Time to slow things down?

Bob&Jilly said:

This post is interesting, depending on tides and current on the Columbia at 10 to 12 MPH we get about 2 to 4 per mpg with our 300HP Suzuki Outboard on our R-27- even better if we slow down to 8MPH.

Click to expand...

Dry weight of 8,200 lbs for an R27, 10,500 for an R29S. That's a 28% difference, a big factor at hull speeds.

BOSCBIJI said:

Our new R29 burns at 1.6 miles per gallon at anything above about 15 MPH...if we pull down to 8-9 MPH, our mileage goes up to 4.5 or so.

Our favorite destination is (rounding) 10 miles away which means the trip either takes 30 minutes and costs us $40 in gas or we take 70 minutes and it costs us $14 in gas.

Time = Money

Click to expand...

Our 2025 R29CB mirrors this. We have the D4-320

This is how I do it. After engine warms up to temp, I will go wide open for a bit to check systems etc. I like to cruise about 7-8 knots. Occasionally, I will bump the throttle up or down 50-100 RPM to give the engine some variety. It purrs like a happy kitten. When the day is over I will also go wide open for a bit to "blow the carbon out" as they say.

I just try to think of the airline miles I earn on the credit card when filling up the boat as a "hedge" of sorts against the cost of plane tickets due to rising jet fuel prices instead of realizing what it actually costs to put 150 gallons of gasoline in the boat every few weeks. We see around 1.15-1.20 mpg at cruise (28 kts) and are looking forward to more fuel economy at slightly less stressful speeds with the 5 blade props coming soon.