[QUOTE=Steve Frost;12523]The California Air Resources Board has legistlation that is expected to pass next week. This rule will have drastic effects on California boaters and the U.S. EPA is watching closely as they are likely to mirror this legistlation.
The rule would require all boats operating in California waters to have power plants (engines) that meet new exhaust stanards by 2014. This would require our diesel engines to meet the same standards as road going diesels. After January 2014 boat will be required to complete biannual SMOG checks like road vehicles at time of registration.
The way road engines have meet these standards is by use of turbochargers, electronically controlled fuel injection systems in addition to exhaust scrubbers utilizing urea injection systems and catalytic systems.

Westerbeke and other marine engine manufactures have watched this trend closely realizing retrofit of thes systems on older designs are unrealisticlly cost prohibitive. Westerbeke may have a leg up on the competition as when they acquired Universal they also gained the rights to the venrable old Atomic Four, Westerbeke sees this as quicker road to compliance, they find by building this engine updated to an overhead valve system, intragal catalytic system, incorporation of an electronic ignition system and electronic fuel injection this engine easily meets the new standards and the new fuel system eliminates many of the safety concerns of gasoline power plants in marine applications.
This new Atomic is reported to develop about forty horse power and will be much smoother and quieter than current diesel power plants.K[/QUOTE]

I'll be happy to take anybody's newer engine off their hands when you get ready to drop that A4 into your boat. You'll have to cover the costs of removing it and shipping it to Seattle. But that is a small price to pay for making CA air safe.

I understand that there already exists a prototype of a urea injection scheme to achieve compliance with the new regulations. It apparently involves running a pvc conduit from the engine intake to the head. Now this is not a new idea, as it has been used in aviation for many decades; but it's a new application of this classic aviation technology. In aviation it's called, oddly, a 'relief tube'. I say 'oddly' because if the vacuum created by the Universal Westerbeke diesel engine happens to be accidentally stopped during urea capture - plugged, that is by the urea source - 'R-E-L-I-E-F' is not what the skipper will be thinking at the time.

April Fools?

If so... Shhhhhhhh!:eek: Don't even joke about it.

There's no need to give our pea brain California regulators any screwball ideas. They do very well on their own!

Every day in California is April Fool's Day. It never ends.:(

Mike

I'm still waiting for my buyout check from last year! Arrrr