Four stroke outboard motors are definitely the way of the future, especially for our environment, but there are a couple of manufacturers trying to get these emissions even less, which is a good thing, and are now heavily involved in diesel outboards.

The emissions from a diesel engine are way less than a petrol engine and diesel-powered motors produce more torque or turning power. Now you are probably thinking that these are high horse powered engines that weight bucket loads, well you would be incorrect; a Netherlands company has been developing compact diesel outboards for a few years now and has produced a 50hp outboard diesel.

I can’t see these motors being used for recreational purposes in the near future, but for commercial fishermen, the fuel saving alone may be worth the change, these engines even have a small turbo on them to decrease emissions and increase power. The torque will also allow the motor to stay on the plane at lower revs – as an old diesel mechanic, I find this interesting.

I went to Blowering during the week to give a few blokes a demo on the outboard jet.

It was mainly for government entities who require a shallow draft boat and motor for the rivers and streams.

The jet performed above expectations as we were travelling in 75cm of water with the bottom of the boat just touching the bottom every now and and the motor kept chugging away without a hitch. One of the entities were Narrandera Fisheries who were checking native fish species to see if they are self sustaining. Unfortunately, all fish found were stocked fish. Stocked fish have a dye in them and when put under a blue light, the dye is fluorescent.  This is one reason why we pay for a fishing license; it goes back to the sustainability our Australia’s biggest sport and helps with the possibility of catching our dream fish.