Just a comment - but first a word for our sponsor <or something>: Come on people, truncate the previous text, some of the messages are obscenely long with repeated text... If you can navigate across blue water you can master this skill set... OK, now on get home power... If lightning strike is an issue with electronic governed diesel engines (and it is thundering and lightning about my head as I type this) then how about a mechanical diesel engine for the "generator" with a belt to jump it over to the prop shaft - ye olde, so called wing engine... Should at least give you a couple knots against the wind... Whether or not you actually use the wing engine for a generator is up to you, but you should be able to procur an old style or rebuilt motor and install without the Hew Hess Guvmint having a hairy fit... denny MV Levitation, building stage... --------------------------------- Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate in the Yahoo! Answers Food & Drink Q&A.