Ethanol Lawsuit

If a federal class-action lawsuit filed earlier this week eventually succeeds, Big Oil will pay big bucks for what the plaintiffs claim is deliberate misinformation regarding ethanol.

The suit seeks to represent boat owners who have fiberglass fuel tanks and who filled them with ethanol-blended gasoline from a California retailer. The suit also seeks to represent all California residents who own boats with a fiberglass fuel tank that had to be replaced because of damage caused by ethanol-blended gasoline bought from a California retailer.

Kabateck Brown Kellner, the lead firm on the case, claims that when Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) was banned in many states in 2004 because of environmental concerns, ExxonMobil, Chevron, and other oil companies selected ethanol as an octane-booster replacement. However, the lawsuit further states, consumers weren't educated about the differences between MTBE and ethanol-mixed gasoline, nor were they informed about "the disastrous effects ethanol has on fiberglass marine fuel tanks." Ethanol dissolves the resin and therefore the tank, and eventually the boat's engine and other systems are affected, since the dissolved resin enters the fuel system.

The lawsuit also states that ethanol-blended gasoline harms the environment due to phase separation, in which water attracted by ethanol remains in the bottom of the fuel tank while the gasoline floats to the top. "The environment pays the price for Exxon and Chevron's deception each time a damaged fuel tank leaks gasoline into the water," says Brian Kabateck, managing partner of Kabateck Brown Kellner.

BP, Shell, Valero, Tesoro, ConocoPhillips, Tower Energy, PetroDiamond, and Big West were also named in the lawsuit.

Embrace Your Inner James Bond

Searching for a modern-looking tender for your megayacht or a one-of-a-kind dayboat? The slick, modern lines of the Fearless 28 is the result of a partnership between industrial- and product-design gurus Porsche Design and emerging boatbuilder Fearless Yachts. Her deep-V hull is built utilizing fiberglass sandwich construction techniques reinforced with carbon fiber. The 28 purportedly reaches speeds of more than 80 mph with her standard twin 525-hp Mercury gasoline stern drives. Care for more giddy-up? Ilmor Marine’s marinized version of the 550-hp powerplant that’s under the hood of the Dodge Viper are also available. The builder plans on expanding the line of Fearless Yachts with 44-, 68-, 125-, and 150-foot models over the next three years, with the 68 slated to premiere in 2008. The 68 will reportedly be equipped with standard twin 1,550-hp MTU 10V 2000 diesels mated to Rolls-Royce KaMeWa waterjets.

MAN's Newest Common-Rail Engine

As seen at the 2007 Miami International Boat Show, MAN has added to its line of common-rail diesels with the R6-550. The six-cylinder, 550-hp powerplant is the smallest in MAN's line of common-rail power that extends to 1,550-hp. Preliminary data supplied by MAN list the R6-550 at 1,984 pounds; that's an impressive power-to-weight ratio of 3.6 lbs/hp.

Like the rest of the MAN family of common-rails, electronic engine control is supplied by MMDS (MAN monitoring and diagnostics system): The 6.3-, 10-, or 15-inch TFT diagnostic-system displays show speed, oil pressure, boost pressure, temperature levels of coolant and oil, and calculate gph and other relevant operating numbers. MAN developed the world's first diesel engine between 1893 and 1897 with Rudolf Diesel, when they were known as Maschinenfabrik Augsburg.

The Largest Four-Stroke Outboard Yet

One of the big announcements at the 2007 Miami International Boat Show last week was made by Yamaha when the company premiered the largest four-stroke outboard available in the industry: a 350-hp V8. The 5.3-liter, 60-degree, dual-overhead cam, 32-valve powerplant has a 1.73:1 gear ratio, weighs 804 pounds, and can be used in single-, double-, and triple-engine configurations. It is available with 25- or 30-inch shaft lengths and with right-hand or left-hand rotation.

According to Yamaha, the outboard-powered market for boats more than 26 feet LOA has grown 40 percent over the last four years and this powerplant will help fill the niche for more power.

Class Action Lawsuit

According to Boating-Industry.com and Detroit News , a national class-action lawsuit has been filed against Caterpillar Inc., in reponse to more than 7,000 allegedly defective engines produced since 1996.

The suit alleges certain Caterpillar engines contain defective aftercoolers, which allow water to enter the engines and mix with fumes, resulting in severe corrosion and engine failure, sometimes involving the engine exploding, the newspaper reported.

Caterpillar denies the allegations.

"We have requested an appeal of the certification decision," company spokeswoman Anne Leanos said in a prepared statement Friday quoted in the article. "We will continue to defend the case vigorously."

The main focus of the suit is the Caterpillar 3196, which the company has described as the ideal engine for yachts 40 to 60 feet long, according to the newspaper.

The suit was brought by Detroit businessman James Jaikins, who alleges that his Riviera 48 yacht contained two Caterpillar 3196 engines when a 2003 engine explosion and failure nearly stranded him between Florida and the Bahamas.

Jaikins says that when he started talking to other boat owners, he found his experience was not unique, alleging problems with the engines are the subject of widespread "dock talk" and are documented on Internet boat forums, the newspaper reported.

Jaikins’ attorney, Nathan Resnick, said the lawsuit was “a major consumer protection case—huge," according to the newspaper.

The Detroit News says that damages could exceed $100 million.

Diesel 101

What do you do when your diesel needs attention? Don't call a mechanic. Learn how to care for it yourself. Associate Editor Jeffrey Moser gets his hands dirty at a diesel maintenance seminar.