On Thu, 7 Aug 2008 03:57:56 -0400, "Eisboch"
wrote:

Is that at idle? Most houseboats 50-60' get about 1 mpg. Even doubling
the mileage via diesel, sats the boat is going to go 4 mph to achive a 2
gallon /per hour burn. And the boat is a lot bigger than the 1mpg ones.


I am a bit doubtful of the 2 gallon an hour figure also. The 36' GB we had
burned about the same at 6-7 kts. with a 120 hp diesel. Granted, Gore's
houseboat has a much more modern diesel, but I suspect it is bigger and it's
pushing a heck of a lot more weight. I wonder what the "cruise" speed is
.... maybe 2 kts?

2 gph is absolutley bogus for anything much faster than walking speed.
That implies a gas engine putting out less than 20 hp or a diesel
putting out less than 40. It's true that a diesel 40 with the right
reduction gear and prop would move it along at a very slow cruise but
that's not the way most people would want to run it.

Most house boats need a lot more power than that just for maneuvering
since they have a huge amount of windage. In any kind of crosswind
they will move as fast sideways as straight ahead. There are a lot
of rental house boats on the Rideau Canal in Canada. Watching them
maneuver in and out of the locks on a windy day is pretty good
entertainment.