If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

RG wrote:
"azboating" wrote in message
ups.com...
Typically for a day trip we go to lake pleasant, it's close enough for
us to go afterwork on a weekday or first thing on a Saturday morning
for a breakfast cruise. If we're going for a few days or more we'll
head to Lake Mead or Lake Powell.


Mine's slipped at Saguaro. I towed a friends boat to Lake Mead two weeks
ago. He keeps it in dry storage at Lake Pleasant. We launched and stayed
at Temple Bar. My boat hasn't been on Lake Powell since Summer 2003.

Last September the family and I went to Lake Mead. We were able to
visit Echo Bay, Temple Bar and Callville Bay within 3 days. We had the
lake to ourselves and the water was like glass so we cruised around at
about 45-50 mph. Of course like topic of this post suggests we paid for
it.

If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

Runnone *one* 496 HO gas engine in a boat is an acceptable definition of
stupidity. If your is heavy enough to need a pair, then you should have
gone diesel.

Harry, that might be alright for a cruiser or trawler, but the
speedboat crowd.
I don't think the Donzi, Cigarette, and Baja crowd will go for it.

And if you can afford the $225,000 for the boat, then fuel economy is
probably the last on your mind....

If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

If you have the money to have a boat with 2 496 mags, then the price per/gal
has no concern to the owner!


wrote in message
oups.com...
Fuel consumption figures for Mercruiser marine engines:

3.0 L: 6gph at 3500 cruise, 11.5 gph WOT
4.3 L (2 bbl): 8.5 gph at 3500 cruise, 16.7 gph WOT
4.3 L MPI: 9.0 gph at 3500 cruise, 19.5 gph WOT
5.0L (2 bbl): 9.0 gph at 3000 (not 3500) cruise, 20.5gph WOT
5.0 L MPI: 10.9 gph at 3500 cruise, 22 gph WOT
350 Mag MPI: 12gph at 3500 cruise, 22gph at (5000 rpm) WOT
MX 6.2L MPI: 13.2 gph at 3500 cruise, 25.1 gph at 5200 WOT
496 Magnum: 16.0 gph at 3500 cruise, 30.5 gph at WOT
496 Magnum HO: 18.5 at 3500 cruise, 33gph at 5000 WOT.


Hmm, lets see: Running a pair of 496 HO gassers at well above cruise
speed would likely burn
close to 30 gph per side or 60gph total. 60 gph X $5/gal = $300 per
hour in fuel costs. Over $2000 for an all-day high speed run.

Running the same engines at 3500 rpm cruise would burn 37 gph, for a
total of $185 per hour in fuel costs at $5 a gallon. Still not cheap by
any stretch of the imagination, but at least not as far out of the
questiong for most folks as a $2000 daily (or even weekend) fuel bill
would be.

If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

azboating wrote:
You did have to remind me of that. We live about 30 minutes from the
lake which burns about 15 gallons round trip, so add another $48 to
that total. Yikes! a $200 day.

For what we do, it's really not bad by the standards of the day. $30.
for fuel for my old '89 mercury to tow my 18' Chris Craft to the lake
and back 120 mi. round trip

Cruise and putter around the lake for a day. with a 3.0 GM running 3200
rpm, and that will pull about 5-7 gal. Another $21.00.


I look at it like this. My family can have a decent day on Lthe lake,
OR I can load up the car and take them to 6-Flags St. louis. and pay 40
bucks a pop to get in and eat their $4.00 hotdogs and $2.50 soda pop
and stand in a hot line for 45 min, to ride some whirlie-gig for about
3 minutes.

By the time we get home we's spent $300.00 and wonder ..."why?"


The lake is proven to be the better choice. We get to do what we want
to do, and enjoy the water.

More fun, practical, and economical!

If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

wrote in message
oups.com...




Runnone *one* 496 HO gas engine in a boat is an acceptable definition of
stupidity. If your is heavy enough to need a pair, then you should have
gone diesel.

Harry, that might be alright for a cruiser or trawler, but the
speedboat crowd.
I don't think the Donzi, Cigarette, and Baja crowd will go for it.

And if you can afford the $225,000 for the boat, then fuel economy is
probably the last on your mind....


Not really. New boats in the 33+ foot range generally will cost that and
more..................many (most?) take out loans to afford them. These
boats hold 200+ gallons of fuel and are not fuel efficient. A $1 to $2
jump in fuel prices will certainly change their boating habits. ;-)

If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

"Lost In Space/Woodchuck" wrote in message
...
If you have the money to have a boat with 2 496 mags, then the price
per/gal has no concern to the owner!

A generalization that is certainly not true. Many folks with boats,
regardless of size or power, are just making it and a jump in fuel prices
may do them in or greatly curtail their time on the water under power.

If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

Last September the family and I went to Lake Mead. We were able to
visit Echo Bay, Temple Bar and Callville Bay within 3 days. We had the
lake to ourselves and the water was like glass so we cruised around at
about 45-50 mph. Of course like topic of this post suggests we paid for
it.


From Temple Bar, we went all the way into Iceberg Canyon, to where you run
out of water. I used to fish in Iceberg Canyon as a kid. It's very strange
to see the lake down so low. We also made a run down to Hoover Dam. Over
the two days, we had a mix of glass-like water and Mead's infamous
wind-driven chop.

If you go to alt.binaries.pictures.sports.ocean, I posted some pics of the
trip. The posting date is 4/9/06.

If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

On Mon, 24 Apr 2006 19:42:36 -0400, " JimH" jimh_osudad@yahooDOT
comREMOVETHIS wrote:


"Lost In Space/Woodchuck" wrote in message
...
If you have the money to have a boat with 2 496 mags, then the price
per/gal has no concern to the owner!

A generalization that is certainly not true. Many folks with boats,
regardless of size or power, are just making it and a jump in fuel prices
may do them in or greatly curtail their time on the water under power.


Jim, the OP *did* limit his statement to people with '2 496 mags'. If the
owners of the boats with 2 496 Mags are 'just making it', then they should
sell their damn boat. Wouldn't you agree?
--
'Til next time,

John H

******************************************
***** Have a Spectacular Day! *****
******************************************

If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

RG wrote:
Last September the family and I went to Lake Mead. We were able to
visit Echo Bay, Temple Bar and Callville Bay within 3 days. We had the
lake to ourselves and the water was like glass so we cruised around at
about 45-50 mph. Of course like topic of this post suggests we paid for
it.


From Temple Bar, we went all the way into Iceberg Canyon, to where you run
out of water. I used to fish in Iceberg Canyon as a kid. It's very strange
to see the lake down so low. We also made a run down to Hoover Dam. Over
the two days, we had a mix of glass-like water and Mead's infamous
wind-driven chop.

If you go to alt.binaries.pictures.sports.ocean, I posted some pics of the
trip. The posting date is 4/9/06.

That sounds like a fun trip. I'd like to see those pics, but I don't
have access to that newsgroup. If you'd like you could email me a few.

If you want to cut your fuel bill, get off the throttle
 

"azboating" wrote in message
ups.com...

RG wrote:
Last September the family and I went to Lake Mead. We were able to
visit Echo Bay, Temple Bar and Callville Bay within 3 days. We had the
lake to ourselves and the water was like glass so we cruised around at
about 45-50 mph. Of course like topic of this post suggests we paid for
it.


From Temple Bar, we went all the way into Iceberg Canyon, to where you
run
out of water. I used to fish in Iceberg Canyon as a kid. It's very
strange
to see the lake down so low. We also made a run down to Hoover Dam.
Over
the two days, we had a mix of glass-like water and Mead's infamous
wind-driven chop.

If you go to alt.binaries.pictures.sports.ocean, I posted some pics of
the
trip. The posting date is 4/9/06.

That sounds like a fun trip. I'd like to see those pics, but I don't
have access to that newsgroup. If you'd like you could email me a few.


I'd be happy to. Do you have broadband? Do you want them full-sized or
would you prefer a smaller resolution?