"Richard Casady" wrote

500/35 is 14 MPG, which is not bad at all by powerboat standards.

I wish it was that good. Strider has nice lines but she is fairly heavy. I
get 8 mpg at max continuous RPM and 5.71 at cruising speed. I tend to run
near the top end.

One thing I forgot to mention: I checked fuel usage a few hours after the
first fill up and a long power leg and it was significantly more than I
expected. When boarding after a walk on Roque Island beach, I noticed a
flash of blue color on the prop. Got out the hook knife and discovered a
ball of poly rope around the hub and blade roots. It doesn't take much to
really cut into prop effeciency. I heard it wrap on the first day but the
engine was so smooth that I didn't think it had stayed.

Zigging and zagging through the lobster pots also doesn't show up on the GPS
track and must have added 5% - 15% to the distance in some areas. I've
never seen them so thick and close together. I think fuel prices are making
the lobstermen concentrate the traps on the best ground.

Fuel consumption graphs for the boat, taken from engine data and careful sea
trials can be found he

http://home.maine.rr.com/rlma/StriderSpeedRange.gif

--
Roger Long