INSURANCE, GAS PRICES, A REASON TO BE GRATEFUL
- Thread starter ffheap
- Start date
Pat Anderson
New member
Too true, Uncle Don...
Sneaks":28tcpc47 said:The new "Bennett" fuel gauge. Highly recommended for Daydreamers....
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!
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!
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.
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.