Idle Speed Cruising?

For friends and family member who want to go fast I've joked about a coin OP throttle. Naturally that wouldn't be practical ... though with one of these cheap to use credit card machines....

 

Well oldsalt, practical is a judgement call but I'm doing exactly what you're describing.

I restored a 1973 Silverton sedan (27'). This is a v-drive boat and with the original 302 Ford V-8 is underpowered. Rather than jump through a lot of hoops, I just run her at displacement speeds which are right around 6-7 MPH.
Like you I'm in no big hurry.

I'm not idling though. I typically run around 1500 RPM and can push her up to 2000 before the wake starts getting to large. A big reason I run a little faster than idle is engine issues. I think that idling for long periods can lead to fouled plugs and an engine that gets gummed up with deposits from incomplete combustion. At 1500 RPM or so I'm still running slow but I'm putting a bit of a load on the engine, which helps it run better for longer I believe. I run the boat in upstate New York, primarily on the Erie Canal / Hudson River.

Whitepointer makes a couple of good observations. I've owned stern drives in the past and as he says they are a challenge to run at displacement speeds. They're just not designed to do that.
He also makes a comment about high thrust outboards.
I picked up a Yamaha T9.9 over the winter and am just now finishing up work on my boats transom and swim platform. The little Yamaha will be mounted back there. My plan is to lock the outboard in a forward position and steer with my rudder.
The boat should be launched by the end of the month. I'll reply to this thread once I have some experience with this set up.

Regards,

MIA

 

When they hear it's about $10 a minute in fuel at WOT it gets quiet.
$20 an hour toodling along is much better.

 

"For friends and family member who want to go fast I've joked about a coin OP throttle."

Coin operation is hard to do as some folks will create a mold and freeze water in the size of the required coin.

 

Random thought: do what casinos do and make them buy tokens ... also good for your one armed bandits or other games in the saloon.