Boats, marine and boating trends

March 14, 2008, HOUSTON, TEXAS – Cummins Inc. (NYSE), on behalf of the Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA) today affirmed the industry’s support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Final Marine Engine Rule. Geoff Conrad, Cummins General Manager – Marine, made the announcement today at a press conference hosted by the EPA.

The Final Marine Engine Rule is intended to reduce emissions from diesel-fuelled engines installed in marine vessels and locomotives. The legislation completes a series of national emissions standards that apply to diesel engines used for a range of major applications.

Due to the unique installation requirements of both marine and locomotive applications, as well as the resources and infrastructure in place to service these markets, Cummins and the EMA worked closely with the EPA on the development of the legislation and its implementation schedule.

Industry experts and marine designers were enlisted to perform a thorough analysis of the ruling’s impact on both the design and operation of a vessel to ensure the industry could continue to operate while achieving a meaningful reduction of emissions.    » read more »

Significantly Improved Fuel Economy During Cruising

TOKYO, Japan, March 6, 2008 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced that it has implemented model changes for its BF50 (50HP) and BF40 (40HP) medium-sized, 4-stroke outboard engines. The new models will be available starting March 6 at Honda outboard engine dealers throughout Japan.

The new BF50 and BF40 outboard engines will retain their class-leading lightweight, compact packaging, enhanced with PGM-FI1 electronic fuel injection, Honda’s original BLAST2 (Boosted Low Speed Torque) air/fuel ratio and ignition-timing technology, and lean-burn control to deliver powerful startup and acceleration together with outstanding fuel economy during cruising.

BLAST, along with a newly designed gear case and other improvements, contributes to improved acceleration and a higher top speed, while lean-burn control results in a 22%3 improvement in fuel economy over the previous model4 during cruising. Battery charging capacity has also been increased to 17 amperes—over 1.7 times that of the previous model—to achieve class-topping5 charging performance.

1 PGM-FI (Programmed Fuel Injection) is a registered Honda trademark.    » read more »