.

Specifications MODEL Yanmar 6LY2A-STP  440-hp Diesel TYPE Turbocharged  in-line 6-cylinder RATED HP 440 @ 3,300 rpm DISPL. 355 cid MAX TORQUE 825 ft./lb.  @ 2,500 rpm HP/LB RATIO 0.39 FUEL SYSTEM Standard injection GEAR RATIO 1.5-2.5:1 WEIGHT 1,136 lb. ALT. OUTPUT 80 amps MSRP Price on request www.yanmarmarine.com

The popularity of its engines can certainly be credited in part to the ease with which they fit into spaces previously occupied by big-block gasoline engines. With a virtually square frontal profile (28 by 28 inches) and a 50-inch length, even small spaces on center consoles become fair game for a diesel repower.
Owners find the Yanmar a breeze to perform routine maintenance on as all the service points are thoughtfully placed on the top of the engine.

Certainly fuel efficiency depends largely on the individual boat; however, dyno testing specs the 6LY2A engine as burning 23 gph at its wide-open-throttle 3,300 rpm rating. No, you probably won't go quite as fast, horsepower for horsepower, when you compare diesel with gas power. But advanced turbocharging and intercooling minimize the differences in performance. Diesels don't run at rpm comparable to those of gas engines either, so they don't work as hard and, therefore, tend to last considerably longer, especially when fresh-water cooled.

We always find it amazing to see the difference in fuel consumption (and expense) after repowering from gas to diesel. We're sure that whether you repower or buy a boat with Yanmars as original equipment, you'll be equally impressed.