Fuel economy, nm per gal, range

[naytep]

I have a 1978 196 cuddy with a 1989 150 Evinrude. I am still running on the stock 50 gal tank. I am wondering what kind of range or nm per gal others with the same setup are getting. I do not have a plotting GPS so I cannot track the distance that I have run for the day. I know that things like seas, load, wind all come into play, but I need a baseline. In average seas (2-3 ft bay) I cruise around 25 knots. My best guess is that I am getting 2 miles per gallon. Is this in line with what you are seeing? I want to run 20-25 miles off shore, but It would seem as though that is beyond my range unless I carry an extra tank.
Also what prop are you runnning?

[GoneFission]

Here's the chart for my 22-2CCP with 200 Merc - yours should be 10-20% better:

 

See ya on the water!

[compcrasher86]

On my 22-2 I've got an '87 140 Evinrude. Mine is a V4 and I think at 150 they stepped it up to a V6 which probably = lower fuel economy.

Anyways, on a big boating day I go through about 25 gallons of gas which translates to around 7 hours of normal boating. At WOT (6k RPM) I'd probably blow 25 gallons in an hour or two.

7 hours of boating involves around half an hour of going fast, an hour or so of harbor speed, an hour of resting/anchoring, and than the rest is cruising (around 4k rpm).

[GoneFission]

As the chart shows, cruising at 3800-4000 and about 25 MPH gets the best mileage on these hulls.  But look over at wide open - 18.7 gal/hr!  

You use more gas in 30 minutes of WOT than in an hour of crusing.  So my advice is cruise more, blast less...   :evil:  

See ya on the water!

[naytep]

Thanks for the info. I don’t think that I am seeing that kind of economy. I am going to look into the prop. If I start out wide open I suck air. Other boats I owned in the past have not had that problem. Having said that I seem to get very good acceleration and good top end (40 mph, by GPS slack tide).
The fact that you are getting 3 mpg from your 22' with a 200 is encouraging. I will try Michigan wheel and find out what they recommend for my boat.

[GoneFission]

I'm running a 19 pitch Quicksilver HighFive (5 blade) prop.  It is more efficient than the 3 blade stainless I replaced.  As you can see, 3.3 mpg and 43 MPH at 5300 RPM.  Good overall performance - I'm happy with the setup at this point.

Don't forget the biggest single thing you can do for economy on an outboard - trim!     Trimming the motor out at speed can mean 15-20% fuel reduction all by itself - and no new motor, prop, or gadget needed.

[naytep]

After a little pondering I think that your last post may make the most sense to me. I am probably trimmed to low. My boat runs almost flat regardless of how I trim. Therefore I should run trim parallel to the water line. Is this correct. If I did need to change the boats trim I should be using tabs. I think that this can be backed up by another post that I read about the torque felt through the wheel. That is if you are experiencing a lot of torque or pulling in the wheel then the trim is probably off. I will adjust the pin and give it a shot Sat. I have a place in Sea Isle nest week, so I am going to do a lot of testing.

[GoneFission]

Does your 150 not have power trim?  The best way to trim is to start out with the motor full down - that will get you on a plane faster.  After the bow comes down and the boat planes out, start trimming the motor out.  In calm water, the best setting is usually to keep going out until the motor starts to cavitate, then in just enough to prevent cavitation.  

The motor may cavitate in turns at this setting, but you will be surprised at the speed and economy that comes from this practice.  Just trim down a bit if you've got lots of turns.  

You can't do this if you don't have power trim.  Trial and error - finding a setting that is a good mix of top speed and hole shot - if the only trim method is which hole to put the pin in.  Getting out of the hole and getting the bow down on takeoff becomes harder as the motor is trimmed out, but pays off in top end speed and high speed efficiency.  

Good luck!

[naytep]

I agree with you as far as using multi trims. But the fact is that I am never in calm waters. It is not uncomman to get a little cavitation when rolling over the waves. My bow seams to come down regardless of trim. Maybe its the added weight of the cabin over the center console. I will be running it daily from Sat-Tues of of Sea Isle, NJ. I'll let you know how coming up on the trim works out.