So What are you doing to Cut Your Boating Costs

With the high cost of fuel I am in the market for a smaller boat with less power. Might have to spend less time running and more time at anchore to cut costs even more!!!! Any ideas on how to get costs down?

 

Get a sail boat

 

Are they not a bit pricey to get into?

 

Well, the short answer is SLOW DOWN. The problem with that is that most of the powerboats of all sizes built in the last 30 years are just miserable to pilot at sub-planing speeds.
A boat like my old 22' CC Sea-Skiff is a very pleasent ride pottering along at 12k with the old model K burning 1-1/2 gals per hour. For my money, an hour cruising along at 12k is a lot more fun then being tied to the dock or moored in some fuel sucking deep V go fast boat that's half as wide as it is long.
Look at the Kiwi cruiser/launch "WHIO" featured in the new WoodenBoat. Twenty nine feet long with a top speed of 17k on 50 diesel hp, and able to cruise at 10k on 1/2 gal/hr. Hoo Rahh!
20 nm/g! You can't do that in a Ford Explorer --
moT

 

I have been using a Nissin 1200cc in a 6 metre boat for many years,even when fuel was cheap and a nice quiet cruiser,almost as quiet as steam,unless I boot it.It`s now about $1.73 Litre and will go to $2 shortly.A coupe of gallons gives a good day out.I have the choice of using LPG,Alcohol,Gasoline power Keresene.Bio-diesel is supposed to become available soon.

 

Tom, your Nissin 1200cc will run on any of these fuels - LPG,Alcohol,Gasoline power Keresene.Bio-diesel? A 6 metre boat boat sure would work for me, can you provide some boat specs and a little more info for the Nissan? Pics too!!!!!

So what is the most efficient boat motor combo in the 18 to 22 foot range. Don't know if diesel would be an option for me, 40 or 50 hp OB shouldn't be too bad. any thoughts?

 

We pay a bit over $1 a litre here for both 87-regular and diesel. What do I do? Stick with small motors (currently 30hp on my own boat). What does the big-boat crowd around here do? They slow down- most seem to think that plowing a 30' cuddy at 12 knots, with the bow way in the air, uses less fuel than cruising at 20 knots (they're wrong, soooo wrong). Others just don't go out. Most of the sailboats around here only leave the marina 3 or 4 times per year.

 

For motoring at about 3/4 of the of the hull speed, a sailing boat is very efficient regarding fuel consumption. There are a lot of cruisers that travel in sailboats and rarely use sails. I have known at least one THAT HAD NEVER USED HIS SAILS

I have made some calculations about fuel consumption in my 11m sailing boat while cruising (making an average speed of 6 knots, sail motoring or motoring when the speed falls below 5 knots and never stopping, wind or no wind.):

Cruising distance: 1500 miles - wasted fuel: 90 gallons

That gives about 0,06Galons/mile or about 0,36Galons/hour at the medium speed of 6knots.

The motor is a 29hp Volvo-Penta, fitted with a self pitching propeller (autoprop) to maximize efficiency.

 

There are pictures of a light weight boat at page 8 of my photo album which can run as a multi fuel.In the pic shown a 1200 Nissin at that time and different motors have been installed as they come out as a complete unit,just a few hours work.Experimenting with multi fuels is not for everyone.The comb you suggest of 18 to 22 foot range with 40 to 50 outboard probably is good for someone not wanting to manitain high speeds but as reasonable economy as you can get.

 

may fifth the us gove is suppose to go to ethenale blend hence the high fuel cost now, find out if your engine will burn ethonale now

 

Ethanol or methanol blend fuel is as good as having 100% petroleum base fuel.Normally the blend ratio is not more than 15% alcohol. With present crude oil price it is cheaper to blend the fuel with alcohol.Octane number will remain the same as per each country specification.I doesn't think the price at pumps will be cheaper, this will only sustain the price for a while.Diesel are blended with about not more than 10 percent vegetable oil.They are blended at 5 percent vegetable oil now. Maybe the time is right to have one own distiller to distill alcohol for fuel blending purpose..!
Years ago methanol are sold as fuel in USA at 85 % alcohol and 15% petroleum.How is it now ?is it cheaper ?

 

for those of us with bigger boats

MORE DOCK PARTIES!!!!!! , We cant get on a trailer to go to the local station so we pay crazy prices and burn tons of fuel while waking snailboters. Seriously our trips are just about cancelled. I pay $500 month to moor the monster so I'll enjoy what Im paying for and let the kids come down and wash it more often. We use the boat as our "Pied a terre" and ignore the money grubbing oil baron of Texas.

 

There seems to be a lot of confusion not only in Public areas as to what can be used it present day motors with no real problems arising,(there will always be somthing to sort out)and what amounts of Alcohol can be used in place of Gasoline or mixed with Diesel or Bio-diesel.www.usatoday.com/money/industries/technology/2006-02-01-ethanol
has interesting info.

 

The only thing I can see being a big plus for affordable boating fuel is to convert all vehicles to electric. Less demand " maybe " for fuel should bring the costs down. Can't see ( 40' - ) boats getting away from combustion engines. bio diesel is interesting but ethanol seems to be limited to low precentages.

 

Well, a lot of sailors never use their sails! It's true though, that sailboats use very little fuel. They're easily driven, and not overpowered as many powerboats are. Most have engines just big enough to cruise at hull speed or a little below -- the most efficient configuration.

Case in point -- the 50' sailboat I spend my summers on uses about 1.25 gal/hr at 8kt. Hull speed is about 9kt. We buddy-boat a lot with a friend in a single screw GB36, and even he uses twice that much.