OXE Diesel Outboard

brevity · Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2023 2:28 pm Post subject: OXE Diesel Outboard

I'm wondering if anyone has considered, or possibly installed, an OXE diesel outboard on a C Dory 25 cruiser. The OXE outboards are definitely heavy compared to gas! According to their specs, both the 150hp and the 200hp weigh in at 350kg.

But I think that some folks happily run a pair of 90hp Honda outboards, which I think come in at ~165kg each, or 330kg total.

So it seems like it _could_ be within the realm of possibility to try the OXE. Has anyone here done it, or considered it?

Sources:
Honda weight: https://marine.honda.com/outboards/models/midrange/BF75-90-100
OXE weight: https://www.oxemarine.com/outboards/oxe-diesel-models/oxe200/

T.R. Bauer · Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2023 2:50 pm Post subject:

I think it's just a matter of time these get cheap enough to be competitive with the gas outboards. With that said, I'd be surprised that anyone has spent that kind of money to repower a pleasure boat that is only used a few hours per year. And I've never seen one on a commfish boat up here.....yet....the time is probably coming though if they are dependable, sip fuel, and run for 15k hours. But....then again....I think Bristol Bay sockeye fishers got like 50 cents a pound last year....and yet those buggers cost more than ever at the market these days. Hmmm...I'm curious about them too.

ssobol · Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2023 3:42 pm Post subject:

The OXE diesel outboard is US$80-90K right now. You'd have to use it A LOT for it to pay off.

There are other companies that are developing more modest sized diesel outboards (~50-100 hp).

kaelc · Posted: Thu Nov 02, 2023 9:22 pm Post subject:

What size battery do they require? I’m moving to lighter batteries and would like a single new engine with more torque that is more fuel efficient than my old one. When fully loaded with water, gas, fishing gear and multi day trips the 25 gets pretty overloaded. I’d be hesitant to go with 700+ lbs of engines but I guess it has been done. I probably have close to 600lbs between Honda 150 and 9.9.

brevity · Posted: Wed Nov 15, 2023 12:45 pm Post subject:

From their website, the recommended price is $44,500 (not including rigging), although that may not reflect the real-world price.

The installation manual for the 150/200hp suggests a 95ah battery with a cranking current of 850CCA, similar to what I would expect for a gas outboard of the same size.

I think it'd be particularly interesting to try one on a C Dory 25, the increased range would be a big plus and I suspect it would benefit from the increased torque.

Still doesn't make sense from a pure financial perspective, but maybe the combination of other features will make it a good fit for someone soon.

Saxon

I had the same question as the OP (except in reference to a 26 Venture), so I contacted the company. Current management cannot say anything about boats built before 2013, but the estimated 770lb weight of an Oxe 150hp outboard engine is okay, with a caveat.

"we have been building the C-Dory's for a while now, but we aren't really sure about the construction pre-2013. We have built a couple 26 ventures with a pair of 4-cylinder Yamaha's on them, so the weight of that package was about 760 pounds. If you wanted to put a single at 770 pounds, it's totally fine on a new build. With the weight in center of the transom instead of spreading out like a pair of engines I would probably put a little extra support in the center when it was built. The boat could handle it as is, but a little extra support would help eliminate any paint stress cracks. The back might flex a little and the newer gelcoats don't flex like they used to."

thataway