There is no better way to enjoy the rivers, lakes and waterways than with an Alumacraft boat. And to enjoy it to its fullest it is essential that you purchase an Alumacraft boat cover to protect your vessel against all kinds of weather.

You can expect to spend around $240 for such a cover (this price has been discounted by 36% - its true value is higher) and for this you can get a 6.5 square yard Sundura cover that is the Alumacraft best seller due to its high quality.

Guarantees on Alumacraft Boat Covers

This is something that everyone wants to know about because even though most covers, no matter what material they are made out of, don’t tend to go wrong, there can sometimes be the slight possibility this could happen.

When you purchase an Alumacraft boat cover, you are automatically paying for quality and upon the sale, the cover has a 5 year warranty along with the 100% satisfaction guarantee. If you are unhappy with the product then you can get a full refund with no questions asked.

Materials Used In The Manufacture Of Alumacraft Boat Covers

The product is made from Sundura, a one hundred percent polyester fabric, and is the most popular cover available. The only available colour choices are blue or grey.

All Alumacraft boat covers are extremely durable and are resistant to water and stains but they are not automatically protected against UV rays and mildew. An additional treatment is available through the company that provides additional protection against any kind of weather.

Any Special Orders

Should you have any special request for your Alumacraft boat cover then the company will be able assist you with any requirements that you need for your boat. The company will be very happy to help in any way possible but it is important that you understand that if a special order is placed then the product cannot be returned if you change your mind.

You are unlikely to require a special order as Alumacraft covers have everything you should require but if you need something slightly different then contact the company first to see if what you want is possible and not too expensive.

Tags: alumacraft boat cover, alumacraft boat covers, buy an alumacraft boat cover

In a conventional marine diesel engine the power is produced by hot compressed air igniting fuel sprayed under very high pressure into the cylinder head. A marine diesel engine does not use a carburetor to mix fuel and air or spark plugs to ignite the mixture. Instead it uses the pistons to compress the air to 3000 kPa which causes it to become very hot and the fuel is ignited as soon as it is injected into the cylinder.

Some marine diesel engines are fitted with a heater plug in the inlet manifold or a glow plug in the pre-combustion chamber of each cylinder to provide additional heat to the combustion air during starting.

Diesel engines are heavier and slower revving than petrol engines but they are also more reliable because they do not rely on external carburetion or an electrical spark for ignition.

Many newer engines employ an electronic fuel injection system where fuel and air are mixed more thoroughly in the pre-combustion chamber before entering the cylinder. This system maximizes power and fuel economy and is also less polluting.

All boaters should have an understanding about how their engine works so let’s start by looking at the mechanical cycles.

Most reciprocating piston internal combustion engines work on one of two mechanical cyclesóeither the four-stroke cycle or the two-stroke cycle. These cycles list, in the correct order, the mechanical actions by which the fuel and air gain access to the engine cylinder, the gas pressure – due to combustion – is converted into power and, lastly, the burnt gas is expelled from the engine cylinder.

A Basic Four-Stroke Diesel Engine

As the name suggests it is obvious there are four strokes in one complete engine cycle. A stroke is the movement of the piston through the full length of the cylinder and, since one such movement causes the crankshaft to rotate half a turn, it follows that there are two crankshaft revolutions in one complete engine cycle.

The four strokes in the order they occur are:

1. Inlet stroke. With the inlet valve open and the exhaust valve closed, the piston moves from top dead center (TDC) to bottom dead center (BDC), creating a low-pressure area in the cylinder. Clean, filtered air rushes through the open inlet valve to relieve this low-pressure area, and the cylinder fills with air.

2. Compression stroke. With both valves closed, the piston moves from BDC to TDC, compressing the air. During this stroke the air becomes heated to a temperature sufficiently high to ignite the fuel.

3. Power stroke. At around TDC, the fuel is injected, or sprayed, into the hot, compressed air, where it ignites, burns and expands. Both valves remain closed, and the pressure acts on the piston crown, forcing it down the cylinder from TDC to BDC.

4. Exhaust stroke. At approximately BDC the exhaust valve opens and the piston starts to move from BDC to TDC, driving the burnt gas out of the cylinder through the open exhaust valve.

Two-Stroke Diesel Engines

The two-stroke engine uses two piston strokes to complete one power stroke and, therefore, fire twice as often as a four-stroke engine. A two-stroke engine is smaller and simpler with fewer moving parts. A two-stroke engine has the potential to produce twice as much power as a four-stroke engine of the same size, however, because of the extra fitting required in a two-stroke diesel engine, for example blowers and governors, they become more expensive to produce. There has been a move towards four stroke diesel engines of late as they have become smaller and more efficient.

Protect Your Marine Diesel Engine

Protect your engine by avoiding long periods (more than 10 minutes) of idling in a ìno-loadî situation. This is often done to charge batteries or cool refrigeration but if done repeatedly it will glaze the bores of the engine and cause premature engine failure. When the vessel is in a berth the engine can be put in gear to create load at idle.

All boat owners should have an understanding of basic marine diesel engine maintenance to keep themselves and their families safe on the water.

Tags: complete engine cycle, marine diesel engine maintenance, reciprocating piston internal combustion engine