Diesels Afloat
Chapter One
The Diesel
Engine
HOW IT ALL STARTED
Rudolf Diesel was granted the first patent for a
diesel engine in 1892, when petrol engines were in their
infancy. Whereas petrol engines could be built small
enough to be put in a motor car, the diesel engine was
on a different scale completely. Early examples were
3 metres tall!
Although diesels were used in German flying boats
and even Zeppelins in the 1930s, they were really too
big and heavy and were not considered a success.
It was not until the late 1950s that any real
success was achieved in building small, relatively
lightweight diesels for use in small leisure craft.
These were one-, two- and three-cylinder engines
revving at around 2300 rpm and developing from 7
to 35 hp. They were quite heavy and bulky, but the
smallest could be fitted into a 20-foot boat.
In 1970 Petter produced a 6hp single-cylinder engine
built mainly from aluminium and derived from one of
their small industrial units. This was very compact, light
in weight and revved at 1500rpm. This was quickly followed
by a two-cylinder 12hp version.
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