Best Price For An Alumacraft Boat Cover

There can be no better way to enjoy the waterways of the great outdoors than with an Alumacraft boat and to enjoy it to its fullest it is essential to purchase an Alumacraft boat cover to protect it against all kinds of weather.

You can expect to spend around $240 for this sort of 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 - a high quality cover and Alumacraft’s best seller.

Are Alumacraft Boat Covers Guaranteed

This is something that everyone should always check because even though most covers – no matter what material they are constructed from – don’t tend to have problems, there can sometimes be the slight possibility this may occur.

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 your money back with no questions asked.

Materials Used for Alumacraft Boat Covers

These covers are made from Sundura, a rugged and durable material of 100% polyester, and is the most popular cover available. The only choice of colours is either 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 protection process is available through Alumacraft to provide additional protection against fierce weather.

Special Requests

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. Alumacraft will be happy to help in any way they can but it is vital to remember that if you place a special order then the product cannot be returned due to company policy.

It is unlikely that you will have a special request as Alumacraft boat covers have everything you may need but should you require something slightly different then contact the company first to see if what you request is possible and not too expensive.

How To Maintain A Marine Diesel Engine

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 employs the pistons to compress the air to 3000 kPa which causes it to become extremely 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.

Newer engines use an electronic fuel injection system whereby 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 a less polluting option.

Every boater should have an understanding of how their engine works so let's start by explaining 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 designate, in correct sequence, the mechanical actions by which the fuel and air gain access to the engine cylinder, the gas pressure – due to combustion – is converted to power and, finally, the burnt gas is expelled from the engine cylinder.

A Basic Four-Stroke Diesel Engine

From its name, 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.

In the order they occur the four strokes 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 opened inlet valve to relieve this low-pressure area, and the cylinder is filled with air.

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

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

The Two-Stroke Diesel Engine

The two-stroke engine uses two piston strokes to complete one power stroke and, therefore, it fires 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 recently as they have become more efficient and smaller.

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.