Optimal Cruising speeds for best gas milage

You are dead on with that comment.

My mechanic charges me about a hundred bucks to go through mine, change the oil and filters, clean Racors, adjust injectors if needed.
 
I have a 1994 270 with the same engine and drive. I have a fuel flow meter. Here are the flows at different RPM:
600 rpm = .01 gpm @2.9 mph or 4.8 mpg
1200 rpm = .06 gpm @ 7 mph or 1.9 mpg
3200 rpm = .26 gpm @ 23 mph or 1.4 mpg
3400 rpm = .28 gpm @ 26 mph or 1.5 mpg

7 mph is hull speed and is the most efficient in mpg on plane 3400 rpm is most efficient.

I JUST BOUGHT THE SAME BOAT!! PERFECT! Thanks for doing the calculations for me.
 
We have a 2000 270 Sundancer powered by a single MerCruiser V8 7.4 MPI with Bravo 3 outdrive. Only had her since late Oct. of this year, so we are still getting to know each other.
I find that about 3400 RPM seems to be her sweet spot for fast cruising. My wife wants to cruise slower to enjoy the ride and conserve fuel. What are your opinions on speed? What do others "slow" cruise at? I will add that I have always had runabouts and this is my first "big" boat. I've been told by a mechanic that I drive her like a ski boat. Meaning that I get on the throttle and I do tend to take fast turns, something I am working on correcting. I understand that depending on the weight in the boat will affect mileage, as will the tank levels etc. I'm looking for what speed folks cruise at for a leisurely ride. We are on the California Delta so its a lot of channels and sloughs, so a lot of water that's not wide open.
Hello Kevin, I have a 240 Sundancer with a 350 5.0 MPI EFI I usually run at 3500 to 3800 on Plane it burns about 10GPH pretty high. I was out on Saturday morning in San Diego Bay and ran at 3000 rpm enjoying the morning was burning about 7GPH. I have found at cocktail speed 1500 rpm 6 to 7 kts I only burn about 1.2 GPH. Hope this helps. I am planing a trip up to the Delta in Late May early June any good tips is appreciated ,I am thinking of launching in Lodi or Stockton. will spend about a week on the Delta. Happy Boating Joe
 
Hello Kevin, I have a 240 Sundancer with a 350 5.0 MPI EFI I usually run at 3500 to 3800 on Plane it burns about 10GPH pretty high. I was out on Saturday morning in San Diego Bay and ran at 3000 rpm enjoying the morning was burning about 7GPH. I have found at cocktail speed 1500 rpm 6 to 7 kts I only burn about 1.2 GPH. Hope this helps. I am planing a trip up to the Delta in Late May early June any good tips is appreciated ,I am thinking of launching in Lodi or Stockton. will spend about a week on the Delta. Happy Boating Joe
Thanks Joe that helps a lot.
First off make sure you get yourself a Delta map, you'll need it.
There are a number of places to put in at, both in Stockton and Lodi. Tower Park is a nice Marina/RV Park with a boat ramp. They have over night tie ups.
Garlic Brothers restaurant in Stockton is a Delta favorite, they have overnight tie ups with electric. there's also a great burger stand there called Bob's, they serve breakfast and lunch. This is at the end of Fourteen mile slough,
A great place for dinner is Giusti's, its been on Dinner, Drive ins and Dives. If you go, gotta get the fried chicken. They are in Walnut Grove up Georgiana slough. Word of caution, its a long, beautiful boat ride, that is mostly 5 mph. Wimpy's marina has a great bar and restaurant. they are just down from Giusti's on the South Fork of the Mokelumne River.
On the North Fork of the Mokelumne is Willow Berm Marina, its very nice with overnight tie ups. The River Boat is a bar/ restaurant just down from Willow Berm. They also have over night tie up. There are a number marinas in this area with overnight.
Our favorite hangout is The Rusty Porthole on Bethel Island great bar/restaurant. Probably the best burger in the area. Just be careful if you cross Franks Tract, its a sunken island. I've crossed it with my 27 footer, but very slowly and with my depth sounder on. Don't attempt at night, there are duck blinds all over the place out there. Legend has it that there is a submerged tractor at the south end, no one has seen it, but we always hear of someone's Grandpas, cousin, neighbors, wife hitting it. Lol! These are just a few of the places we enjoy out here.
Hope that helps get you started, feel free to contact me if you want to know any thing else about the Delta. But do get a Delta Map.
Happy boating!
Kevin
 
@joelife, Just to add to what Kevin said. Tie up at Korth's Pirate's Lair for breakfast at their greasy-spoon diner.

Most of the sloughs are pretty narrow so I see most folks tying up / anchoring parallel to the levies to avoid swinging into the channel, when on the hook.

@Kevin Kidd: I may well carpetbag on your invitation to Joe for Delta info. I've been land-yachting the delta for about a year now, but I plan on splashing the boat in February and will be berthed over at Oxbow.
 
like correctly said planing hulls reach the best mpg usually at no wake speeds , on plane the best results will be reached at lowest speed where the hull planes out without the help of tabs .

stay away from transient speeds between hull and plane speed for cruise .
 
You are in luck since you have gas engines. A gfs10 fuel flow transducer is about $160.

I convinced my buddy to put one on each of his engines and he found out very quickly that
They were well worth the initial cost.

He was buring almost an extra 5 gph at what he thought was his best cruise speed. Turns out running faster was actually better for his boat.

Our local island overnight trip is 120 nm round trip. That’s about 40 gallons of fuel saved per trip.

At $4 a gallon two trips paid for the units.

On a side note, my buddy just bought a 550 Sundancer. You don’t want to know what he burns in a cruise or wide open!!
 
Thanks Joe that helps a lot.
First off make sure you get yourself a Delta map, you'll need it.
There are a number of places to put in at, both in Stockton and Lodi. Tower Park is a nice Marina/RV Park with a boat ramp. They have over night tie ups.
Garlic Brothers restaurant in Stockton is a Delta favorite, they have overnight tie ups with electric. there's also a great burger stand there called Bob's, they serve breakfast and lunch. This is at the end of Fourteen mile slough,
A great place for dinner is Giusti's, its been on Dinner, Drive ins and Dives. If you go, gotta get the fried chicken. They are in Walnut Grove up Georgiana slough. Word of caution, its a long, beautiful boat ride, that is mostly 5 mph. Wimpy's marina has a great bar and restaurant. they are just down from Giusti's on the South Fork of the Mokelumne River.
On the North Fork of the Mokelumne is Willow Berm Marina, its very nice with overnight tie ups. The River Boat is a bar/ restaurant just down from Willow Berm. They also have over night tie up. There are a number marinas in this area with overnight.
Our favorite hangout is The Rusty Porthole on Bethel Island great bar/restaurant. Probably the best burger in the area. Just be careful if you cross Franks Tract, its a sunken island. I've crossed it with my 27 footer, but very slowly and with my depth sounder on. Don't attempt at night, there are duck blinds all over the place out there. Legend has it that there is a submerged tractor at the south end, no one has seen it, but we always hear of someone's Grandpas, cousin, neighbors, wife hitting it. Lol! These are just a few of the places we enjoy out here.
Hope that helps get you started, feel free to contact me if you want to know any thing else about the Delta. But do get a Delta Map.
Happy boating!
Kevin
Thanks Joe that helps a lot.
First off make sure you get yourself a Delta map, you'll need it.
There are a number of places to put in at, both in Stockton and Lodi. Tower Park is a nice Marina/RV Park with a boat ramp. They have over night tie ups.
Garlic Brothers restaurant in Stockton is a Delta favorite, they have overnight tie ups with electric. there's also a great burger stand there called Bob's, they serve breakfast and lunch. This is at the end of Fourteen mile slough,
A great place for dinner is Giusti's, its been on Dinner, Drive ins and Dives. If you go, gotta get the fried chicken. They are in Walnut Grove up Georgiana slough. Word of caution, its a long, beautiful boat ride, that is mostly 5 mph. Wimpy's marina has a great bar and restaurant. they are just down from Giusti's on the South Fork of the Mokelumne River.
On the North Fork of the Mokelumne is Willow Berm Marina, its very nice with overnight tie ups. The River Boat is a bar/ restaurant just down from Willow Berm. They also have over night tie up. There are a number marinas in this area with overnight.
Our favorite hangout is The Rusty Porthole on Bethel Island great bar/restaurant. Probably the best burger in the area. Just be careful if you cross Franks Tract, its a sunken island. I've crossed it with my 27 footer, but very slowly and with my depth sounder on. Don't attempt at night, there are duck blinds all over the place out there. Legend has it that there is a submerged tractor at the south end, no one has seen it, but we always hear of someone's Grandpas, cousin, neighbors, wife hitting it. Lol! These are just a few of the places we enjoy out here.
Hope that helps get you started, feel free to contact me if you want to know any thing else about the Delta. But do get a Delta Map.
Happy boating!
Kevin
 
Thank You Kevin for the info. I do have a Delta Map been looking at some good U Tubes about the Delta as well, but your info was the most informative , I will likely try all the places you suggested.Maybe hook up for a beer if your around when I am there. Happy Boating ! my e-mail is joelife2007@gmail.com and cell is 619-405-0074
 
Fuel mileage? What is this metric you people speak of? Ignorance is bliss, is it not?

I have a Flowscan on my 340. It works wonderfully yet I haven't looked at it since about the third trip of the first year of owning my boat. Of course I do spend most of my time at cocktail speed. But I still find that the Flowscan generally brings about feelings of sadness and melancholy.
 
@joelife, Just to add to what Kevin said. Tie up at Korth's Pirate's Lair for breakfast at their greasy-spoon diner.

Most of the sloughs are pretty narrow so I see most folks tying up / anchoring parallel to the levies to avoid swinging into the channel, when on the hook.

@Kevin Kidd: I may well carpetbag on your invitation to Joe for Delta info. I've been land-yachting the delta for about a year now, but I plan on splashing the boat in February and will be berthed over at Oxbow.
Spin drift is also a great place. Had steak and lobster there one Friday night, was shocked at how sweet and tender the lobster was.
 
Or, save $500 and use the numbers provided here by those who already have. Put some of the $$ in your tanks, and throw some $$ toward the forum.
Had the Garmin GFS10’s on my old boat for several years. Based on my experience with monitoring fuel flow it would be hard to compute max fuel efficiency based on somebody else’s numbers. Way too many variables. You may get in the ballpark, but it would be hard to get it right on target. Even with the exact same boat. Things like wind, current, conditions, load, etc., all impact fuel burn.
 

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