INSURANCE, GAS PRICES, A REASON TO BE GRATEFUL

Sea Angel · Posted: Tue Apr 25, 2006 8:44 pm Post subject:

This is a memory , UGH, statement of the fuel management I think I have observed on my CD25, Sea Angel.

At abt 7+ kts my NAVMAN indicates a range, with full fuel tank(107gal.) and water tank, of abt 932NMs with a GPS Speed input. At best planing spd it drops to 296NMs. I do run pretty heavy with the a/c unit, refrig and other gear and 'stuff'.

I prefer to do the 7+Kts with the reduced noise and more comfortable ride in the open bay, etc..

Sea Wolf · Posted: Mon May 15, 2006 1:38 pm Post subject:

Back at the ranch.........

In regard to the post four posts ago, about doubling your gas mileage at displacement speeds (as opposed to planing speeds), Pat Anderson recently offered this observation on another thread:

Are we boating less because of gas prices?

"More or less coincidental with the rapid rise to $3.00+/gallon we went from a 4 mpg CD22 carrying 46 gallons to a 3 mpg CD25 carrying 100 gallons (10 mpg if I just slow down to 6 knots, but I just can't seem to do that..."

So, if this observation is correct, slowing down can increase your gas mileage to 10 mpg from 3 mpg, an increase of around 300%!

(We had been hoping someone with a fuel management system would step forward and give us some figures-Thanks, Pat!)

Joe.

Seeker · Joined: 08 Mar 2005 Posts: 79

Slowing down seems to greatly increase mpg, but how does it affect our new four stroke (yamaha 90 in our case) engines?

I seem to remember several folks, including a dealer, saying that these engines like it better when their revs are kept high.

I'm all for saving fuel, and I'll try to cruise at 6 kts (boy that seems slow) but I would hate to hurt my spendy engine saving a few $$$ on fuel.

Any mechanics care to step in on this?

Peace

C-Dragon · Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 8:42 pm Post subject: Fuel, Insurance, etc.

The insurance tab also was a kick in the slats. Our renewal through Boat US was increased upwards of $300. for our C-Dory 25. When I called about it, CNA offered to cut it back a small amount if we reduced liability. It appears the rest of the country is picking up the tab for the last two hurricane seasons. Understandable, but there has not been one through here for a couple of years. A better quote was from AAA with comparable coverage. Any other C-Brats have similar experience? The conversation with the AAA agent so far sounded more like car insurance purchase. Tickets for speeding, traffic accidents, D/L numbers! He never asked about experience or training. That makes me a bit uneasy.
On the matter of fuel, our dizzy governor has used his signing a bill for the California-like refining process as another reason to return him for another term in office. Yes, the greenies have infested Oregon too.
C-Dragon+

Cheers · Posted: Tue May 16, 2006 9:22 pm Post subject:

Just paid my "replacement cost" policy - $129.00.

C-Dragon · Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 1:22 am Post subject:

Sneaks · Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 1:30 pm Post subject:

The new "Bennett" fuel gauge. Highly recommended for Daydreamers....

Pat Anderson · Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 12:22 am Post subject:

Too true, Uncle Don... Crying or Very sad

bcarli · Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 1:02 am Post subject:

Hi
I have the fancy Honda gauge that tells me miles per gal and gallons per hour. I've found that my best gas mileage is around 20 knots were I get about 2.4 miles per gallon. I have seen my gauge read over 6 miles per gal when I am at about six or seven knots, just before starting to plane. So it seems that I can more than double my miles per gallon by going around seven knots. On our last boat ( a sailboat) I had to have a great day to average seven knots. I don't mind going slow. It's my way of fighting back at gas prices ( ok it won't do much but if everybody slowed down it just might make somebody, somewhere think, and it just lets me enjoy my boat longer. Not bad!

Sneaks · Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 9:44 am Post subject:

FRIDAY 5/19/2006, Harbor Island fuel dock, San Diego, regular unleaded

$4.45/gallon Shocked

Enough, already!

Don

oldgrowth · Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 1:03 pm Post subject:

That is starting to get up there where it could impact my boating.

thataway · Posted: Sun May 21, 2006 5:21 pm Post subject:

We find with a 28 foot deep V we have to drop to 5 knots to get a significant increase in MPG. (Navman fuel management system) This fits with theory of if the speed is less than 1.2 x sq root length water line, it is an easily driven hull. The cats will be slightly more effecient, because of the narrow beams of the hulls.

The new Tom Cat 255 will have the navman fuel system also. I am going to try and run the boat at 6 mph on one engine to see how it does. I suspect the mileage at 6 mph, will be about twice that at planing speed (this is varified by some of the boat tests published).

I don't see any problem with low speed running of the 4 strokes. Actually probably less problems than the two strokes. Fisherman go slow for many hours each trip when trolling with no problems in the 4 strokes.

I would run the engine up to operating speeds at least every hour or so.