On Friday 24 September 2004 2:47 pm in rec.boats ZanderU wrote:

You often see the 'cruise speed' mentioned in boat descriptions and
brochures. But what is this speed and how is it determined?

The number is determined mainly by marketing issues.

In general it is the speed at which the boat was designed
to operate in a continuous cruise with reasonable comfort
and fuel economy. The tank range is usually specified at
this speed. The word "reasonable" here is rather subjective
and will be interpreted by the brochure writers according
to the market they are targeting and/or competitor figures.

In some cases, such as CAT engines, the engine manufacturer
specifies a maximum continuous power and a higher 30 minute
intermittent rating. This may constrain cruising speed on
some boats.

You can go faster, for example to punch a tide, but the
ride will probably get rough and you will use a lot of fuel.

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