I hear you loud and clear on the explosion risks connected to inboard gasoline engines on boats. As with many things in life, It is a risk I am willing to accept.
The weight of a marinized 6BT would likely sink my boat and the total cost of a new sterndrive to handle that kind of torque would more than completely empty my wallet.
Low RPM diesels don't mate up well with planing hull vessels. In order to get the proper propellor speed you can't use any reduction in the drive line. That requires major retrofits in order to install larger shafts etc. to handle the stress. Diesels also cost BIG BIG money to fix when they break.
High RPM diesels don't seem to stand up either with lot's of problems due to corrosion, cracked cylinder heads and WHY. These units also cost lot's of money to fix when they break as well.
There are lots of folks who have collectively spent many many millions of dollars trying to find the perfect diesel power solution for their Bertram 25's , 28's and 31's to no avail.
In my view, the using the 292 is an overlooked and novel lower cost approach to the problem of powering a Bertram 20 (single) or Bertram 25 (twin) balancing cost, installed weight, performance and fuel economy.
