Marine Description: HP vs Torque

[spartonboat1]

In the recreational marine/nautical marine environment, there are boats with Gas engines and those with Diesels. We know Gassers have horsepower, but the Diesels definitely have more torque.

So here is the difference between Horsepower and Torque:
>> Horsepower- That is how fast you can hit the dock
>> Torque- That is how far you can drag the dock, after you hit it!

Any questions, consult your Chapman's book.

 

[Dan Mapes]

I thought torque was what got you up on plane before you hit the dock.

 

[madhatter1]

The hitting and dragging the dock is actually a great explanation. Many guys will argue all day that HP is HP and that’s all that counts. Big torque number come from higher HP any lower RPM’s diesels with large displacement make.

A great example is the 6BT’s in our 34. I mapped out the torque curves for the 279, 330, and 370 HP versions. While the higher HP 370 did make a little more torque at some RPM’s while Erving higher for the HP gain to me it wasn’t worth it. So I rolled the dice, installed the fresh water cooled intercooler 270’s and it worked out great. My underpowered boat cruises great at 24-27 MPH due to the inherent torque of a turbo intercooled 5.9 diesel. Has done so for 23 years now.